Postdoctoral Scholar - Climate, Pollution, and Solutions

University of California - Irvine; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 69,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Postdoctoral Scholar Benefit Plan

Job summary

The Department of Earth System Science at UC Irvine is seeking a postdoctoral scholar to work on rapid response modeling of air quality and health impacts of energy policy. Start dates are flexible across Fall 2026–Spring 2027.

This two- to three-year position offers renewal pending funding and progress, with a salary range of $69,073 to $82,836 USD per year and excellent benefits through the UC Postdoctoral Scholar Benefit Plan.

Qualifications

• Proficient in programming.
• Experience in computational modeling and working with high performance computing.
• Demonstrated effective written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop air pollution/atmospheric chemistry models.
• Run, interpret, and present model results.
• Integrate air pollution models with energy systems or policy-oriented models.
• Lead peer-reviewed publications and present at conferences.
• Engage with policy-oriented outputs such as briefs and white papers.

Skills

Programming proficiency

Computational modeling

High performance computing

Communication skills

Education

Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences or related field

Job description

Position overview

Salary range: $69,073 - $82,836

Application window

Open date: August 10, 2026

Next review date: Thursday, Sep 10, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Final date: Monday, Nov 30, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Position description

The Department of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine is seeking a postdoctoral scholar to work on rapid response modeling of air quality and health impacts of energy policy. This position is within the Climate, Pollution, and Solutions group led by Professor Lyssa Freese, and is in collaboration with a network of university researchers and environmental organizations. Start dates are flexible over Fall 2026-Spring 2027 time period (with preference for earlier start dates).

Position benefits and pay: This is a two to three-year position that is renewable, pending good progress and funding. The salary will range from $69,073 to $82,836 USD per year, scaling with experience as detailed in the Postdoc Salary Scale, and includes excellent benefits via the Postdoctoral Scholar Benefit Plan - UCI Postdoctoral Association

Project/Position description: Responsibilities will include development work on air pollution/atmospheric chemistry models, running and interpreting results from models, pairing air pollution models with integrated assessment or other energy system/policy oriented models, and interpreting data and results. Postdoctoral scholars are expected to lead peer-reviewed scientific publications, present at relevant conferences, and engage with policy oriented outputs such as policy briefs and white papers. You will be joining an interdisciplinary, multi-institutional team of researchers on this project, including researchers from universities and environmental organizations, so participation in collaborative research and interdisciplinary meetings and discussions is key to the project.

Perks of the ESS department and UCI Campus: The Earth System Science Department at UC Irvine is highly interdisciplinary. It includes 25 faculty with broad expertise, all devoted to the study of the Earth as a coupled system. UC Irvine is located in Orange County, about halfway between the diverse metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and San Diego. It is a sunny and pleasant place to live, surrounded by beaches, parks, mountains.

Our group is part of CLEWS (Climate, Land, Energy, and Water Solutions) and AirUCI, allowing for collaboration and interaction with atmospheric chemists, climate scientists, and civil/environmental engineers. We also have external relationships and collaborations with public health scientists, economists, and energy system modelers.

If you have questions, you can reach out to Prof. Freese ([e-mail]), with the subject line "Postdoc Application Question".

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

• An expected or recent Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences, atmospheric chemistry, environmental engineering or relevant interdisciplinary fields
• Proficient in programming
• Experience in computational modeling and working with high performance computing
• Experience working with atmospheric chemistry and/or air pollution models, such as chemical transport models, plume models, or reduced form models
• Demonstrated effective written and verbal communication skills

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - A curriculum vitae including publications list,
• Cover Letter - A cover letter that also describes your immediate and long-term research goals
• Statement of Research (Optional)
• Teaching Statement - See our guidance for writing a reflective teaching statement. (Optional)

Reference requirements

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

About UC Irvine

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC anti-discrimination policy.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affrimative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

Job location

Irvine, CA