Job Opportunities
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
The University of Notre Dame's Environmental Change Initiative (ND-ECI) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), a leading global source of data and analysis on climate vulnerability and readiness. The Country Index, ND-GAIN's flagship tool, summarizes a country's vulnerability to climate and other global challenges alongside its readiness to improve resilience. The Country Index is used by governments, multilateral institutions, and the private sector to inform investment and adaptation decisions worldwide.
Working closely with the ND-GAIN Director and in collaboration with affiliated faculty and staff, the fellow will advance research activities that support a strong foundation for the Country Index platform's next generation. The postdoctoral fellow will have strong quantitative skills and an interest in bridging data science and social science methodology. We particularly encourage applicants who can articulate how their combination of methodological and substantive focus are suited to the key activities, which will likely include but are not limited to:
- Advance what the Country Index measures. Interrogate the current indicators and data pipelines to identify blind spots, redundancies, and emerging risks the index doesn't yet capture, and help chart what the next generation of the tool should look like.
- Pioneer data-driven approaches to indicator weighting. Develop and test machine learning methods that let observed outcomes, such as historical disaster impacts and recovery trajectories, inform how the index itself is built, moving climate vulnerability assessment beyond expert judgment alone.
- Publish at the frontier of climate adaptation. Lead and co-author work in high-impact, peer-reviewed sustainability, climate, and environmental science journals, with strong support for turning this research into a visible publication record.
- Help grow a globally influential research program. Collaborate on grant writing and proposal development that will shape ND-GAIN's next chapter and open new lines of inquiry.
The Fellow will benefit from being a part of ND-ECI’s interdisciplinary intellectual community, enhancing their ability to collaborate across disciplines and engage with cutting-edge facilities and campus-wide research initiatives. Through peer mentorship, research seminars, and cohort-building activities, postdoctoral fellows are embedded within a supportive community and interact with a diversity of scholars and are empowered to produce high-impact environmental research that serves society.
This is a full-time position based at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, with an initial appointment of one year, renewable for an additional year based on satisfactory performance and availability of funding. The starting salary is $63,480, and the appointment includes a comprehensive benefits package with health insurance and access to university resources.
The position is available immediately, and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Visa sponsorship for this position is limited to candidates eligible for J-1 exchange visitor status or those authorized to work through OPT. Notre Dame is unable to sponsor other visa categories, including H-1B, for this role.
Applicants should send a cover letter (2 pages max) and full curriculum vitae as a single PDF attachment to Alex Hardy (ND-ECI Program Director) at alexhardy@nd.edu.