Careers at GIS

Exterior of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability at sunset.

Meet the needs of a fast-growing world with us.

The Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS) is a leading sustainability research and education organization at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Our institute is focused on finding novel ways to translate interdisciplinary research and education into the ideas, technologies, and connections that are helping decision-makers to meet the world’s growing needs.

Attendees and panelists at the World Remanufacturing Conference.

Help the world move forward on sustainability with us.

Our six industry-facing applied research centers focus on sustainable manufacturing, energy, transportation, and buildings. Each year, more than 100 companies, government agencies, and other organizations engage GIS’s research centers to put technology and innovation to work for a sustainable future.

A person walking between solar panels and plants on the green/solar roof on top of the GIS building.

Solve for sustainability with us.

Simple, easy answers don’t work when it comes to solving challenges like climate change or the energy transition. That’s why we are systems-level thinkers. Our goal at every step is to find sustainable and profitable pathways that allow more people to live better lives without exhausting the finite resources of our planet.

An RIT staff member showing off equipment at a Remade event.

Get things done with us.

We are innovative problem-solvers and doers. Behind our work are some of today’s brightest minds in sustainable development. Our industry-seasoned engineers, technicians, and researchers work hand-in-hand with the institute’s internationally renowned academic faculty to advance the ideas and technologies shaping what sustainability will look like tomorrow.

A researcher working with a student in the Sustainable Building Materials Lab.

Work—and grow—with us.

We are the perfect fit for professionals from across industry and academia in search of a uniquely dynamic, hands-on working environment that is driven at every level by problem-solving. Our faculty, researchers, and staff value the many opportunities to contribute their talents and hone their skills that our growing, project-based organization offers.

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Staff Positions

Assistant Director for Business Development (9527BR)
The Assistant Director for Business Development will provide a broad range of communications, marketing, and external relationship development and support to RIT’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS) applied research center. This individual will report to the GIS Director and will work closely with existing GIS sponsors, as well as potential new sponsors in an effort to cultivate and develop successful long-term partnerships in support of GIS research. In addition to leading and supervising the GIS marketing team, this position will play an essential role in opening doors and connecting GIS technical research leadership with key federal and state research program directors, prospective company sponsor and research partner executives. This is a full-time, in-person position, Monday – Friday, at RIT’s Rochester, NY campus.

Senior Program Administrator - CIMS (9511BR)
This Senior Program Administrator position is responsible for grant and contract administration as well as project management support for the applied research center (CIMS) at the Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS) at Rochester Institute of Technology. The position works directly with the GIS technical director, collaborating on strategic planning for the Center of Excellence in Advanced and Sustainable Manufacturing (COE-ASM), including development of the annual work plan and commercialization plan. The Senior Program Administrator works closely with COE-ASM, Industry 4.0 Transition Assistance and other program managers, supporting program-level planning and goal setting, and reports to the GIS technical director on progress toward achieving overall goals.

Senior Program Engineer - Pollution Prevention (9505BR)
The Senior Engineer–Pollution Prevention position will primarily support industrial/manufacturing client programs of the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) at the Golisano Institute for Sustainability at RIT. The Senior Engineer - Pollution Prevention will use their technical expertise and industry experience to facilitate the reduction of environmental impacts at the source.

Engineer II - Energy Systems (9495BR)
This position is responsible for the analysis of building, transportation, industrial, and public energy systems at the Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS) at Rochester Institute of Technology. The position will work with government and community stakeholders (industry, building owners, general public) to understand energy usage, and local, regional and global impacts as well as opportunities for impact reduction through efficiency improvement and clean energy technology adoption. A key element of the position is the assessment of energy equity factors in local communities as part of a Community Benefits Plan, including environmental and economic impacts associated with new technology deployment. The position will participate in or lead: research into best practices and state of the art solutions, data collection, development of system models and analysis methodologies, data analysis, and communication of results. General position expectations include responsibility for: providing technical assistance, conducting applied research, and developing and delivering training, as well as project scoping, proposal development, technical report writing, sponsor and client relations, and project management. The position reports to the Manager of the GIS Mechanical Engineering Team.

Director NYS Pollution Prevention Institute (9370BR)
The Director leads and directs the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I), a statewide technology development, transfer, and assistance center whose mission is to make New York State more environmentally sustainable for businesses, workers, and the public through more efficient use of raw materials, energy and water, and reductions in toxic chemical use, emissions to the environment and waste generation. NYSP2I is an integrated program of several major elements: direct technical assistance to industry and organizations; research, development, and diffusion; outreach and education; a community grants program; and support of New York State’s Small Business Environmental Assistance Program, climate action plan, and other initiatives. NYSP2I is led by Rochester Institute of Technology’s (RIT) Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS) and is a partnership between RIT, Clarkson University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University at Binghamton, Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the New York State Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). The primary source of funding for NYSP2I is provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) through the Environmental Protection Fund as a dedicated line item.

Marketing & Recruitment Manager (8887BR)
The Golisano Institute for Sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology has a job opening for a Marketing and Recruitment Manager. The institute is home to three graduate degree programs: a MS in Sustainable Systems, a Ph.D. in Sustainability, and a Master of Architecture. Graduating about 30 students a year in high-impact, niche fields, our mission is to further innovation in sustainability to solve complex problems around the globe that require systems-based thinking. Through our degree programs, we develop students to become transformative agents of change within industry, government, academia, and the nonprofit sector.