Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

George Mason University, with the Virginia Climate Center (VCC), is seeking a collaborative and rigorously trained person for the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow. George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason’s academic and culturally inclusive environment.

Mason Science is committed to advancing access, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (A-JEDI) throughout our STEM community, including within our hiring and retention practices. At Mason Science, our values include fostering an organizational culture that promotes anti-racism, belonging, respect, and civility. We believe that a diversity of opinions, cultures, and perspectives is what provides vibrancy, innovation, and growth to an academic community. By prioritizing inclusive excellence in academics, teaching, research, and global engagement, we strive to attract a diverse pool of faculty and staff who exemplify the Mason Science mission and vision.

About the Virginia Climate Center:

George Mason University has established the Virginia Climate Center (VCC) to serve as a climate extension service for communities in the Commonwealth to increase their resilience to the impacts of climate change. As an extension service, the VCC will conduct research to develop knowledge, products and services for Virginia municipalities, businesses, and civic organizations to support risk prevention and resilience strategies for climate change impacts, focusing on under-resourced communities within the Commonwealth that are more susceptible to adverse effects of climate change. An initial two-year (2022-2024) pilot project funded by NOAA will be conducted to test this organizational model in northern Virginia, in partnership with the City of Fairfax, Fairfax County, and the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. Ultimately, the Center will provide products and services to Virginia municipalities and businesses to support infrastructure and policy planning, wise resource management, and sustainable entrepreneurship. Local decision makers will gain access to an unprecedented range of observational data, environmental models, and experts in climate science, sustainability, communication, and engineering solutions for increasing resilience to flash flooding and coastal inundation, degraded air quality, and threats to human health, saving tax dollars and improving the livelihoods of Virginians.

About the Position:

The VCC pilot project is making a cluster hire with multiple post-doctoral and graduate research assistance positions to join a large interdisciplinary team from multiple colleges, departments and centers across George Mason University, including the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies, The Institute for a Sustainable Earth, the Center for Climate Change Communication, the Colleges of Science, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Public Health, the Schar School of Public Policy and the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. This is a two-year appointment, with the possibility of renewal subject to the availability of funds. The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will conduct original research in the area of local climate data analytics and climate change impacts. The incumbent will leverage historical and projected climate change data in order to develop and apply metrics of climate change impacts across sectors, with an emphasis on public health.

Additional responsibilities include but are to limited to:

• Plan, develop, and maintain procedures to ensure that the project is completed in a timely fashion and within budget; Evaluating the combined impacts of local change (e.g., climate adaptation plans, infrastructure improvements, and land development strategies) and global climate change on phenomena like the urban heat island, riverine and urban flooding, and air quality, along with their public health consequences; Define and evaluate climate knowledge transfer and co-production activities in the VCC and its role in driving local climate action; Develop and implement models of climate impacts, with a preferred focus on public health; Engage with communities to develop useful climate impacts data products; Present results both internally to project team members and externally to stakeholders and other scholars at national and international conferences; Prepare manuscripts documenting results for submission to scholarly journals; and Prepare reports interpreting results for stakeholders.

The pilot-test will have been deemed successful if there is strong demand for the VCC’s services at the end of the project, and a viable financial model that will allow VCC to meet those demands.

Required Qualifications:

• Doctoral degree in climate science, engineering, or closely related discipline; Record of scholarly publications; Familiarity with regional climate modeling, climate data and projections (e.g., CMIP6); Familiarity with climate change issues, especially impacts on public health; and Significant analytical abilities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills; and Experience with co-production of climate products with stakeholders.

Special Instructions to Applicants  

For full consideration, applicants must apply for position number F781AZ at https://jobs.gmu.edu/ ; complete and submit the online application; and upload a cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references with contact information.

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.