Research Assistant; Temporary

8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Monday–Friday

Chico State Enterprises
25 Main Street, Suite 203
Chico, CA

Research Assistant (Temporary)

Part-Time / Non-Benefitted / Hourly / Non-Exempt

$18.00 - $20.00 per hour

College of Agriculture

Chico State Campus. This is a hybrid work environment that is eligible for partial telecommuting.

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Candidate must be a California resident. Chico State Enterprises is not a sponsoring agency for staff and management positions (i.e., H-1B Visas).

This research assistant position supports a Food as Medicine (FAM) Feasibility and Pilot Design under an ARI-funded grant at California State University, Chico. This position is appointed through May 2027 and focuses on evaluating the institutional, policy, operational, and community conditions required to establish and sustain a Food as Medicine initiative in Butte County, utilizing North Valley Food Hub (NVFH) infrastructure.

The research assistant will work with the project team to analyze healthcare policy and reimbursement pathways, conduct community asset mapping, synthesize food security needs assessments, and support the co-design of a regional FAM pilot program.

In this role, the research assistant will conduct a population needs and nutrition security assessment, evaluating qualitative and quantitative community health data to identify priority populations and gaps in food security across Butte County. This work will culminate in an authored synthesis report evaluating evidence-based FAM implementation models best suited to address local nutritional needs. To complement this assessment, the assistant will apply systems thinking and community asset mapping methodologies by cataloging local food, healthcare, and social service infrastructure.

Utilizing visual systems mapping tools (such as Kumu, ArcGIS, or Mind Manager), the incumbent will visually diagram resource connections, referral networks, and structural relationships across the regional food-health system.

A core component of the position involves stakeholder collaboration and engagement. The research assistant will participate in structured planning deliberations alongside North Valley Food Hub (NVFH) leadership, regional specialty crop producers, institutional procurement representatives, and healthcare partners to foster cross-sector collaboration and identify community strengths and operational barriers to FAM adoption. Concurrently, the research assistant will undertake a healthcare policy and health equity evaluation, examining local, state, and federal policy landscapes—specifically focusing on Medi-Cal/Medicaid reimbursement pathways, procurement incentives, and funding mechanisms—and authoring a report on how these policy environments impact the long-term sustainability of regional FAM programs.

Finally, integrating findings from across all project phases, the research assistant will apply an ecological lens, social justice values, and evidence-based practices to lead evidence-based program planning and pilot design. The incumbent will draft a comprehensive, practical FAM pilot program plan and operational workflow for the North Valley Food Hub, establishing a scalable framework for institutional Food as Medicine partnerships in Northern California.

• Current enrollment in a Master of Public Health (MPH) program.
• Experience or training in conducting academic literature reviews, policy analysis, and qualitative and/or quantitative data synthesis.

• Understanding of public health concepts, nutrition security, health equity, community health assessments, and healthcare…