Post-Doc Research Associate

Posting Information

Posting Details

Department: ESE - Water Institute - 463002

Posting Open Date: 07/02/2026

Final date to receive applications: 09/04/2026

Open Until Filled:
No

Position Type:
Postdoctoral Scholar

Position Title:

Post-Doc Research Associate

Vacancy

Full-time/Part-time:
Full-Time Temporary

Hours per week: 40

FTE: 1

Work Location:

Chapel Hill, NC

Position Location:

North Carolina, US

Proposed

Start Date:

04/01/2026

Estimated Duration of Appointment: 12 Months

Be a Tar Heel! A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top public universities and is among is the top ten research universities in the nation for federal research expenditures as well as for federally funded social and behavioral sciences research and development.

Here at Carolina, our highly skilled postdocs play a vital role in our research enterprise and towards our overall commitment to research excellence. Across many disciplines, postdocs contribute to the intellectual vitality of the University. They provide innovative ideas and perspectives, foster a stimulating research environment and advance knowledge within their fields. Postdocs are crucial members of our scientific research workforce, contributors to our research outputs and an important reason why Carolina is one of the leading public research institutions in the country.

UNC
-Chapel Hill offers postdocs comprehensive medical and vision coverage , paid leave, and benefits and services that support professional development and a healthy work/life balance. Chapel Hill regularly ranks as one of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, a reputation guided by the diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

The Water Institute at UNC was created in 2009 and is hosted within the Gillings School of Public Health (the #1 public school of global public health) in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering ( ESE ). ESE was established over 90- years ago and maintains an outstanding reputation due to the seminal contributions made by ESE research and tenure-track faculty in environmental health sciences.

The Water Institute works to create a more water secure world through research, policy and practice and serves as a platform for mobilizing the knowledge, expertise, and resources that exist across UNC to address critical water and sanitation challenges within the U.S and abroad. The Water Institute includes core faculty and staff, researchers, and a network of experts and adjunct/affiliated faculty members that lead and drive research on areas related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation, water resources management, and transboundary water.

In addition to a robust grant portfolio, Institute staff often engage in high-level international events to drive policy reforms on water and sanitation. It also hosts the world’s largest annual international conference on water and health.

The Water Institute is recruiting one post-doctoral researcher interested in leading research and projects related to drinking water quality and safety in the rural United States.

• Design, implementation, and evaluation of field and/or laboratory research.
• Remote and in-person support, training, and/or supervision of field teams on projects.
• Development of training materials related to analysis of water, wastewater, and human biological specimens.
• Data management, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) and analysis, including data from field research, laboratory experiments as well as secondary datasets.
• Preparation of reports and peer-reviewed manuscripts.
• Development and teaching of short courses/trainings related to environmental health microbiology.
• Engagement with national and international organizations and other partners to support the development of normative guidelines for improving drinking water quality.
• Collaboration with researchers, students, staff, and faculty at the…