Postdoctoral Associate - Center for Climate and Environmental Health

Rice University • Houston, TX

11d • 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 in preparation 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, investigating how climate change alters human-environment interactions and affects community health. The fellowship is open to applicants working across disciplines on climate and environmental health, particularly those whose research, teaching, or outreach aligns with CCEH research areas.

The fellow will pursue mentored research training in person at Rice University in Houston, Texas, and develop an individualized training plan with CCEH faculty mentor(s). This is a stipend-supported, non-employee training appointment; fellows are not eligible for employee benefits, though they may elect to purchase health insurance coverage at employee rates subject to institutional policy and eligibility requirements. The appointment is supported by external training funds, and continuation depends on satisfactory training progress and fund availability. The position is grant-funded, and continued employment is contingent on funding renewal. Work arrangements may be subject to change under Rice policy 440.

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; the degree must be conferred before the fellowship starts.
• Demonstrated research and/or teaching focus on how climate or environmental shifts affect human health, societal structures, or public health literacy.
• Strong collaborative agility and commitment to working with scholars from different fields.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and 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 the guidance of a faculty mentor.

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, and outreach experience focused on interdisciplinary climate-health problems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute an individualized research training plan in climate and environmental health in collaboration with CCEH faculty mentor(s).
• Conduct independent scholarly research on how climate or environmental shifts affect human health, societal structures, or public health literacy as part of advanced postdoctoral training.
• Collaborate across disciplines with faculty, postdoctoral fellows, 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 junior trainees, including graduate and undergraduate students.
• 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

• Fellows may elect 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