Research Assistant Professor (Post Doctoral Chapter Scientist), Department of Geography and Env[...]

CUNY Hunter College; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

CUNY Hunter College seeks a highly motivated Research Assistant Professor for its Department of Geography and Environmental Science. The role involves contributing to the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities by managing research projects and guiding student researchers. Ideal candidates have a PhD, programming capabilities in R and Python, and expertise in GIS. Strong communication and organizational skills are essential. This is a full-time position through August 2027, combining in-office and virtual work with a competitive salary and benefits.

Benefits

Health insurance

Pension and retirement benefits

Paid parental leave

Qualifications

• PhD preferred with interest in climate change and urban solutions.
• Well-developed programming and GIS skills are necessary.
• Proven experience in managing research and directing others.

Responsibilities

• Assist in developing, curating, and analyzing a case study atlas for climate solutions.
• Support authors in literature review and chapter development.
• Collaborate with chapter scientists and facilitate climate research.

Skills

Programming in R

Programming in Python

Excellent GIS skills

Data analysis and visualization

Collaboration

Organizational skills

Excellent writing skills

Education

PhD degree

Advanced degree in relevant field

Tools

GIS tools

Git/GitHub

Discourse analysis software

Job description

Research Assistant Professor (Post Doctoral Chapter Scientist), Department of Geography and Environmental Science

FACULTY VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Hunter College, City University of New York, Department of Geography and Environmental Science invites application for the position of Research Assistant Professor (Post Doctoral Chapter Scientist), working on the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities.

Research faculty engage in, are responsible for, manage, and/or execute significant areas of research or scholarship. They may serve as principal or co-principal investigators on grants or contracts, manage postdoctoral fellows and their research projects or supervise graduate or undergraduate student research. Research Faculty hold full-time, non-tenure track positions. While they may participate in instructional programs, such as lectures or demonstrations, they are not assigned regular teaching duties.

Hunter College is the largest college of the City University of New York and enrolls over 23,000 students. The Department of Geography and Environmental Science is made up of 19 full time faculty and has strong links with the Center for Sustainable Cities at Hunter College.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is in the process of preparing the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities (SRCC) to be delivered in the first quarter of 2027. In this call for applications, the Hunter College Department of Geography and Environmental Science is seeking highly motivated individuals to apply as Chapter Scientist to support Chapter 5 (Solutions by City Types and Regions) of the authors of the Special Report. The primary function will be to assist the author team to develop, curate, and analyze a state-of-the-art case study atlas (CSA) for the Report. In addition, A secondary, the chapter scientist will be to assist in the development of the chapter, including conducting literature searches and creating the bibliography. Chapter Scientists work with and report to the Coordinating Lead Authors (CLAs) of the chapters which they serve.

The Chapter Scientist will have a set of specific tasks focused on the development of a case study database and associated atlas for the Special Report as well as the general roles and responsibilities of a Chapter Scientist.

Specific Roles & Responsibilities of a Chapter Scientist include helping lead the development, curation, and analysis of a case study atlas of city climate solutions. The CSA will be a web- based interactive platform that will provide multifunctional search capabilities that will link together case studies with a mapping function that provides global-scale urban data. The successful candidate will also support the Coordinating Lead Author, William Solecki and the authors of Chapter 5, with a set of tasks associated with the development and articulation of the chapter including helping to host and record chapter meetings, acquire and review relevant literature, coordinate and organize the work of the chapter authors, conduct technical editing, assist in the development of chapter graphics, chapter and cross-chapter boxes, and manage the chapter references. Work together with the other Chapter Scientists of the chapter to ensure successful delivery of the chapter.

The position also will facilitate connections with the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN) and Columbia University?s Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN). The Chapter Scientist role will have office space within the Center for Sustainable Cities at Hunter College and will be able work virtually for part of the time. The incumbent will be contracted through August 2027.

QUALIFICATIONS

Advanced degree and a record of achievement in a profession or field of expertise. PhD preferred. Interest in climate change and cities, and urban climate solutions would be expected. The incumbent will need well-developed programming and GIS skills, and experience with data analysis and visualization tools associated with spatial data, coding and automation, handling large datasets, and statistical analysis. Facility with python, R, excel/google sheets, GIS tools/Git/GitHub, discourse analysis software.

The successful candidate will have the following skills and background:

? Excellent GIS skills, with a focus on WebGIS and geospatial databases.

? Programming skills in R, Python, HTML, javascript

? Facility with AI/ML/LLM

? Ability to visualize and analyze large datasets

? Advanced understanding of climate science

? Advanced urban theoretical background, particularly as it relates to urban climate adaptation and mitigation

? Excellent organizational skills and proven experience in convening workshops

? Excellent writing skills

? Ability to work collaboratively with other scientists

Also required are success in carrying out research and ability to advise and/or oversee the direct work of others.

COMPENSATION

CUNY offers faculty a competitive compensation and benefits package covering health insurance, pension and retirement benefits, paid parental leave, and savings programs.

Salary is commensurate with academic accomplishments and experience within the range for the applicable titles with a maximum salary of $100,000.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications must be submitted online by accessing the CUNY Portal on City University of New York job website www.cuny.edu/employment. To search for this vacancy, click on SEARCH ALL POSTINGS and in SEARCH JOBS field, enter the Job Opening ID number 30481 .

Click on the "APPLY NOW" button and follow the application instructions. Current users of the site should access their established accounts; new users should follow the instructions to set up an account.

Please have your documents available to attach into the application before you begin. Note, the required material must be uploaded as ONE document under CV/ Resume (do not upload individual files for a cover letter, references, etc.). The document must be in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf, or text format- and name of file should not exceed ten (10) characters - also

DO NOT USE SYMBOLS (such as accents (é, è, (â, î or ô), ñ, ü, ï , -, \_ or ç)).

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please include:

Cover Letter and/or Statement of Scholarly Interests

Curriculum Vitae/Resume

Names and contact information of 3 references

(Upload all the listed documents ¿ as ONE single file-- PDF format preferred.

CLOSING DATE

The committee will begin reviewing complete applications on July 14, 2025. The search will remain open, and screening and review of applications will be ongoing-- until the position is filled. Applications submitted after the deadline will only be considered if the position(s) remain open after initial round.

JOB SEARCH CATEGORY

CUNY Job Posting: Faculty

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

CUNY encourages people with disabilities, minorities, veterans and women to apply. At CUNY, Italian Americans are also included among our protected groups. Applicants and employees will not be discriminated against on the basis of any legally protected category, including sexual orientation or gender identity. EEO/AA/Vet/Disability Employer.

Job ID

30481

Location

Hunter College