Postdoctoral Associate - Center for Climate and Environmental Health

Rice University • Houston, TX

12d • Onsite

About The Position

The Center for Climate and Environmental Health (CCEH) at Rice University invites applications for a mentored postdoctoral research fellowship in climate change, environment, and health. The fellowship provides advanced research training and professional development to prepare fellows for independent academic, research, or industry careers. It operates in association with FORECAST, an interdisciplinary project with Baylor College of Medicine and UT Health funded by the Burroughs Wellcome Foundation, which investigates how climate change alters human-environment interactions and affects community health. Applicants from any discipline working on climate and environmental health issues are welcome. The fellowship supports collaborative research, education, and communication initiatives across interdisciplinary teams.

The fellow will pursue mentored research training in person at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The appointment is stipend-supported, does not constitute institutional employment, and does not include employee benefits. Fellows may elect to purchase health insurance coverage at employee rates, subject to institutional policy and eligibility. Continuation depends on satisfactory training progress and available funding. The position is grant-funded, and continued appointment is contingent on funding renewal.

Requirements

• Ph.D. or terminal degree in a relevant field across the natural sciences and engineering, humanities, social sciences, arts, architecture, public health, or computational sciences, conferred before the fellowship begins.
• Demonstrated research and/or teaching focus on how climate or environmental shifts affect human health, societal structures, or public health literacy.
• Collaborative agility and commitment to working with scholars from disparate fields.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including oral presentation skills for disseminating scholarly work.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills to balance independent research goals.
• Advanced knowledge of modern research methods, data collection, and analytical techniques relevant to the discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to draft scholarly papers for submission to high-impact journals.
• Ability to flourish in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment.
• Self-motivation and ability to pursue research objectives independently under faculty mentor guidance.

Nice To Haves

• Alignment with one or more CCEH target research areas: Climate & Environmental Impact Science, Environmental Epidemiology, Environmental Storytelling & Communication, Climate & Health Education and Pedagogy, Sociological & Cultural Impact Assessments, or Community Health Monitoring.
• Leadership, research, teaching, or outreach experience focused on interdisciplinary climate-health problems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute an individualized climate and environmental health research training plan in collaboration with CCEH faculty mentors.
• Conduct independent scholarly research on how climate or environmental shifts affect human health, societal structures, or public health literacy.
• Collaborate across faculty, postdoctoral associates, graduate students, and undergraduate students to develop research, education, and communication initiatives.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret research data to build expertise in advanced methodologies.
• Participate in grant-writing workshops and potentially develop proposals as part of professional training.
• Receive mentored experience supervising or advising graduate and undergraduate trainees.
• Prepare and submit manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals and present research findings at scientific meetings.
• Receive training in research design, experimental methods, and emerging technologies relevant to the field.
• Participate in seminars, workshops, and other academic activities that support professional growth.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Stipend consistent with institutional guidelines for postdoctoral training appointments.
• Option to purchase health insurance coverage at the same rates offered to employees, subject to institutional policy and eligibility requirements.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree