Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Environmental Justice: Synth

Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Environmental Justice: A Synthesis of Ecological and Socioeconomic Risks

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The University of Notre Dame and the University of Michigan are partnering to invite applications for an outstanding Postdoctoral Research Fellow with deep expertise in quantitative analysis of socio-ecological systems. Areas of expertise could include statistical ecology, quantitative skills, species distribution modeling, integration and harmonization of heterogeneous datasets, and/or evidence synthesis and meta-analysis.

The research fellow will contribute to a global working group of interdisciplinary scholars and practitioners who are addressing key evidence gaps in which species and regions are most vulnerable to climate-driven disruptions, particularly through the integration of ecological, physiological, and socioeconomic data into mechanistic species distribution models. This work supports a novel framework for synthesizing climate change impacts across ecological and socio-environmental conditions.

• Lead analyses of a global thermal performance curve (TPC) database, including fitting and comparing nonlinear functions, deriving thermal traits, and linking these traits with ecological, biogeographic, and socioeconomic data.
• Support the development of species distribution models to forecast climate-driven shifts in biodiversity, invasive species, and infectious disease risk.
• Integrate model projections with socioeconomic datasets to investigate risks from climate change, disease, invasive species, and/or biodiversity losses on disadvantaged regions.
• Co‑author and support high‑impact, interdisciplinary research publications in leading sustainability and environmental science journals.
• Contribute to collaborative grant writing, proposal development, and data‑sharing infrastructure to sustain and expand the project’s activities.
• Engage with global partners and practitioners to ensure findings are accessible and actionable for both research and policy audiences.

The research fellow will join a cohort of postdoctoral fellows supporting and elevating the sustainability‑related research efforts of faculty and students at Notre Dame and Michigan. Together, this cohort will help advance impactful, solution‑oriented sustainability research that engages ecological, social, economic, and ethical dimensions in an integrated manner.

This search is conducted with leadership from Notre Dame’s Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative and University of Michigan’s Institute of Global Change Biology, which are partnering on an international synthesis effort focused on interactions between biodiversity and climate change.

This is a full‑time position available with an initial appointment of one year, renewable for an additional year on the basis of satisfactory performance and availability of funding. The fellow will be based at the University of Notre Dame, with opportunities for collaborative meetings at the University of Michigan with institutional partners.

• Ph.D. (in hand by the starting date) in Ecology, Global Change Biology, Environmental Science, Climate Science, Applied Mathematics, Data Science, or a related field with a strong quantitative focus. Applicants with an interdisciplinary degree are welcome.
• Demonstrated proficiency in data management, data harmonization for data analysis and/or evidence synthesis and meta‑analysis, ideally with experience related to species distribution models.
• Strong programming skills in R and/or Python and ArcGIS, QGIS, and/or Google Earth Engine, or similar software.
• Experience working with large and complex datasets, such as those relating to geospatial and temporal data.
• A strong publication record in ecology, global change biology, disease ecology, invasion biology, environmental justice, or closely related data‑driven fields.
• Excellent communication skills and an ability to work collaboratively with researchers and practitioners from a range of disciplines and backgrounds.
• Expertise related to climate change impacts on biodiversity,…