The University of Chicago

Homepage: https://climateengineering.uchicago.edu/csei-postdoctoral-researchers-program/

The Climate Systems Engineering initiative (CSEi) at the University of Chicago invites applications for the 2025 inaugural cohort of CSEi Postdoctoral Researchers, to be appointed at the rank of Research Associate. We seek outstanding early career scholars interested in any aspect of climate engineering.

The University of Chicago is building a substantial research cluster (including an anticipated ten new faculty lines) on the science, technology, and public policy of Climate Systems Engineering. Our goal is to advance understanding of the benefits, risks, and governance of technologies that might reduce the impacts of accumulated greenhouse gases, and to educate students who will face the challenges of managing industrial civilization on a fragile planet. CSEi’s topical scope includes open-system carbon removal such as enhanced weathering, solar geoengineering, and interventions to limit loss of glacial ice. CSEi welcomes research from across fields including the sciences, humanities, social sciences, public policy, and law.

The CSEi Postdoctoral Researchers program aims to develop the next generation of research leaders who will shape the future of climate systems engineering for the benefit of people and the planet. CSEi Postdoctoral Researchers will work closely with UChicago faculty mentors, but their research and funding are independent, and the program will help them develop strong research networks by facilitating collaboration among the postdoctoral cohort and by ensuring that they have ample opportunities to interact with the full community of CSEi-affiliated faculty and research leaders. Securing a faculty mentor in advance is strongly preferred, and applicants are encouraged to reach out early to engage a mentor. UChicago faculty members from any discipline may potentially serve as a mentor, regardless of whether they have prior experience with climate systems engineering.

To offer a sense of the range of opportunities for collaboration, leading faculty from a variety of fields have contributed statements about research interests and possibilities for collaboration. These statements, available on the CSEi web site, are examples of how faculty research interests might overlap with climate systems engineering, and not an exhaustive list. Applicants may reach out to any UChicago faculty member about these or other topics.

This is a two-year position, beginning 1 August 2025, that offers a salary of $90,000 per year, benefits, office space, up to $3,000 for moving expenses, and research and travel funding of $10,000 per year. Teaching is not required, though an optional teaching opportunity during the second year of the fellowship may be available, subject to need and requisite approval. In-person interaction is a crucial part of the program, and postdoctoral researchers are expected to participate actively in the life of the CSEi.

Qualifications

Required:

• A doctorate or other terminal degree appropriate to the field received within six years of the application deadline.

Preferred:

• A doctorate or other terminal degree appropriate to the field received within three years of the application deadline.
• Pre-matching with a faculty mentor and enthusiastic recommendation from the mentor.

Application Instructions

Applications must be submitted online via Interfolio: http://apply.interfolio.com/152260. The following materials are required:

• C.V.
• Statement of research objectives that explains how the research will advance understanding of climate systems engineering, and how the research relates to the applicant’s prior work and skills. (maximum 2 pages)
• Writing sample consisting of a chapter, essay, or article.
• Names and contact information of two references.
• Name of UChicago faculty member who has agreed to serve as mentor. If applying without a pre-matched mentor, please provide names of faculty members whom you want to work with and an explanation of why you were not able to secure a mentor in advance.

Complete applications must be submitted via Interfolio by 11:59 PM Central Daylight Time on October 15, 2024.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All University departments and institutes are charged with building a faculty from a diversity of backgrounds and with diverse viewpoints; with cultivating an inclusive community that values freedom of expression; and with welcoming and supporting all their members.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages diverse perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange. The University’s Statements on Diversity are at https://provost.uchicago.edu/statements-diversity.

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University’s Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-834-3988 or email equalopportunity@uchicago.edu with their request.