How Postdoctorates Apply to NOAA Climate and Global Change (C&GC) Fellowship Program
Check out the recording of our Q&A Session concerning applying to this program. A Q&A Session with your application questions was held on October 15th, 2024.
There are 3 sections to this page:
A program designed to train the next generation of climate research leaders
The UCAR Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS) help prepare the next generation of weather and climate leaders and workforce by managing fellowship, visitor and workshop programs that meet emerging needs of the atmospheric and related sciences communities.
This fellowship program is designed to provide an independent research opportunity to recently graduated PhDs who want to pursue interests that align with the NOAA Climate Program Office. The program focuses on observing, understanding, modeling, and predicting climate variability, change, and impacts on seasonal and longer time scales.
Experienced scientists at U.S. universities and research institutions host the appointed fellows, providing mentoring and a collaborative environment to carry out their research projects.
Advance contact with a potential Host is required. For additional information, see How Hosting Institutions Apply in the menu to the right. Interested host scientists are required to submit a brief letter of intent to host the fellow, a curriculum vitae, a mentoring plan, and a list of current and pending research support. Hosts are expected to mentor the fellow and provide office, computing, laboratory, and field research needs for the fellow as appropriate. Co-hosts are allowed, see How Hosting Institutions Apply in the menu to the right for details on how to submit co-host material.
Qualifications
Applicants must have a PhD degree in an area related to climate change research and have completed their defense of the degree before starting the fellowship. Preference is given to new graduates who are seeking their first postdoctoral position and who have held a PhD for no more than three years from the application deadline. Awardees must change institutions in the absence of compelling circumstances.
U.S. citizenship is not a requirement of the NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Fellows must be hosted by a mentoring scientist at a U.S. University or Research Institution (including Federal laboratories and FFRDCs).
Please review Selection Criteria and Program Policies before applying.
Application Process
There are two steps to the application process:
- Prepare, collect, and organize documents in the order listed below and combine all documents into one (1) PDF.
Here are two resources for combining multiple documents into a single PDF:
How To Combine Files into One PDF
How To Combine PDFs into One File. - Submit your application through Workday, including attaching/uploading your Application Documents as a single PDF (see Step 1). You will attach this single compiled PDF in the section requesting your "Resume/Curriculum Vitae." You will also be completing a Questionnaire in Workday, in which you will be asked for contact information for your PhD Advisor. You will also be asked for the names and contact information for TWO individuals who could provide references on your behalf. Your PhD advisor does not have to provide a reference for you. If you would like your PhD Advisor to serve as a reference, you need to provide their name in both the Advisor and reference boxes. No letters of recommendation are required at the time of application. Ensure that you inform your TWO references that they can expect a request from CPAESS|UCAR in the second/third week of January to complete a questionnaire that will serve as a Recommendation; these will be due by January 24, 2025.
Application PDF Format Instructions
Please prepare your application into one (1) PDF document, including all of the following documents, in the order listed below.
1. Personal Statement (2-page limit, 12 pt. type size) addressing the questions below:
- Why are you specifically interested in a C&GC Postdoctoral Fellowship?
- How did you demonstrate leadership and service in your community, and how would you bring and grow this experience during a C&GC Fellowship?
- How does your Research Proposal enhance and complement NOAA’s strategic directions outlined in the NOAA Strategic Plan and other relevant strategies (e.g., NOAA Weather, Water Climate Strategy)? Future interactions with NOAA could also include using NOAA data, establishing new collaborations with a NOAA scientist, and giving a talk on your work and research outcomes at a NOAA Laboratory or Program Office.
- Please also add a justification statement, if applicable, to explain any breaks in your career path.
2. Resume/Curriculum Vitae, including a list of publications. For all publications that is not yet published, please indicate the stage the paper is at, i.e., In Development, Submitted, Under Review, or Accepted.
3. Research Proposal (Must be titled, 5-page limit, 12 pt. Type size) including figures and appendices.
- Bibliography/Citations/Literature References are NOT included in this 5-page limit.
- Research Proposals must describe an actual, novel research project.
- Research Proposals must be original to the applicant and cannot be sourced from a previously funded proposal to a different funding agency.
- Research Proposals must address the broader impact of your research on the community at large.
4. Host Institution Materials
The following documents are needed from the Host(s) with whom you intend to work. Applicants are responsible for collecting these materials from their Host(s) and must submit these documents as part of the application packet. If you intend to have Co-Hosts, the Letter of Intent should be co-written by both Hosts. We require separate documents for the remaining material (Resumes, Mentoring Plans, and Current and Pending Research Support) from the Co-Hosts.
*Note that you can work with a host institution not listed on the UCAR host website or Database of Potential Hosts site*. Please see How Hosting Institutions Apply for more information.
- Letter of Intent – in the case of specific laboratory needs, a letter should accompany the application from the specific institution willing to provide the resources.
- Host(s) Curriculum Vitae/Resume
- Host(s) proposed Mentoring Plan
- Host(s) list of current and pending research support
The following institutional departments currently host first-year C&GC Fellows and are ineligible to serve as hosts this year:
- California Institute of Technology - Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Science & Engineering
- Georgia Institute of Technology - School of Earth & Atmospheric Science
- Louisiana State University - Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Department of Chemistry
- University of California, Los Angeles - Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Department of Statistics
Online Application Instructions
You must apply online at the UCAR Career Opportunities Page. Here is a Step-by-Step guide for applying to the NOAA C&GC Postdoctoral Fellowship in Workday.
Step 1.
To begin the application process select the "Apply" button. When prompted, create a new account. If you have applied to a different position within UCAR, please sign in to your existing account.
Step 2.
You will then be prompted to submit your current résumé. At this point, you will upload your complete application document (i.e., all your application materials as outlined above, including your résumé) as a single PDF document. Click “Select File” to find your file on your computer, and then select “Next”.
Step 3.
Add any missing information and/or edit and verify any pre-populated information on the "My Information" and "My Experience" pages. Continue the application process as prompted.
NOTE: Pertaining to Letters of Recommendation
In the Questionnaire within your Workday application, you provided contact information for your PhD Advisor, and TWO individuals - ONLY the TWO individuals will act as your referees. Your PhD Advisor may be one of your TWO individual references, but this is not required. Ensure that you inform your TWO references that they can expect a request from CPAESS|UCAR in the second/third week of January to complete a questionnaire that will serve as a Recommendation; these will be due by 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time, January 30, 2025. No letters of recommendation are required at the time of application submission.
Questions?
Questions on the Workday application process may be addressed to HR Recruiting at hrrecruiting@ucar.edu.
General questions regarding this fellowship program may be addressed to Kate Rodd at krodd@ucar.edu.
U.S. citizenship is not required to participate in this program, but the selected postdoctoral fellows must be hosted at a research institution within the U.S. Appointed scientists are employees of UCAR. The two-year fellowships include a fixed annual salary and benefits: health & dental insurance, paid time off, paid holidays, mandatory participation in TIAA retirement fund, and life insurance. A relocation allowance is provided, as well as an allowance for travel to scientific conferences and other support costs.