Assistant Professor - Climate Science

UMass Boston; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Formal mentoring for junior faculty

Grant-writing workshops

Interdisciplinary research collaboration opportunities

Job summary

A leading urban public research university in Boston is seeking a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Climate Science to begin September 1, 2026. The role involves developing an externally funded research group, teaching across various programs, and collaborating on interdisciplinary projects addressing climate challenges. Applicants should hold a Ph.D. in an Earth sciences discipline along with experience in climate studies. This position offers opportunities for impactful research and student engagement.

Qualifications

• Strong Earth sciences background.
• Experience in climate modeling and impacts.
• Ability to develop new courses at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain an externally funded research group.
• Teach and mentor students across various programs.
• Contribute to interdisciplinary research and collaboration.

Skills

Climate science

Research funding

Teaching and mentoring

Transdisciplinary collaboration

Data analytics

Education

PhD in Earth sciences or related field

Job description

The School for the Environment (SFE) at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB) invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Climate Science to begin September 1, 2026. We seek an innovative scientist with a strong Earth sciences background and broad training in the mathematical, physical, or engineering sciences, whose work advances understanding of climate processes and informs strategies for adaptation. Areas of research interest include (but are not limited to): climate modeling; climate impacts on Earth/environmental system functions; extremes, feedbacks, and nonlinear processes driving climate risks; climate change impacts on ecosystems, infrastructure, or communities; and quantitative and computational approaches (e.g., data analytics, AI) applied to climate challenges. We are interested in candidates who are currently working, or seek to work, across disciplines and in partnership with communities to help address the challenges of climate change.

SFE’s mission is to examine and explore diverse challenges in the natural, built, and social environments and their intersections. Using transdisciplinary and equity-informed approaches to research, teaching, and action, we expand environmental knowledge and understanding and create cutting-edge solutions to environmental and social problems in Boston and beyond. We seek a candidate who will develop strong interactions with SFE faculty and students. The candidate will have the opportunity to interact with UMass Boston’s diverse social and environmental institutes including the Stone Living Lab, Urban Harbors Institute (UHI), Sustainable Solutions Lab (SSL), and Mass Bays National Estuary Partnership. These institutes as well as faculty within the School for the Environment have strong connections to a host of local, state, and national environmental organizations and are eager to collaborate on impactful research with funding from government agencies such as NSF, EPA, NIH, NASA, and NOAA, among other sources of public and private funding. This position is part of the SFE’s current three-year hiring initiative, which will add five new tenure-track faculty Assistant Professor positions this year alone, nearly doubling the size of the School by the 2026-27 academic year. The candidate will be invited to contribute to the university’s Grand Scholarly Challenges by collaborating with diverse faculty across the university on the themes of “Climate Equity and Coastal Urban Areas” and “Advancing a Just Society.”

UMB is an urban public research university with a teaching soul that has an impact both locally and globally and the only public university in Boston. We are the third most diverse university in the country, with more than 60% of our undergraduate students coming from minoritized communities and groups, and over half of our students being the first in their families to attend a college or university. Thus, our students come to us from richly diverse life experiences and backgrounds; they bring to our classrooms and research settings a robust range of perspectives, growing out of the socio-cultural, economic, and historical contexts in which they have lived, along with the challenges they encounter, engage with, and strive to overcome. We invite applications from candidates who engage the diverse life experiences of our student body, who appreciate that students bring their holistic selves into the academic setting, and who recognize and articulate how their own life experiences and backgrounds have shaped their journeys, practices, and commitments as researchers, scholars, and educators.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will develop and maintain an externally funded research group in the field of climate science that involves undergraduate and graduate students.

The successful candidate will be expected to teach and mentor students across the Environmental Studies and Sustainability BA and Environmental Science BS, MS, and PhD programs. The candidate is encouraged to develop new courses related to their field for advancing the curriculum at undergraduate and graduate levels. The candidate will serve on committees within the university and develop strong engaged scholarship with their scientific community.

The University of Massachusetts Boston and the School for the Environment are committed to supporting junior faculty through formal mentoring, grant‑writing workshops, and opportunities for interdisciplinary research collaboration.

Application instructions

Interested individuals can initiate the application process with the application portal:

• Cover letter (2 page maximum)
• Curriculum Vitae
• Research Statement (3 page maximum)
• Teaching Statement (2 page maximum)
• Contact information of three academic references

Application Deadline

For full consideration by the SFE Search Committee, applications should be received via the UMB Employment Portal by November 30, 2025, but the position will remain open until filled.

For More Information

Contact Georgia Mavrommati, Associate Professor of Ecological Economics, Search Committee Chair, School for the Environment, The University of Massachusetts Boston, at [e-mail].

UMass Boston is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact [e-mail] or 617-287-5150.