The Scholars for Climate and Advanced Leadership in Environment and Sustainability (SCALES) Postdoctoral Fellows Program is a bold initiative designed to accelerate interdisciplinary research and leadership in climate, environment, and sustainability. Through a cohort-based model, the SCALES Postdoctoral Fellows program will bring together early-career scholars and faculty to spark ideas, drive innovation, and create real-world impact. This program is administered by the Office of Climate and Sustainability with support from The Duke Endowment as well as generous friends of the Climate Commitment.

 

Program Goals

Climate change is a defining challenge of our time—complex, interconnected, and global in scale—demanding new knowledge and innovative solutions. The SCALES Postdoctoral Fellows Program represents a strategic investment in the next generation of climate scholars and leaders.

The SCALES Postdoctoral Fellows Program aims to:

 

    • Develop Future Leaders by cultivating a new generation of climate scholars equipped with the skills, networks, and experience to lead in academia, industry, government, and the nonprofit sector.
    • Catalyze Interdisciplinary Research by supporting innovative, cross-disciplinary collaborations that address complex climate challenges through integrated approaches spanning the arts, humanities, social sciences, law, natural sciences, engineering, and medicine.
    • Advance Climate Solutions by generating high-impact research that contributes to real-world climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience strategies at local, national, and global scales.
    • Enhance Climate Fluency by promoting climate literacy and sustainability awareness across Duke’s educational landscape through teaching, mentorship, and public engagement.

 

 

Program Features

 

    • Cohort Model: Fellows will join a vibrant, interdisciplinary community of scholars, fostering collaboration across departments and schools. Cohorts will be supported through programming organized by the Office of Climate and Sustainability in consultation with Fellows and their faculty mentors. In support of this, Fellows are expected to reside in or near Durham or Beaufort, NC.
    • Mentorship and Professional Development: The program emphasizes mentorship as a cornerstone of the Fellow experience. Fellows will also have access to professional development resources and opportunities to present their work, publish research, and engage with partners across academia, industry, and public sectors.
    • Faculty-Mentored Research Projects: Each Fellow will collaborate with their faculty mentors to develop and lead a research project suggested in the proposal and refined alongside the Fellow following their arrival. These projects should address a significant climate, environment, or sustainability challenge and demonstrate a clear interdisciplinary approach.
    • Teaching & Engagement: Fellows will collaborate with their host departments and faculty mentors to contribute to climate fluency and sustainability education on campus. This may include developing and teaching a course or participating in university-wide educational initiatives such as Climate+, Bass Connections, and DukeEngage. Fellows are encouraged to explore innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to education that align with their expertise, interests, and professional development needs.

 

 

Faculty Call for Proposals

 

    • Faculty proposals for the first cohort of SCALES Postdoctoral Fellows were due November 3, 2025. The Faculty Call for Proposals is available here. Successful proposals will be announced in January. Check back soon!
    • The next call for proposals will launch in Spring 2026. This will be for the second cohort of Fellows, set to begin in Summer 2027.

 

 

Fellows

The first cohort of SCALES Postdoctoral Fellows are set to join us in Summer 2026. We aim to have these opportunities posted in early 2026.