Environmental Justice Lab Director
Posted: August 07, 2024
Description
NYU Law’s Center on Race, Inequality & the Law (CRIL) and Guarini Center on Environmental, Energy & Land Use Law (Guarini Center) seek to hire a full-time Director to develop and lead the Environmental Justice Lab (EJL) that they are jointly launching.
The Vision for the EJL
The EJL will play a critical role building a vibrant environmental justice program at NYU Law School and will:
- work with partners, including impacted communities, to address longstanding environmental racism, amplify the voices of disadvantaged communities, and build a just, decarbonized future;
- provide law students with a unique opportunity to engage in cutting-edge policy advocacy, litigation, and research in the field of environmental justice;
- seek to increase the number of legal practitioners, academics, and clinicians dedicated to addressing environmental problems that disproportionately burden communities of color and low-income neighborhoods, promoting environmental and social change, and advancing racial justice.
The Director's Main Responsibilities
The Director will establish and lead the EJL, which is a joint initiative of CRIL and the Guarini Center. In doing so, the Director will work with Vincent Southerland, faculty director of CRIL, and Katrina Wyman, faculty director of the Guarini Center, along with the executive directors (Jason Williamson–CRIL and Christine Billy–Guarini Center) and staff of these two centers at NYU Law.
Key responsibilities of the Director will include:
- Developing a proposal for an Environmental Justice Lab class at NYU Law with a seminar and practical/fieldwork components, and teaching the class starting in 2025-2026, provided the necessary approvals are obtained from NYU Law;
- Working with CRIL and the Guarini Center to develop and implement a strategic plan to achieve the vision of the EJL based in part on consultations with people inside and outside of NYU, including environmental justice and other advocates, people with a lived experience of environmental racism, policymakers, academic researchers and others at the local, state, national, and global level;
- Liaising with environmental justice and other advocates, policymakers, students, academic researchers, and others;
- Engaging in, supervising, and/or coordinating litigation, policy advocacy, research, and public education as appropriate to advance environmental justice in keeping with the priorities of the EJL;
- Initiating and implementing a select number of projects each year to advance the work of the EJL;
- Establishing a web and social media presence for the EJL;
- Hiring and supervising law student research assistants and student workers;
- Working with CRIL and the Guarini Center to organize events and administer the work of the EJL; and
- Fundraising in coordination with CRIL and the Guarini Center.
Terms of Employment
In compliance with NYC's Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is $120,000-$170,000 commensurate with experience. New York University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.
The standard term for this category of position at NYU Law is one year with an option to renew, but in exceptional circumstances the initial term can be longer, while retaining the option to renew for additional years.
The Director is expected to be in the Center’s offices, located in Greenwich Village, a minimum of four days a week.
This position comes with a competitive salary and a generous array of benefits, which include medical, dental and vision. Further information regarding benefits can be found here: http://www.nyu.edu/employees/benefit/full-time/Professional-Research-Staff-Code-103.html.
Qualifications
- A successful candidate will possess:
- A JD and membership in a bar in the United States;
- A strong background and demonstrated experience in racial justice;
- A strong background and demonstrated experience working in the field of environmental justice. The experience can be from anywhere in the United States; experience working in New York City is not necessary. The strategic planning process that the Director will lead will help to determine the geographic focus of the EJL, which will include New York City;
- A strong interest in teaching an Environmental Justice Lab class for law students. Prior teaching experience is welcome but not required. Developing and teaching a new Environmental Justice Lab class will be a key component of the position;
- Excellent research and writing skills;
- Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills;
- An interest in working in a legal academic setting; and
- An entrepreneurial attitude.
Application Instructions
Interested applicants should submit: (1) a cover letter addressed to Vincent Southerland and Katrina Wyman; (2) a résumé; (3) a writing sample; (4) and names of three references through Interfolio using the following link: https://apply.interfolio.com/151701. We will begin our review of applications on August 12, 2024 and will consider them on a rolling basis thereafter.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
For people in the EU, click here for information on your privacy rights under GDPR: www.nyu.edu/it/gdpr
NYU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, alienage, caregiver status, childbirth, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, domestic violence victim status, ethnicity, familial status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, national origin, parental status, partnership status, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy, race, religion, reproductive health decision making, sex, sexual orientation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels.
Sustainability Statement
NYU aims to be among the greenest urban campuses in the country and carbon neutral by 2040. Learn more at nyu.edu/sustainability.
Technology & Racial Justice Collaborative Fellow
Posted: July 16, 2024
Summary
The Center on Race, Inequality, & the Law at NYU School of Law seeks a Fellow to continue the development of the newly launched Technology & Racial Justice Collaborative (TRJC). The Fellow will bring subject matter expertise in the areas of racial justice advocacy, the criminal legal system, legal analysis, and emerging issues on law enforcement technology, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, surveillance technology, and algorithmic accountability. The Fellow will inform continued growth of the Collaborative through legal and policy research, development of specialized projects including a first-of-a-kind Technology & Justice Legislative Bill tracker, litigation tracker, an online community engagement platform, TRJC newsletter, customized trainings with partner organizations, online events, and engagement of an advisory team.
Background
The Center on Race, Inequality, & the Law at NYU School of Law engages in research and advocacy to disrupt and transform laws, policies, and practices that oppress and marginalize people of color. By documenting the history of racism in America and rigorously applying a racial justice lens to analyze unremitting disparities, we identify actionable, forward-looking solutions to address the injustices caused by racism and inequality. The Center accomplishes its mission through litigation and policy advocacy, coalition-building, research, and narrative change.
About the Role
With the support of planing partners, the Center recently launched the Technology & Racial Justice Collaborative to help cultivate a network of policy advocates, public interest lawyers, academic researchers, and technologists whose work addresses threats to racial justice, civil rights, and civil liberties arising from the use of AI-driven technology in the criminal legal system. At its core, the Collaborative aims to serve communities most impacted by law enforcement technology. The Collaborative will focus on three strategies:
- Cultivating Community - building relationships and strengthening coordination, collaboration, and collective problem-solving among advocacy and research partners to address emergent threats;
- Developing Capacity-Building Resources - providing a set of customized capacity-building resources that strengthen strategic approaches to work; and
- Developing Customized Trainings - providing customized trainings that meet the needs of members (e.g. strategic communications/messaging).
The Fellow will ensure the continued development of the Collaborative's initiatives.
Responsibilities
The Technology + Racial Justice Collaborative Fellow will serve as a key expert and advisor for the Center's evolving work focused on the impact and implications of law enforcement technology on racial justice, civil rights, and civil liberties. The Fellow will bring legal, policy, and domain expertise on emerging issues related to AI-driven technology in the criminal legal system (e.g. biometric surveillance, machine learning, predictive tools, algorithmic accountability) including the impact of these advanced technologies on communities of color. Accordingly, the Fellow will:
- Collaborate with advocacy, legal, and research movement partners to conceptualize, design, and develop meetings, workshops, and events advancing TRJC's vision.
- Conduct policy and legal research to home in on key areas where law enforcement technology threatens racial justice priorities.
- Develop a series of policy legal briefs investigating the impact of a police technology disproportionately impacting communities of color.
- Manage and continue to develop TRJC's Justice and Technology Legislative Bill Tracker including managing consultants, students with expertise in data science and computer science; provide regular legislative updates to TRJC's partners.
- Manage the research and development stage of TRJC's police technology litigation tracker with relevant partner organizations.
- Collaborate with key partner organizations to develop customized trainings for TRJC's stakeholders (e.g. strategic communications, messaging).
- Manage the development and evaluate the impact of TRJC's online community engagement platform designed to promote connectivity and break down silos among partner organizations; grow subscriber base and evaluate impact.
- Manage the production of TRJC's quarterly newsletter, including soliciting content and ensuring the integrity of the design aesthetic; grow newsletter subscriber base.
- Collaborate and deepen connections with TRJC's advisory team and facilitate quarterly meetings.
- Manage design consultants, data scientists, computer scientists, and law students to develop TRJC's projects.
- Develop systems to evaluate the impact of TRJC's projects.
Qualifications
- J.D. or equivalent combination of education and experience informed by an in-depth understanding of the racial justice, civil rights, and civil liberties issues related to the deployment of AI-driven technology in the criminal legal system
- At least three years of professional experience as a policy/legal advocate or researcher working to investigate and disrupt the threats to racial justice, civil liberties, and civil liberties from technologies deployed by law enforcement agencies
- Strong command of the AI policy and ecosystem of key organizations and advocates working to investigate and disrupt the harms of AI-driven technology in the criminal legal system
- Knowledge of emerging trends in the use of law enforcement technology and implications for directly impacted communities and for civil rights and civil liberties
- Superior policy research skills, including demonstrated experience analyzing statutes and proposed legislation
- Ability to conduct legal research
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills including editing documents and articles
- Ability to translate technical concepts into language accessible to others who lack technical expertise
- Ability to engage with TRJC's advisory team and facilitate quarterly meetings
- Effective organizational and time management skills and ability to manage multiple projects
- Demonstrated ability to work independently yet embrace the spirit of collaboration and collegiality to fully embrace TRJC's aim to break down silos and support collaboration among partner organizations
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to manage relationships in complex organizational settings
Reports To
This position reports to the Center's Executive Director and Faculty Director.
Compensation & Benefits
This salary range for the Technology & Racial Justice Collaborative Fellow is $105,000-$115,000. The Center on Race, Inequality, & the Law offers a highly competitive benefits package that includes health care, dental, and vision coverage.
Location
This is a position based in New York City.
How to Apply
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample under 1,500 words to law.race.inequality@nyu.edu.
Equal Employment Statement
For people in the EU, click here for information on your privacy rights under GDPR: www.nyu.edu/it/gdpr
NYU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, alienage, caregiver status, childbirth, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, domestic violence victim status, ethnicity, familial status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, national origin, parental status, partnership status, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy, race, religion, reproductive health decision making, sex, sexual orientation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels.
Sustainability Statement
NYU aims to be among the greenest urban campuses in the country and carbon neutral by 2040. Learn more at nyu.edu/sustainability.
For more information about the Center, visit our website at: https://www.law.nyu.edu/centers/race-inequality-law