Research Assistant, Lawn Alternatives

Title: Research Assistant, Lawn Alternatives

Exemption Status: Non-Exempt

Department: Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action

Reports to: Conservation scientists

Seasonal Resource

Resource employees of the Chicago Botanic Garden are eligible for the following Benefits:

• Wellness initiative benefit, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Retirement plan
• Garden membership - free to employees at Household Plus level
• Discounts to Garden Shop, Cafe, Garden-sponsored educational classes
• Employee events such as Orchid show, Night of 1,000 Jack-o'-Lanterns, Lightscape employee & friends preview night

Compensation Philosophy:

At the Chicago Botanic Garden, our compensation philosophy is rooted in our core values: Growth, Understanding, Resilience, and Trust through Transparency. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and appreciated.

Our objective is to create compensation and growth opportunities for our employees that are highly competitive, internally equitable and transparent. The foundation of our efforts is a straightforward approach that can be easily communicated by managers with defined pay ranges for all positions. When posting job openings, we share the minimum salary up to the budgeted amount.

The starting salary for new staff members is determined by considering the salary range assigned to the position and by reviewing the candidate’s qualifications for the job as compared with job responsibilities. Prior work experience should be considered in determining the salary offer, provided that it is relevant to the job. Additional factors such as secondary language proficiency or advanced degrees that enhance performance may also be considered. A candidate’s salary may exceed the minimum amount based on factors such as experience, additional skills (e.g., secondary language proficiency), or pertinent degrees that enhance the individual’s contribution to the role but are not required. Opportunities for increased compensation are provided through referral bonuses, shift differentials, Thank You Pay, promotions, and periodic pay increases based on the Garden's overall performance and financial budgets.

Our total compensation and benefits package is people centric. We prioritize employee wellness across three pillars: physical, mental, and financial. Our goal is to offer innovative total rewards that support continuous professional growth, personal development, and provide the flexibility needed to balance personal and professional commitments.

Position Overview:

The Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action is seeking one to two part-time research assistants to conduct data analysis for a research project studying lawn alternative plantings. This project is a partnership between the Chicago Botanic Garden and Chicago Park District. The research assistant(s) will organize, analyze, and summarize data collected at six field sites in the city during summer 2026. The data primarily consists of temperature data collected to understand the cooling capacity of lawn alternatives. The field assistant may also potentially analyze other datasets collected at field sites including pollinator visitation, water infiltration, and plant diversity or collect field data directly.

Responsibilities

In this role you will be responsible for the following:  

• Collecting and organizing large amounts of raw data (e.g., air temperature and humidity), including creating custom R scripts to wrangle data into an analysis-ready format
• Developing a statistical approach to assess the relationship between lawn alternative plantings and air temperature to understand cooling capacity of different plantings
• Creating figures to effectively visualize results
• Writing a manuscript draft that effectively communicates the results of the study
• Meeting every two weeks with supervisor to discuss progress
• Depending on their interests, research assistants will be able to expand their work into independent research projects and, if interested, attend/present at conferences 

Qualifications

Our ideal candidate will have the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, including but not limited to ecology, environmental sciences, biology, geography, or plant science
• At least one year of experience conducting field work and analyzing data obtained from field experiments preferred 
• Plant/insect identification skills, and ability to use keys to identify species preferred.  
• Comfortable traveling to neighborhoods throughout Chicago and being outdoors in public urban spaces
• Experience using programs such as Excel for entering and storing data, and statistical analysis software such as R preferred 
• Hiring preference will be for graduate students in the Plant Biology and Conservation Program. All are welcome to apply. 

Physical Demands: 

While this job is primarily in data analysis, the research assistant should be prepared to spend time outdoors. Standing, walking, bending for data collection and plot maintenance. Some requirements for lifting, pushing, or pulling items less than 30 pounds. 

Why Apply? 
 Come work in a setting that is like no other as you support our mission: We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life. Take the first step toward being one of the employees who make the Garden one of the treasures of the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Apply today. Please note that applicants who do not meet the required qualifications will not be considered.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, or basis of disability, or any other federal, state, or local protected class.

Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and qualifications required of personnel so classified.

In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, the Chicago Botanic Garden does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its programs or activities, including in employment or admissions. Please call (847) 835-8264 to contact our Title IX coordinator should you have questions or concerns. Please do not call this number to inquire about job postings or the status of your application, or with solicitations from companies or third-party recruiters.