Postdoctoral Scholar, Climate and Community Resilience, Planet Texas 2050

Job Posting Title:

Postdoctoral Scholar, Climate and Community Resilience, Planet Texas 2050

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Hiring Department:

Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until May 31, 2026

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Location:

AUSTIN, TX

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Job Details:

General Notes

Planet Texas 2050 is a UT Austin initiative addressing the “grand challenge” of building resilience in the face of climate change and rapid population growth. Our teams include interdisciplinary researchers working alongside community-based and municipal partners to develop solutions for mitigating climate threats and adapting to present and future challenges. 

Compounding the impacts of the climate crisis, by 2050, Texas's population is expected to reach 40 million, creating unprecedented demands on resources and infrastructure. Our program’s mission is to advance collaborative research on resilience and co-design adaptive strategies with stakeholders and communities across Texas. The solutions we develop will have applications extending far beyond our region, serving as a model for communities worldwide facing similar 21st-century challenges.

UT Austin offers a competitive benefits package that includes:  

• 100% employer-paid basic medical coverage  

• Retirement contributions

• Paid vacation and sick time

• Paid holidays

Please visit our Human Resources (HR) website to learn more about the total benefits offered.

Purpose

Planet Texas 2050 is currently seeking two innovative, collaborative, and community-engaged Climate and Community Resilience postdoctoral scholars to join our team in a cluster hire across two research areas: (1) Environmental Social Science, Education and Communication/Meaning-Making and (2) Environmental Data Science and Spatial Computing. This job listing is for area two, which focuses on integration of advanced data science with geospatial technologies to model environmental systems and predict climate impacts. Successful candidates will contribute to groundbreaking research while building their academic careers within a supportive, interdisciplinary, and highly collaborative environment at a top-tier research university. We welcome applicants across a range of disciplines and have particular interest in those who seek to work at the interfaces between disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Conduct independent and collaborative research aligned with Planet Texas 2050's mission.* 

• Write and publish research findings in high-impact journals and present at national/international conferences.

• Develop grant proposals and help secure external funding.

• Mentor graduate students. 

• Other duties as assigned. 

*Planet Texas 2050’s mission is to advance interdisciplinary research on resilience and to co-design adaptive strategies with frontline communities and other partners across Texas and beyond. 

Potential/Sample Projects

• Integrating heat and wildfire risk models.

• Developing risk assessment tools for cultural heritage resources.

• Creating predictive models for compound hazards.

• Building WebGIS platforms for climate adaptation planning.

• Developing climate downscaling communication strategies.

• Fusing multiple data sources for environmental analysis.

Required Qualifications

• PhD received within the past 3 years in Environmental Science, Geography, Computer Science, Atmospheric Sciences, or related field.

• Advanced GIS and geospatial computing expertise.

• Demonstrated commitment and ability to collaborate across disciplines to address complex challenges.

• Strong publication record commensurate with career stage.

• Excellent communication skills for both academic and community audiences.

• Enthusiasm for working with various stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AI/ML applications in environmental data.

• Proficiency in Python, SQL, and Jupyter Notebooks.

• Experience with LiDAR data processing and remote sensing.