Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Position description
The Penn Environmental Politics Lab seeks a post-doctoral research fellow to support a two-year research project, beginning in July 2026. This one-year appointment, with possibility for renewal for a second year contingent on performance and availability of funding, is designed for a social scientist who has recently completed (by July 2026) a PhD in political science, economics, public policy, sociology, environmental studies, or a related field.
The fellow will be based at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and will work closely with PI Parrish Bergquist. They will have access to Penn's research community including seminars, workshops, and symposia hosted by the political science department, the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, Perry World House, the Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies, the Annenberg Center for Public Policy, the Wharton Climate Center, and many other centers and departments. While physically based in Philadelphia, the fellow will also engage regularly with the full research team at Stanford University, the University of Michigan, and Northwestern University.
About the Project
The US energy transition is unfolding against a backdrop of dramatic policy reversals, investment uncertainty, and deep political division. Our study, funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, examines how firms, workers, and communities respond to clean energy industrial policy in the current moment of flux. The research team - PI Parrish Bergquist (University of Pennsylvania), and Co-Investigators Sara Constantino (Stanford University), Michael Shepherd (University of Michigan), and Elizabeth Thom (Northwestern University) - is conducting a multi-method study that will include a process-tracing analysis of federal clean energy policymaking, analysis of how clean energy manufacturing firms mobilize politically in response to policy uncertainty, an original longitudinal panel survey of clean energy manufacturing workers, and qualitative case studies of six communities hosting clean energy manufacturing facilities.
This Postdoctoral Research Fellowship is supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation under Grant No. G-2026-79331.
Responsibilities
- Lead or co-lead data collection efforts for one or more work packages, including conducting elite interviews, designing and implementing surveys and interviews with clean energy manufacturing executives and workers, and conducting background research and fieldwork in communities hosting new manufacturing facilities.
- Collaborate with the research team to analyze data and produce academic manuscripts and policy-relevant outputs.
- Contribute to project management, including coordinating data collection timelines, managing research assistants, and supporting team communication across institutions.
- Pursue independent research questions emerging from the project in coordination with the PIs.
- Occasionally travel to study sites across the US to conduct fieldwork.
Compensation and Benefits
- Stipend: Commensurate with University of Pennsylvania guidelines, currently set at $67,000/year
- Benefits: Full health insurance package per University of Pennsylvania policy
Qualifications
Desired Qualifications
We are looking for a motivated, intellectually curious scholar with:
A record of research on American politics, energy and climate policy, American political economy, or a closely related area
Experience conducting original empirical research, preferably using both quantitative and qualitative methods
Strong writing skills and a track record of producing scholarly work for publication
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including experience conducting interviews or other fieldwork
Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks and timelines simultaneously
Enthusiasm for working in a collaborative, multi-institutional team environment
Application instructions
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