2025 NOAA Climate & Global Change Postdoctoral Fellow

Job Description Summary:

We are pleased to announce the 2025 call for applications for NOAA’s Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral (C&GC) Fellowship program.

The Fellowship program has an outstanding reputation for attracting the best and the brightest PhDs in the sciences, and for training future leaders in Climate and Global Change Science. The C&GC Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is seeking applications across the full breadth of disciplines contributing to Climate and Global Change Science.

Innovative research within and across disciplines that span the spectrum of the physical, social, and integrated sciences is needed to understand, better predict, plan for, and manage the Earth System and its interactions in a changing climate, as well as how communities experience and are impacted by these changes, and how society will pursue low-carbon adaptation pathways for a secure and sustainable future. NOAA’s Science Council emphasizes the importance of extramural investments in climate science spanning observations, analysis, modeling, and the integration of social, behavioral, and economic research across NOAA mission areas (NOAA Strategic Research Guidance Memorandum FY25). Each appointed Fellow is hosted by a mentoring scientist at a U.S. university or research institution (including Federal laboratories and Federally-funded Research and Development Centers, like NOAA and UCAR) to work in an innovative climate-related research area of mutual interest to advance NOAA’s science mission. This mission is to understand and predict climate, weather, oceans, and coast changes and illustrate relevance to the NOAA FY22-26 Strategic Plan. For example, our plan calls for Integrated Breakthrough Climate Research under the Build a Climate Ready Nation goal.

NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellows focus on advancing Climate and Global Change Science. This includes science that furthers our understanding of physical earth system processes, climate impacts, and climate adaptation science. Examples include: observing, understanding, modeling, and predicting climate variability, change, and impacts on seasonal and longer time scales; documentation and analysis of past, current, or possible future climate variability and change; the study of the underlying Earth Systems processes, including physical-, chemical-, biological-, biogeochemical-, coupled human-systems processes, and/or their interactions. Coupled human-systems processes include climate adaptation science and its methods and analyses considering vulnerabilities, decision-making contexts, and/or policy pathways for a low-carbon, sustainable, and equitable future society. Applications may be focused on one discipline or be interdisciplinary, integrating across disciplines.

C&GC Fellows are UCAR employees and receive a fixed annual salary, plus UCAR’s benefits and allowances for relocation, travel, and publications. The program is sponsored by the NOAA Climate Program Office.

Position Details:

Visa Sponsored Job:

Yes

Relocation Assistance Eligible:

Yes

Job Location:

Boulder, Colorado

Position Type & Term:

Full time, Term - 6 months or more (Fixed Term)

$80,480

*Final salary and rates are based on education, experience, and skills relevant to the role.*

Application Notes

Application Deadline: This position will be posted until 11:59pm MT, January 10, 2025. Late applications will not be accepted.

Required application materials (compiled into 1 PDF): 

• Application Questionnaire (answered within the online application)

  • Ensure you have the names and contact information of your professional reference letter writers handy (note, you must provide TWO references - one of which may be your PhD advisor), as you must provide it during the application process.  

• Full Application Packet - Please refer to the Required Application Documents listed below for a list of all the required material.

Background checks are conducted for candidates selected for hire. Learn more.

Work Location: This position is open to anyone seeking in-person research opportunities at any of the proposed U.S. Universities or Research Institutions listed below, and is not available for remote-work. Regardless of flexible work arrangements, UCAR requires ALL positions to be performed within the U.S., excluding U.S. Territories.

Length of Position: 2-year term position, based on continued program funding. Successful applicants in this program work under the mentorship of host scientists in areas of mutual interest.

What You Will Do

Here is a brief summary of what one would expect to be generally responsible for in this role.

Key Responsibilities

Sponsored by NOAA’s Climate Program Office, NOAA Climate & Global Change Postdoctoral Fellows will:

• Observe, understand, model, and predict climate variability, change, and impacts on seasonal and longer-time scales. This includes the documentation and analysis of past, current, or possible future climate variability and change and the study of the underlying Earth Systems processes, including physical, chemical, biological, and/or coupled human-systems processes. 

• Conduct independent or collaborative research under a proposed plan related to the goals of the program.

• Publish and present results of research at seminars and conferences.

• Pursue outside activities that advance professional growth, which may include contributing to educational programs, serving on committees, and attending workshops.

• Participate in monthly networking telecoms with other Fellows, focusing on professional development and science. 

Who We'd Love To Join Our Team

Education & Experience

• PhD degree related to climate or global change research. 

• Preference is given to those who are seeking their first fellowship and have held a PhD for no more than three (3) years from the application deadline.

  • Applicant must have a PhD degree granted in an area related to climate research, or must be able to complete such a degree and finish all thesis revisions and defense by November,  2025.

• Awardees must change institutions. 

  • Only in compelling circumstances will this requirement be waived. Please contact Kate Rodd: krodd@ucar.edu, with any questions.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to work independently and conduct research with minimal supervision.

• Skill in oral and written communication.

Application Instructions

STEP 1. Prepare, collect, and organize documents in the order listed below and combine all documents into one (1) PDF. 

• Here are two resources for combining multiple documents into a single PDF: How To Combine Files into One PDF;  How To Combine PDFs into One File.

STEP 2. Submit your application through Workday, including attaching/uploading your Application Documents from Step 1.

Please prepare your application into one (1) PDF document, including all of the following documents, in the order listed below:

APPLICATION DOCUMENTS (Compiled into one (1) PDF)

1) Personal Statement (2-page limit, 12 pt. type size) addressing the questions below:

• Why are you specifically interested in a C&GC Postdoctoral Fellowship?

• How did you demonstrate leadership and service in your community, and how would you bring and grow this experience during a C&GC Fellowship? 

• How does your Research Proposal enhance and complement NOAA’s strategic directions outlined in the NOAA Strategic Plan and other relevant strategies (e.g., NOAA Weather, Water Climate Strategy)? Future interactions with NOAA could also include using NOAA data, establishing new collaborations with a NOAA scientist, and giving a talk on your work and research outcomes at a NOAA Laboratory or Program Office. 

• Please also add a justification statement, if applicable, to explain any breaks in your career path.

2) Resume/Curriculum Vitae, including a list of publications.

For all publications that are not yet published, please indicate the stage the paper is at, i.e., In Development, Submitted, Under Review, or Accepted. 

3) Research Proposal (Must be titled, 5-page limit, 12 pt. type size) including figures and appendices.

• NOTE: Bibliography/Citations/Literature References are NOT included in this 5-page limit.

• Research proposals must describe an actual, novel research project.

• Research Proposals must be original to the applicant and cannot be sourced from a previously funded proposal to a different funding agency.

• Research Proposals must address the broader impact of your research on the community at large.

4) Host Institution Materials

The following documents are needed from the Host(s) with whom you intend to work. Applicants are responsible for collecting these materials from their Host(s) and must submit these documents as part of the application packet. If you intend to have Co-Hosts, the Letter of Intent should be co-written by both Hosts. We require separate documents for the remaining host material (Resumes, Mentoring Plans, and Current and Pending Research Support) from each co-host. 

*Note that you can work with a host institution not listed on the UCAR Database of Hosts. For more information, please see How Hosting Institutions Apply.

• Letter of Intent – in the case of specific laboratory needs, a letter should accompany the application from the specific institution willing to provide the resources.

• Host(s) Curriculum Vitae/Resume

• Host(s) proposed Mentoring Plan

• Host(s) list of current and pending research support

The following institutional departments currently host first-year C&GC Fellows and are ineligible to serve as hosts this year:

• California Institute of Technology - Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Science & Engineering

• Georgia Institute of Technology - School of Earth & Atmospheric Science

• Louisiana State University - Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Department of Chemistry

• University of California, Los Angeles - Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Department of Statistics

5. Letters of Reference

You will be asked in the Workday application for the names and contact information for TWO individuals who could provide references on your behalf. Your PhD advisor does not have to provide a reference for you. If you would like your PhD Advisor to serve as a reference, you need to provide their name in both the Advisor and Reference boxes. No letters of recommendation are required at the time of application. Applicants are responsible for informing their TWO references to expect a request from CPAESS|UCAR in the second/third week of January to complete a questionnaire that will serve as a Recommendation; these will be due by January 24, 2025.

For additional information please visit the NOAA Climate & Global Change How to Apply website.

SUBMITTING APPLICATION STEPS

STEP 1. To begin the application process, select the “Apply” button. When prompted, create a new account. If you have applied to a different position within UCAR, please sign in to your existing account.

STEP 2. You will then be prompted to submit your current résumé.  At this point, you will upload your complete application document (i.e., all your application materials as outlined above, including your résumé) as a single PDF document.  Click “Select File” to find your file on your computer, and then select “Next”.

STEP 3.  Add any missing information and/or edit and verify any pre-populated information on the "My Information" and "My Experience" pages. Continue the application process as prompted. 

​QUESTIONS?

Questions on the Workday application process may be addressed to HR Recruiting at hrrecruiting@ucar.edu.

General questions regarding this Fellowship program may be addressed to Kate Rodd at krodd@ucar.edu. 

Benefits Overview 

UCAR affirms its commitment to employees through competitive benefits. In addition to medical, dental, vision, retirement, and life insurance,  UCAR offers a variety of programs focused on work-life balance and professional, and personal development. These include:

• Tuition Assistance, time off allowance to attend classes, and other professional development opportunities

• UCAR contributes 10% of your eligible pay into your retirement account; 100% fully vested on day one

• Starting minimum accrual of 20 days of personal time off each year (prorated for less than full-time positions)

• 10 paid holidays

• 10 days of sick leave each year

• 12 weeks of paid parental leave

• Short-term medical leave paid at 100% of your regular salary

• EcoPass for local Colorado residents to use the Denver and Boulder-area transit system at no cost

Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Our organization is committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment and fostering a culture where everyone feels welcome and supported. To learn more about these efforts, visit the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategic Plan and our Diversity & Inclusion: A Welcoming Workplace site. 

Research shows that women and people of color are less likely to apply for a position if they do not meet almost 100% of the desired skills and experience. Please note this is not necessary! If you meet the minimum requirements and have a passion for the work, you are encouraged to apply. We can provide on-the-job training for the rest!

Commitment to Job Application Fairness

Applicants are not required to provide age or age-related information and may redact information related to age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution from any submissions during the initial application process.

Some Final Considerations

At UCAR|NCAR|UCP, you will work alongside a dedicated team of professionals conducting critical research and community outreach to solve complex Earth system science  problems including climate change, air pollution, extreme weather, floods, drought, wildfires, and space weather, all with the goal of improving human life and reducing economic loss. Each of us, from scientists to the professionals who support their work, serves the public and a collaborative community of scientists in our mission to understand the complex processes that make up the Earth system, from the ocean floor to the Sun’s core.

Flexible Work

At UCAR, we are committed to supporting our mission by giving staff the flexibility to find the schedule and location that works best to maintain their own work-life circumstances and reach their full potential as professionals. Many positions within our organization are eligible for fully on-site, hybrid, fully-remote and/or flexible work schedules.

Equal Opportunity Employer

UCAR is committed to providing equal opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or pregnancy. Whatever your intersection of identities, you are welcome at UCAR.

Export Control

All positions are required to comply with U.S. export compliance regulations work location requirements regarding access to facilities and research systems.

Visa Wait Times

Please consider the length of visa procurement when applying for this posting, understanding that you will not be able to begin employment until you are able to get a visa and enter the U.S.