A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.  

Please email the following application materials directly to Dr. Jalonne L. White-Newsome (jalonne@umich.edu) for consideration, along with applying to the position here on UM Careers:

• Cover Letter
• CV
• Three references
• Optional: Any relevant sample publications you've contributed to (can be added as citations)
• Optional: Link(s) to academic presentations or research-related interviews that you've engaged in

Note: This position will be a one year, term-limited appointment with the possibility of renewal.

The School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan seeks applications to fill a full-time Postdoctoral Fellow position working at the intersection of environmental justice, water policy and health.  Candidates are required to have a PhD in such fields related to environmental policy, environmental justice, water resources, environmental/public health, emergency management, climate change, natural resources management, sustainability, or other fields related to US flooding policies, health, and/or economics.

The successful candidate will join an initiative focused on developing solutions to reduce the burden and ease the recovery process for communities that have been impacted by the health and financial burden of repeated flooding, due to climate change.  The project brings together expertise in water management, sustainability, environmental justice, public health, and policy.   The project will address local infrastructure equity in terms of service access and quality, inequities in federal investment, and the effectiveness of policy.

You will lead two components of the project: characterizing the scope and nature of governmental, mutual aid resources, investments and policy solutions that have supported an effective response and recovery for flood victims; and, quantifying the health and financial burden of repeated, long-term flooding across US communities, using primary and secondary large datasets. Topics include analyzing disparities in resource distribution, recovery and health burdens.

If selected, you will be mentored by Dr. Jalonne L. White-Newsome and will work closely with faculty collaborators and other graduate students in the UM SEAS community.  Overall, it is expected that the postdoctoral fellow will engage in high level research and be involved in analysis and publication.

At the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), we are at the forefront of building a more sustainable and just world for all by transforming the impact of higher education and reimagining the future. We are advancing action through innovation, research, education and engagement in society, and developing leaders who are empowered to halt the climate crisis and create an environmentally sound future for generations to come.

To learn more about SEAS and our values, please visit our website at https://seas.umich.edu/about/seas-values.

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, The University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and your family and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

• Generous time off
• A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting
• Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses

• Collaborate on research; priorities will be set in conversation with Dr. Jalonne L. White-Newsome
• Curate and analyze data
• Support research activity through RA supervision, DUA management, and grant writing
• Contribute to the overall goals of the team
• Actively participate in intellectual life at the University of Michigan
• Work to promote teamwork and collegiality
• Supervise and provide day-to-day advice, support, mentoring, and assistance to research graduates, students and other junior members associated with the research team
• Work and develop peer-reviewed publications

• A PhD in environmental science, water related field, environmental policy, public health is required either at the time of appointment or must be obtained within four months of the start date.
• Strong programming skills in Stata/R, NVivo, or similar software
• Experience working with large administrative data sets (e.g., climate-water, health data, insurance claims, social vulnerability, American Community Survey, etc.)
• Experience conducting intensive desktop research related, but not limited to: (1)local, state and federal policies related to water, (2) local and state emergency response and recovery practices and protocols, (3) local and state resiliency planning
• Experience designing survey tools and conducting interviews for qualitative research purposes  
• Some experience with geospatial skills, including experience with GIS software and geospatial data analysis

• Experience building models to calculate burden of health, and financial concerns post climate events 
• Familiarity with the content, design and operationalizing climate resilience plans and planning processes, at the local and state level
• Experience working in interdisciplinary teams
• Familiarity or experience of how emergency funding for disasters is disseminated from federal to state and local partners
• Understanding of disaster recovery protocols, procedures and response efforts
• Having worked with, in, or led a community-based organization
• Having worked with, in or led a department with local, state or federal government that touched any of the following areas: water policy, emergency response, relief funding distribution, flood insurance payouts

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

This position may be eligible for remote and/or flexible work opportunities at the discretion of the hiring department.  Flexible work agreements are reviewed annually and are subject to change dependent on the business needs of the hiring department, throughout the course of employment.
 

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days.  This job may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.

Applications will be reviewed as received throughout the posting period and continue until the position is filled.

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.