Postdoctoral Research Associate: Climate Restoration & Agent Based Modeling

The Environmental Institute (EI) at the University of Virginia (UVA) is seeking a postdoctoral Research Associate to join its Climate Fellows Postdoc Program. The selected candidate will work with an interdisciplinary team of faculty mentors and researchers to pursue a project focused on developing an empirically grounded agent-based model aimed at effectively addressing the carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies implementation gap.  

We seek a Postdoctoral Research Associate to support a research team in bridging the global-scale dynamics and community-scale processes to help design effective and equitable policies that guide decision-making at regional, local/community, and individual levels.  

The project aims to harness the predictive power of agent-based modeling to answer a critical question concerning how to design strategic intervention strategies to facilitate the adoption and diffusion of DCR strategies. Specifically, it will develop an empirically grounded agent-based model where agents’ behavioral parameters, decision-making rules, and learning rules are informed by a mixed-methods approach.  A secondary objective of this project is to explore how insights from the agent-based model (as a bottom-up model) can be incorporated into an Integrated Assessment Model (as a top-down model). 

The postdoctoral research associate will contribute significantly toward realizing the objectives of this project. 

Eligibility and Selection Process: 

General Expectations  

• Applicants must have received or will receive their doctoral degree by their appointment start date; we prefer candidates who have received their degree within five years prior to the start of the appointment.  

• There is no citizenship requirement. UVA will help sponsor visas covering the duration of the postdoc.  

• The successful Postdoctoral Research Associate will be appointed for one year with the possibility of second year funding, contingent on the successful completion of a first-year performance review.  

• Applicants seeking to be considered for the Postdoctoral Research Associate role for this project will be evaluated on three main criteria:  

1. the strength of their research.  

2. their ability to collaborate across disciplines; and  

2. their commitment to diversifying perspectives and voices in finding equitable solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation. 

Project-Specific Competencies  

The ideal candidate must demonstrate the following research skills and competencies. 

• Extensive experience in developing agent-based models in one of the following areas: natural resources management, technology adoption (or diffusion of innovation), or coupled human-natural systems (or coupled socio-environmental systems).  

• A demonstrated interest in working on interdisciplinary topics related to the proposed project and should be willing to take a leadership role and innovative research.  

• Moderate knowledge or experience in geospatial modeling (e.g., GIS), LCA or TEA, or optimization.  

• Applicants with familiarity or background in agricultural engineering, applied social science research methods (qualitative or quantitative), survey–based choice experiments, discrete–choice modeling, decision theory, social network analysis, or statistical methods (econometrics or machine learning) will be preferred as these methods will be utilized in developing an empirically grounded agent-based model.  

• An interest in leading or participating in stakeholder engagement activities.  

• Good/excellent written and oral communication skills. 

Postdoctoral Model: 

Once selected, the Postdoctoral Research Associate will join a cohort of other Climate Fellows Program postdocs at UVA and will receive professional training, technical support, and computational infrastructure tailored to their project, for two (2) years. The postdoc will receive direct mentoring from at least two UVA faculty members in different disciplines to help them build cross-disciplinary fluency in support of their own research. They will join a network of faculty members from 30 departments in 12 schools across UVA focused on producing research and providing training that is both great and good at the intersection of climate change and human well-being.  

Starting salary: $65,000/year 

Research Funds: $5,000/year 

We partner with the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs, UVA’s Career Center, and staff across the university to provide career development and extracurricular opportunities to student and postdoctoral faculty.  

About the Institute: 

 
The UVA Environmental Institute is the hub of interdisciplinary environmental research at the university. We provide seed funding, research experiences, and training to faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students from the university’s 12 schools. With a focus on impactful research, the Institute and its collaborators are committed to our mission to support interdisciplinary research and training that is both great and good at the intersection of climate change and human well-being, while ensuring that the full spectrum of human attributes, perspectives, identities, backgrounds, and disciplines is represented and making an explicit effort to diversify voices in finding equitable solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation.  

The University of Virginia is rated as one of the top three public universities in the nation and in the top 30 among all universities, public and private. Charlottesville is frequently cited as one of the best cities in which to live and work. The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.  

To Apply:  

External Applicants: Apply online , and search for ‘R0055862.’ Complete an application online and attach the following:  

• CV/Resumé  

• Cover Letter, describing your research interest and how it aligns with the project.  

• Personal Statement (highly encouraged, but not required): use this statement to reflect on your academic and research trajectory; you may include a description of how your experiences relating to race, ethnicity, gender, or any other kind of identity marker have shaped your ability to contribute to the University of Virginia.  

• Contact information for three (3) references (name, email, telephone, and address).  

Internal UVA Applicants: Please apply through your Workday Home page, search “Find Jobs.”  

Application Timeline:  

• Application Opens: December 18, 2023  

• Early application reviews will begin on January 20, 2023  

For questions about the position, please contact Henry Boachi, Program Manager, at [email protected] .  

For questions regarding the application process, please contact Jessica Speth, Academic Recruiter, at [email protected] .  

The University of Virginia, i ncluding the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff.  We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences.  We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.