Columbia University - The Earth Institute Postdoctoral Research Program

Through the Climate School Postdoctoral Research program, Columbia University’s Climate School supports the scholarship needed to tackle climate change and its related global challenges. The Climate School works to offer solutions through transdisciplinary research, partnerships, education, innovative technology, building knowledge, and the sharing of ideas.

The Climate School Postdoctoral Research program is the premier program in the world for those dedicated to a better understanding of critical scientific and social issues in Climate as well as in global sustainable development. Climate School Postdoctoral Researchers will join multidisciplinary teams of outstanding, committed scientists to advance our scientific understanding of these challenges and develop practical responses to address them. 

Successful postdoctoral candidates are matched with Principal Investigators and mentors from across the Climate School, including the  Climate School’s research centers and programs, the Lamont-Doherty’s Earth Observatory, Columbia University Medical Center, and other affiliated schools and departments. 

The program provides innovative postdoctoral scholars with the opportunity to build a foundation in one of the core disciplines represented within the Climate School (sustainability, the environment, social justice, and the geosciences), while at the same time acquiring the breadth of cross-disciplinary expertise needed to address critical issues related to sustainable development. Specific areas of research include carbon neutral economy, adapting to future climate, earth fundamentals, resilient ecosystems, climate, and social systems, and climate justice and equity. The program offers a unique intellectual surrounding that fosters cross-disciplinary interaction, research, and education.

To apply, candidates must complete the online application and submit a proposal for research that would contribute to the goal of global sustainable development. Proposals may suggest participating in, contributing to, or extending existing multidisciplinary Climate School projects. Candidates are also encouraged to develop new, innovative projects that connect Climate School expertise. In addition to submitting the application and proposal, candidates are encouraged to identify and contact their desired multidisciplinary mentoring team, i.e., two or more senior faculty members or research scientists/scholars at Columbia University with whom they would like to work during their appointment.

We encourage research proposals for topics from all areas of climate and sustainable development, with a particular interest in the following Climate School’s foundational knowledge areas:

• Earth Systems and Sustainability: Scientific understanding underpins evidence-based solutions to climate variability and change, and other related sustainability challenges such as biodiversity loss and environmental contamination. This pillar includes the foundational understanding of past, current, and future climate, along with connected systems including the oceans, biosphere, atmosphere and lithosphere, and anthroposphere. This pillar captures, for example, discoveries and advances in our understanding of feedbacks, tipping points, and extreme events within and across systems. It also provides a basis for the development, provision, and co-production of climate and other environmental information (including predictions and projections) that is reliable, actionable, usable, understandable, and equitably accessible to all. This pillar also includes foundational knowledge that underpins solutions for the energy transition, carbon removal from the atmosphere, and nature-based solutions.
• Social Systems and Justice: This pillar is a home for understanding how social systems operate, including the role of historical legacies in shaping injustice and the climate/environmental crisis, as well as how societies have transformed in the past and could transform in the future. Focus areas include enhancing well-being and livelihood, climate finance, reducing poverty and promoting peace and inclusive participation in governance, and international development. Research and education in this pillar focus on context- and scale-appropriate, equitable responses to climate change, the adoption of new technologies, and the transformation of societies toward just and sustainable futures.
• Analytics for Action: This pillar describes approaches, methods, and tools for 1) enhancing understanding within and across the other two pillars, and 2) building to large-scale action and impact. This pillar includes development of the core data sets and models used to understand and predict climate variability and change, as well as climate impacts and solutions. Innovative techniques include Data Sciences and Artificial Intelligence. Methods that enhance co-production of knowledge with diverse communities outside the university build fundamental knowledge while bridging towards action and impact based on local contexts and on broad collaborations. Monitoring and evaluation of the impact of climate actions are also essential to the iterative learning and implementation processes that can lead to transformation.