Post-Baccalaureate Fellow (Temporary)

Claremont McKenna College • Claremont, MN

3d • $20 - $24 • Onsite

About The Position

The Post-Baccalaureate Fellow (Post-Bac) is split between the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) research of PI Branwen Williams in the Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences and the Roberts Environmental Center's Energy Initiative at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California. The fellow will play a key role in supporting two efforts, with time shared between them. This position will work closely with Williams to develop and apply statistical methods to analyze coastal ocean temperature data and ENSO events. Ideally, the research will result in a publication. This position will also contribute to the Roberts Environmental Center's Energy Initiative in a leadership capacity by helping coordinate speaker events and on-campus programming and mentor student research teams. Through this position, the fellow will gain new technical skills and hands-on research experience, lead programming initiatives, and work closely with stakeholders across the Claremont Colleges and with off-campus collaborators.
This is a one-year position, with the possibility of continuation beyond one year. Review of applications will begin August 17, 2026. Anticipated start date is mid-September. Applicants will be required to submit a cover letter (two pages) including relevant course and work experience, interest in the position, and career goals; a resume or CV that includes education (degree, institution, major, and graduation year) and, where applicable, research or relevant coursework, programming languages (and level of competency), mathematics, and/or statistics skills, any leadership, event-coordination, or mentoring experience, prior work experience, honors or scholarships, written work such as reports, theses, or publications, and teaching, tutoring, or community involvement. Candidates in advanced interview stages will be asked to submit two references to be contacted only with the approval of candidates.
Review of applications will begin August 17, 2026. The anticipated start date is mid-September 2026.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree (BA or BS) received within the past five years in earth or environmental sciences (e.g., geology, atmospheric science, ecology, geography, chemistry, environmental science and policy, or environmental engineering) is required. Qualified candidates with a degree in environmental studies may be considered.
• Undergraduate-level experience with statistical analysis (e.g., an upper-division statistics course) or advanced mathematics (e.g., undergraduate level linear algebra) is required.

Nice To Haves

• Completion of the following courses with an "A" or "B" is highly preferred: statistics, computational, or related classes.

Responsibilities

• Assemble, quality-control, and document publicly available oceanographic and climate datasets, and conduct exploratory data analysis.
• Assist in developing, coding, and testing statistical time-series models linking tropical Pacific ENSO conditions to California coastal sea-surface temperature, and evaluate model performance against historical data and standard baselines.
• Maintain well-organized, reproducible, and documented analysis code and workflows.
• Prepare figures, tables, and written summaries of results; contribute to drafting a written product and/or conference presentation.
• Meet regularly with the supervising PI and research lab group to report progress, discuss methods, and set research priorities.
• Serve as a consistent point of contact across Energy Initiative programming, coordinating activities, maintaining continuity between events and research teams, and contributing substantive input on programming direction, including timely energy topics and potential speakers and partners.
• Mentor and support undergraduate student research teams representing a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds, political opinions, genders, races, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations, and religions, providing guidance on research methods, project management, timelines, and deliverables.
• Draft and edit communications and outreach materials, including event announcements, web and social media content, and reports disseminating student and REC work.
• Build and maintain relationships with faculty, staff, students, and off-campus collaborators across the Claremont Colleges and beyond, representing the REC professionally.
• Take and follow directions.
• Work cooperatively with others.
• Be self-motivated.
• Be well-organized and have an attention to detail.
• Receive and respond appropriately to constructive criticism.
• Display a positive attitude.
• Balance multiple tasks and priorities.
• Perform other essential duties and tasks specific to the position.

Benefits

• ACA benefits-eligible

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level