SCALES Postdoctoral Fellow

Duke University's SCALES Postdoctoral Fellowship seeks early-career scholars for interdisciplinary research in climate, environment, and sustainability. Fellows will collaborate with faculty on impactful research projects, participate in professional development, and contribute to educational initiatives. The program emphasizes mentorship and aims to cultivate leaders in climate research. The position is based in Durham, NC, indicating it is not a remote job.
Position Summary



The SCALES (Scholars for Climate and Advanced
Leadership in Environment and Sustainability) Postdoctoral Fellows Program at
Duke University seeks early-career scholars committed to interdisciplinary
research and leadership in climate, environment, and sustainability. Fellows
will collaborate with faculty mentors to co-create high-impact research
projects and contribute to climate-focused educational initiatives across the
university.







About the SCALES Postdoctoral Fellows Program

The SCALES Postdoctoral
Fellows Program is a newly launched cohort-based initiative designed to
cultivate the next generation of leaders in climate and sustainability research
and education. Fellows join a vibrant interdisciplinary community, participate
in professional development activities, and collaborate across departments to
advance Duke’s Climate Commitment. The program emphasizes
faculty-mentored research, teaching innovation, and public engagement,
providing Fellows with resources and networks to launch impactful careers.

To learn more about the SCALES Postdoctoral
Fellowship Program, visit our program page: https://climate.duke.edu/what-were-doing/scales-postdoctoral-fellows-program/.







Key Responsibilities



Research Collaboration: Co-develop and lead a faculty-mentored research project addressing a
significant climate, environment, or sustainability challenge. Projects must
demonstrate interdisciplinary approaches. A final research proposal and budget
will be developed in conjunction with the Fellow following their arrival. This
is meant to allow the Fellow to shape the project’s research direction.



The preliminary description of the research
project is: Durable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is increasingly necessary to
meet ambitious global climate goals. Without carefully planned governance and
oversight regimes, however, CDR risks exacerbating global inequalities through
resource conflicts, uneven and uncertain risk exposure, mitigation deterrence,
and Global North-South power imbalances. This multi-year project seeks to
understand conditions for and support the development of effective, equitable
governance of three CDR methods (ocean alkalinity enhancement, direct air
capture, and enhanced rock weathering) in India, Kenya, and Brazil—all three of
which are beginning to see CDR projects developed in-country. The successful
SCALES postdoctoral fellow will join a growing interdisciplinary team at Duke
and in partnership with researchers at the American University Institute for Responsible
Carbon Removal and Human Rights Watch, which has laid the groundwork for
stakeholder- and rightsholder-engaged governance research through foundational
policy and legal research, a database of relevant resource, environmental,
social, and political geospatial data layers (our “Participatory CDR Governance
Atlas†), and initial policymaker roundtables in each country to set research priorities.
The fellow will be invited to bring their own expertise and interests to the
project, carving out a piece of the broader project to lead. They might choose,
for example, to examine opportunities and risks of one of the project’s CDR
methods in one of the countries through stakeholder and rightsholder engagement
(e.g., interviews, future visioning workshops, surveys) or draw on stakeholder
and rightsholder guidance gathered by other members of the team to develop
geospatially explicit roadmaps for equity-centered CDR governance and project
development. The SCALES project, in short, will be co-created with the fellow
from a wide range of methodological, topical, geographical, and disciplinary
possibilities.



Teaching & Engagement: Contribute to climate fluency and sustainability education through
course development, teaching, or participation in university-wide initiatives
such as Climate+, Bass Connections, and DukeEngage.







The proposed teaching & engagement
responsibilities for this position are: Contribute to the Sanford School of
Public Policy’s ongoing efforts to provide curricular offerings in
environmental, energy, and climate policy. This will include co-creating course
modules or a full course with Professors Scott-Buechler and Pattanayak, ideally
centering engaged and experiential learning opportunities that relate to the
SCALES project.






SCALES Cohort Participation: Engage in cohort-wide programming, seminars, and networking events
organized by the Office of Climate and Sustainability.






Faculty Mentors



The primary faculty mentor for this position
is:



• Celina Scott-Buechler, Sanford School of
Public Policy



Additional mentors include:



• Subhrendu Pattanayak, Sanford School of
Public Policy; Nicholas School of the Environment; Department of Economics







Qualifications



· Ph.D. or equivalent
doctorate in public policy, geography, economics, law, sociology, anthropology,
environmental social science, city and regional planning, computer science,
earth sciences, or a related field.



· Degree must be
conferred by the start of the fellowship. Applicants should be no more than two
years past Ph.D. as of July 1, 2026

Demonstrated interest in interdisciplinary approaches to climate, environment, or sustainability
challenges.



· Preferred skills and
experience: demonstrated experience working in, or in close collaboration with,
partners in the Global South; spatial and mixed-methods analysis and/or
participatory governance design; experience working with government or
civil-society partners in Brazil, India, or Kenya is a plus.



· A strong commitment
to justice-forward climate governance is essential.







Program Details &
Benefits



This is a full-time position available with
an initial appointment of one year, renewable for up to two additional years
contingent on satisfactory performance. The start date is flexible between July
1 and September 1, 2026.



The salary range for this position is $65,000
to $70,000. Fellows will also have access to up to $10,000 in professional
development funds each year.







Duke University offers a competitive benefits
program, which includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, retirement
contributions, employee discounts, vacation and sick time, and more. Please
review Duke
University’s Benefits Program website and the Summary of Postdoctoral Status and Benefits for more information.







Fellows are additionally supported by the Office of
Postdoctoral Services.







Application Process







Interested applicants should submit the
following materials:



· Cover letter that
addresses your interest in the position, your research and teaching experience,
and how this opportunity aligns with your career goals.



· Curriculum Vitae



· Contact information
for three references







Priority will be given to applications
received by February 15, 2026.