Postdoctoral Scholar in Transdisciplinary Climate Research

Position Specifics

Penn State’s Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI, https://eesi.psu.edu) invites applications for multiple Postdoctoral Scholar positions in quantitative climate research. Successful candidates will join a transdisciplinary research team with interests in characterization of weather and climate extremes, risk management, multisector dynamics, and climate data products development.

Selected postdoctoral scholars will work primarily on the PCHES-ADAPT project (https://pches.psu.edu), which is supported through a 10-institution cooperative agreement with DOE’s Office of Science. In addition, they will have the opportunity to engage with the team’s other activities, which are supported by NSF, NOAA (https://midatlanticrisa.org), the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (https://preparepa.psu.edu), and Penn State (https://clima.psu.edu). The position offers unique opportunities for research, education, outreach, stakeholder engagement, cross-disciplinary mentoring, and professional development.

All postdoctoral appointees at Penn State benefit from extensive career support through the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, including mentorship training, individualized career coaching, and career development workshops.

Requirements

Applicants must have completed all requirements for a Ph.D. in a relevant field (e.g. atmospheric science, oceanography, geography, geosciences, statistics, applied math, engineering, computer science, economics, decision analysis, etc.) prior to the starting date of their appointment.

Competitive candidates will have strong computational and quantitative skills, familiarity with climate datasets, and a clear orientation toward transdisciplinary collaboration. Proficiency in one or more relevant programming languages (e.g. R, Python, NCL, Julia, Fortran) and evidence of effective scholarly communication are both essential. Experience working in a high-performance Linux cluster computing environment is also desirable.

Application

Applications must be submitted online and should include a cover letter and a curriculum vitae, both submitted as PDF files. The cover letter (maximum 2 pages) should succinctly describe your background and specific interest in this opportunity. The curriculum vitae (also maximum 2 pages) should focus on the elements of your educational record, research experience, technical skills, and scholarly output most relevant for the position.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to include links to examples of relevant, prior work in their application materials. Additional supporting materials may be requested from candidates who are selected for further review.

Contact

For further information about this opportunity, please contact Dr. Robert Nicholas (ren10@psu.edu).