Post-Doc Research Associate - AI for Credible Climate Mitigation

A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation's top public universities and is among is the top ten research universities in the nation for federal research expenditures as well as for federally funded social and behavioral sciences research and development.

Here at Carolina, our highly skilled postdocs play a vital role in our research enterprise and towards our overall commitment to research excellence. Across many disciplines, postdocs contribute to the intellectual vitality of the University. They provide innovative ideas and perspectives, foster a stimulating research environment and advance knowledge within their fields. Postdocs are crucial members of our scientific research workforce, contributors to our research outputs and an important reason why Carolina is one of the leading public research institutions in the country.

UNC-Chapel Hill offers postdocs comprehensive medical and vision coverage, paid leave, and benefits and services that support professional development and a healthy work/life balance. Chapel Hill regularly ranks as one of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, a reputation guided by the diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.

The UNC Institute for the Environment (IE) has a multifaceted mission: (1) To strengthen environmental research capacity across UNC by supporting a multi-disciplinary community of scholars that enhances collaboration, increases sharing of knowledge, and identifies solutions to the world's critical environmental problems. (2) To work in partnership across UNC and with external partners to coordinate and deliver 21st century educational programs that provide students with the experience and skills to thrive in a growing global economy. (3) To put new environmental knowledge into action by engaging and serving communities, here in North Carolina and around the world. (4) To fuel and harness the university's sustainability activities through the Sustainable Carolina Initiative

This position may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement that may include a partially remote work location, consistent with System Office policy. UNC Chapel Hill employees are generally required to reside within a reasonable commuting distance of their assigned duty station.

The Data-Driven EnviroLab ( DDL) is an interdisciplinary and international research initiative based at UNC's IE that is redefining how data is used to tackle the world's most pressing environmental challenges. Analyzing the global environment at multiple geographical and jurisdictional levels - from cities, countries, and regions to local communities and corporations - we turn complex, large-scale, and often messy datasets into actionable insights that shape policy, drive accountability, and create real-world impact. We operate with a commitment to evidence-based, equitable solutions, building connections across disciplines, sectors, and geographies while giving special attention to underrepresented communities and data-scarce regions in the Global South. DDL was founded and is led by Associate Professor Angel Hsu.

The Data-Driven EnviroLab ( DDL) at UNC-Chapel Hill seeks a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join CLAIM: the Center for Climate Leadership and AI-driven Integrity in Mitigation. CLAIM advances the credible use of artificial intelligence, especially generative AI and large language models (LLMs), to accelerate climate mitigation while safeguarding integrity in climate commitments. We are looking for a researcher whose agenda sits at the intersection of AI and climate action, with a particular focus on subnational governments and non-state actors (e.g., cities, regions, companies, investors, civil society). The ideal candidate will research how to use LLMs as tools for mitigation strategy and accountability and scrutinize them as systems that can reproduce bias, misinformation, or greenwashing unless carefully benchmarked.

Working with an interdisciplinary team spanning computer science, climate policy, law, and social science, the Postdoctoral Research Associate will:
- Develop, adapt, and evaluate LLM/genAI systems for climate mitigation intelligence, especially for tracking and assessing commitments and actions by cities, regions, and non-state actors.
- Design and validate benchmarks, metrics, and auditing pipelines that test the accuracy, credibility, fairness, and robustness of LLM outputs related to climate targets, disclosures, and policy claims.
- Rigorously test genAI/ML models against misinformation, disinformation, and greenwashing, including stress-testing models under adversarial, low-resource, and multilingual settings.
- Study how generative AI shapes real-world climate behavior, including impacts on corporate and subnational mitigation planning, transparency, and accountability.
- Contribute to CLAIM's broader mission: data collection, methodological innovation, open tools, papers, and policy-facing outputs that improve climate commitment integrity.

The position is initially for 1 year with the possibility of extension pending funding and performance.

PhD in Computer Science, Computing, Statistics or Data Science, or related disciplines

- PhD in Computer Science, Computing, Statistics or Data Science, or related disciplines
- Demonstrated hands-on experience training, fine-tuning, or adapting LLMs / generative AI models (e.g., instruction tuning, domain adaptation, RAG pipelines), with evidence in publications, open-source code, or deployed tools.
- Strong experience in LLM/genAI evaluation and benchmarking, including methods for factuality/hallucination testing, robustness, calibration, bias/fairness, and/or adversarial stress-testing.
- Solid programming and ML/ NLP engineering skills in Python and ideally modern deep-learning stacks (e.g., PyTorch/ JAX, HuggingFace/Transformers, vector databases, agentic/ RAG tooling), with ability to build reproducible research pipelines.
- Working knowledge of climate change mitigation and environmental governance, including familiarity with climate commitments, emissions accounting, or policy/action tracking, and motivation to apply AI in this space.
- Able to think critically, proactively and work both independently and in an interdisciplinary team environment.

- Excellent organization and time management skills.

For information on UNC Postdoctoral Benefits and Services click here

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the University's Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at (919) 962-9982 or send an email to opahr@unc.edu.

Please note: The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.