Postdoctoral Fellow

Job Posting Title:

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Hiring Department:

Lyndon B Johnson School of Public Affairs

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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 Aug 31, 2026

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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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.

This is a fixed-term position for one year with the option to renew for a maximum of two years.

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 one, which focuses on the integration of social science research with educational and/or communication design to understand and address environmental challenges through community engagement and learning. 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* and engage in community-based research.  
• 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

• Partnering with organizations to develop community-driven climate adaptation strategies.
• Co-creating standards-aligned environmental education curricula.
• Analyzing relationships between environmental hazards and community health and well-being.
• Designing, implementing, and evaluating arts-based environmental education programs.
• Studying communication processes for accessible climate science information.
• Co-designing youth participatory action research initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• PhD received within the past 3 years in social sciences, environmental studies, environmental humanities, arts, education, urban planning, or related field.
• Experience with participatory research methods (e.g., community-based participatory research, interviews, focus groups, photovoice).
• Skilled in qualitative data analysis and community-based approaches.
• 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

• Knowledge of learning design theories or pedagogical approaches.
• Experience or interest in arts and humanities-based engagement strategies.
• Experience or interest in arts-based educational research.
• Understanding of environmental policy and/or K-12 education contexts.
• Project Management Experience. 

Salary Range

$55,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions.
• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation.
• Use of manual dexterity.
• Climbing of stairs.
• Occasional weekend, overtime and evening work to meet deadlines.
• Occasional interstate, intrastate and international travel.
• Field work as necessary.

Required Materials

Please mark "yes" on the application for required materials. Failure to attach all additional materials listed may affect candidates being considered for the position.

• Detailed CV including publications and grants.
• Cover letter stating area of interest and relevant experience.
• Research statement (2-3 pages) addressing one of the two research areas.
• Names and contact information for three supervisors/advisors who could provide letters of recommendation. 
• Writing sample relevant to your chosen research area.

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Please make sure you meet all the required qualifications and you can perform all of the essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.