Postdoctoral Research Associate, Environmental Policy Program

Phase2 Technology; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Environmental Policy and Governance. The role emphasizes collaborative governance, multilevel governance, and public participation, with flexibility to design an independent research initiative within environmental governance.

Strong candidates hold a doctoral degree and have demonstrated publications in policy-related areas; visa sponsorship is not available.

Qualifications

• PhD in geography, environmental policy, planning, political science, environmental science, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Collaborating with an interdisciplinary team of researchers.
• Developing and, where appropriate, overseeing project design.
• Synthesizing and integrating across diverse bodies of public policy, geography, political science, and other literature.
• Conducting qualitative and/or quantitative research.
• Conducting and writing literature reviews for proposals and publications.
• Working with local, regional, and national partners.
• Participating in and presenting research results at conferences.
• Organizing and facilitating project meetings and broader community engagement.
• Coauthoring academic articles with research group members.
• Co-supervising undergraduate and graduate students engaged in collaborative efforts.
• Co-developing proposals for extramural funding to continue and expand the line of research.
• Supporting the planning and coordination efforts for the Udall Center environmental annual event.
• Additional duties may be assigned.

Skills

Enthusiasm for environmental policy/go

Team leadership

Collaborative problem solving

Strong methodological skills

Record of published research

Education

Doctoral degree in geography/environmental policy/planning/political science/environmental science or related field

Job description

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Environmental Policy Program

Position Highlights

The Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona is accepting applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position focused on environmental policy and governance. As one of the main pillars of the work advanced by Morris K. and Stewart L. Udall, environmental policy and governance is at the cornerstone of the research and outreach conducted at the Udall Center. This position offers the opportunity to explore collaborative governance, multilevel governance, and public participation across a number of efforts underway at the Udall Center (see examples of Environmental Policy Program, or EPP, active research topics here).

The Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy is a university-wide research center that is the intellectual home for interdisciplinary, community-based policy research and outreach. As such, the Udall Center's charge is to advance cross-cutting inquiry and connect diverse policy research efforts and researchers, gain increasing external support for policy research, and deliver measurable outputs with public impact. EPP engages in applied research and outreach on public policy topics relating to economic development, environment, public health, public lands, environmental regulations, and energy transitions and extends to such themes as equity and fairness, human well-being and quality of life.

While the primary research area of EPP is water governance, this position is open to other environmental areas, as long as they still involve the policy and governance aspects of research. In addition, there is considerable room for the postdoctoral researcher to design and implement their own research initiative under this broad umbrella of environmental governance.

This position is open to post-docs of any rank and all qualified applicants with at least two years of remaining postdoctoral eligibility are encouraged to apply.

The Udall Center is a mentor-certified center at the University of Arizona (see here). This position has a team-mentoring approach to supervising, as it is meant to support the EPP program of the Udall Center. The successful candidate will be mentored by the EPP faculty team and in turn will have opportunities to mentor students in different projects and programs.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; U of A/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; access to U of A recreation and cultural activities; and more!

The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please click here.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Collaborating with an interdisciplinary team of researchers.
• Developing and, where appropriate, overseeing project design.
• Synthesizing and integrating across diverse bodies of public policy, geography, political science, and other relevant disciplinary literature.
• Conducting qualitative and/or quantitative research.
• Conducting and writing literature reviews for proposals and publications.
• Working with local, regional, and national partners.
• Participating in and presenting research results at national and international conferences.
• Organizing and facilitating project meetings and broader community engagement efforts.
• Coauthoring academic articles with research group members.
• Co-supervising undergraduate and graduate students engaged in collaborative efforts.
• Co-developing proposals for extramural funding to continue and expand the line of research.
• Supporting the planning and coordination efforts for the Udall Center environmental annual event.
• Additional duties may be assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Enthusiasm for studying environmental policy and natural resources governance.
• Ability to work in team, leading team meetings, and mentoring students.
• Ability to be collaborative and have problem-solving spirit.
• Strong methodological skills.
• Record of published research in this area.

Minimum Qualifications

• Doctoral degree or equivalent in geography, environmental policy, planning, political science, environmental science, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with research in US regulatory systems, multilevel governance, collaborative governance and public participation.

Location: Tucson Campus

Address: Tucson, AZ USA

FLSA: Exempt

Full Time/Part Time: Full Time

Number of Hours Worked per Week: 40

Job FTE: 1.0

Work Calendar: Fiscal

Job Category: Research

Benefits Eligible: Yes - Full Benefits

Rate of Pay: NIH salary guidelines, Depends on Experience

Compensation Type: salary at 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE)

Type of criminal background check required: Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)

Number of Vacancies: 1

Expected End Date: 8/12/2029

Contact Information for Candidates: Bridget Wade Radcliff | [e-mail]

Open Date: 9/11/2026

Open Until Filled: Yes

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