Postdoctoral Scholar - Climate, Pollution, and Solutions

This position is within the Climate, Pollution, and Solutions group led by Professor Lyssa Freese in the Department of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine. The role involves rapid response modeling of air quality and health impacts of energy policy, in collaboration with a network of university researchers and environmental organizations. Start dates are flexible between Fall 2026 and Spring 2027, with preference for earlier start dates.

About the role

This is a two to three-year postdoctoral scholar position, renewable pending good progress and funding. The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary, multi-institutional team of researchers, including collaborators from universities and environmental organizations.

Responsibilities

• Develop air pollution and atmospheric chemistry models.
• Run and interpret results from models, pairing them with integrated assessment or other energy system/policy-oriented models.
• Interpret data and results for scientific and policy-oriented outputs.
• Lead peer-reviewed scientific publications and present at relevant conferences.
• Engage in policy-oriented outputs such as policy briefs and white papers.
• Participate in collaborative research and interdisciplinary meetings and discussions.

Requirements

• An expected or recent Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences, atmospheric chemistry, environmental engineering, or relevant interdisciplinary fields.
• Proficiency in programming.
• Experience in computational modeling and working with high-performance computing.
• Experience working with atmospheric chemistry and/or air pollution models, such as chemical transport models, plume models, or reduced-form models.
• Demonstrated effective written and verbal communication skills.

Benefits

The salary will range from $69,073 to $82,836 USD per year, scaling with experience. The position includes excellent benefits via the Postdoctoral Scholar Benefit Plan.

Pay

$69,073 – $82,836 USD per year, commensurate with experience.

About the department

The Earth System Science Department at UC Irvine is highly interdisciplinary, with 25 faculty members specializing in the study of the Earth as a coupled system. The department is part of CLEWS (Climate, Land, Energy, and Water Solutions) and AirUCI, fostering collaboration with atmospheric chemists, climate scientists, and civil/environmental engineers. The university is located in Orange County, offering a sunny and pleasant living environment between Los Angeles and San Diego, with access to beaches, parks, and mountains.

For questions, contact Prof. Lyssa Freese at lyssa.freese@uci.edu, with the subject line “Postdoc Application Question.”