Postdoctoral Researcher

General Information

Position Number

POST40

Working Title

Postdoctoral Researcher

Division

Academic Affairs

Department

College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences (Col)

Work Unit

Political Science & Public Administration

Work Location

Fretwell Building

Vacancy Open To

All Candidates

Position Designation

Post Doc

Employment Type

Temporary - Part-time

Hours per week

40

Work Schedule

Varied based on research needs

Pay Rate

$55,000 per year

Minimum Experience/Education

The Postdoctoral appointee must have recently (within the last eight years) been awarded a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate (e.g., Sc.D., M.D.)

Departmental Preferred Experience, Skills, Training/Education:

Ph.D. in Political Science, Economics, Public Policy, Geography, or a closely related Computational or Social Science discipline.

Research interests in natural, political, or economic shocks, social preferences, and/or migration in comparative context.

Demonstrated ability to independently design and carry out a social science research project.

Demonstrable knowledge of and experience working with the R programming language and strong data management skills are required. Preference is given to applicants with additional knowledge of Stata or Python. Knowledge of machine learning, geospatial analysis, or spatial statistics are a plus.

Duties and Responsibilities

A Postdoctoral Fellow (""postdoc"") is a professional apprenticeship designed to provide recent Ph.D. recipients with an opportunity to develop further the research skills acquired in their doctoral programs or to learn new research techniques, in preparation for an academic or research career. In the process of further developing their own research skills, it is expected that Postdoctoral Fellows will also play a significant role in the performance of research at the University and augment the role of graduate faculty in providing research instruction to graduate students. A Postdoctoral Fellow works under the supervision of a regular faculty member, who serves as a mentor to the Fellow, and it is expected that the faculty mentor will impart the realities, and variety, of scientific careers, and will encourage experiences outside the laboratory to broaden postdocs' aspirations. Within the confines of the particular research focus assigned by that faculty member, the Postdoctoral Fellow functions with a considerable degree of independence and has the freedom (and is expected) to publish the results of his or her research or scholarship during the period of appointment. Thus, the role of Postdoctoral Fellows is clearly differentiated from full-time technical employees.

Postdoc appointments are characterized by all of the following conditions:

• the appointee was recently (within the last eight years) awarded a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate (e.g., Sc.D., M.D.);
• the appointment is temporary;
• the appointment involves substantially full-time research or scholarship;
• the appointment is viewed as preparatory for a full-time academic and/or research career;
• the appointee works under the supervision of a faculty member; and
• the appointee has the freedom and is expected to publish the results of his or her research or scholarship during the period of appointment.

As an EOE/AA employer and an ADVANCE Institution that strives to create an academic climate in which the dignity of all individuals is respected and maintained, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte encourages applications from all underrepresented groups. Applicants subject to criminal background check.

Other Work/Responsibilities

We invite applications for a postdoctoral research position in migration with strong data analysis and management skills to work on a social science research project investigating the relationships between long-term environmental and climatic changes, shorter-term shocks (such as conflicts, natural disasters, and economic disruptions), and migration. The postdoctoral researcher would lead and implement the creation of complex data collections that combine survey, remote sensing, and administrative data, and generate new research questions, hypotheses, and approaches for analyzing this data.

The postdoctoral position is a full-time research-focused role to lead the construction of and analysis of a large dataset that integrates data from multiple sources. The role includes:

• Leading dataset construction efforts.

• Supporting the new Center for Migration and Diaspora Studies.

• Dedicating time to personal research as part of the position.

• Conducting and publishing high-quality research and preparing grant proposals in close collaboration with and under the guidance of project leaders.

• Participating in the broader intellectual life of the College and University.

Necessary Licenses or Certifications

Ph.D. in Political Science, Economics, Public Policy, Geography, or a closely related Computational or Social Science discipline.

Proposed Hire Date

01/16/2026

Contact Information

Dr. James Walsh

Expected Length of Assignment

12 months

Posting Open Date

10/15/2025

Posting Close Date

Special Notes to Applicants

Screening of applicants will begin on October 27, 2025, and continue until the position is filled.

Please upload the following documents with your electronic submission: 1) curriculum vitae that includes contact information for two references; 2) cover letter summarizing your motivation for the position, relevant research interests, and qualifications; 3) a single-authored, paper-length writing sample that is an original piece of research most relevant to the position.