Postdoctoral Associate, Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is seeking two Postdoctoral Associates for the Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy. The role involves collaborating with a multidisciplinary team to develop a modeling framework for decarbonization pathways. Candidates should have a Ph.D. in a relevant field and strong computational skills. This is a one-year position, potentially extendable, with a start date after August 1st.
Posting Description

POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE, Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy , ( two openings ) in a multi-disciplinary team developing a new framework for exploring the multi-sector implications of decarbonization pathways. The postdoctoral associates will collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of economists, energy / land / water / air / infrastructure modelers, climate scientists, social scientists, statisticians and software engineers to develop and apply flexible, modular, multi-sector, cross-scale human-climate-impacts modeling framework to advance understanding of multi-sector feedbacks and implications of different decarbonization pathways under uncertainty. Will contribute to one or more of the following areas: advancing methods and computational techniques for human systems models, sectoral impact models, and related Earth system models; or developing, implementing, and testing approaches for integrating model components within the broader modeling framework (e.g. efficient and flexible model linkages, feedbacks, coupling); or advancing and applying individual/coupled model components to provide actionable information to advance energy and decarbonization planning. Will be expected to work closely with a sub-team as well as collaborate with the broader full team.

Job Requirements

REQUIRED : Ph.D. in applied mathematics, computer science, software engineering, economics, energy systems, engineering, atmospheric or oceanic sciences, physics, statistics, or a related field by the date of hire; expertise in at least one relevant domain area (e.g. Energy, economics, climate, water, land, agriculture, air quality, infrastructure, biodiversity, extreme events) and/or relevant methodological skill set (e.g. statistics/ML/AI, software engineering, integrated assessment modeling, operations research/uncertainty analysis); strong computational/modeling background and coding skills in at least one general-purpose language (preferably Julia); experience with github and open source programming; experience with decision-making applications and/or integrated modeling; demonstrated effective written and verbal communication skills; self-motivation with and demonstrated ability to conduct independent research; strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and interpersonal skills; and ability to deliver results, adapt to change, work on research proposals, and work in team-oriented interdisciplinary environments.

This is a one-year position with a possibility of extension.

Start date after August 1 st .

Required Documents: Cover letter specifying relevant qualifications, current research interests, and expertise; curriculum vitae; one peer-reviewed publication sent to holak@mit.edu; and three recommendation letters sent to holak@mit.edu.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

For more information about the positions, please contact Dr. Jennifer Morris at holak@mit.edu.

7/21/2026