The selection process for the 2027 SCALES Fellows is underway.

Applications for the next cohort will open in Spring 2027. Please review the information below to help prepare an application.

SCALES Program Overview

The Office of the Provost and the Office of Climate and Sustainability (OCS) solicit internal Letters of Intent regarding the Scholars for Climate and Advanced Leadership in Environment and Sustainability (SCALES) Postdoctoral Fellows Program, a mentorship-centered initiative designed to accelerate interdisciplinary research and leadership in climate, environment, and sustainability.  

Through a cohort-based model, the SCALES Postdoctoral Fellows program brings together early-career scholars to collaborate with faculty across schools and departments at Duke University (including the Schools of Medicine and Nursing) on pressing climate, environment, and sustainability challenges. Fellows will join with faculty mentors to co-create high-impact research projects and engage in climate-focused educational efforts, whether through course development and teaching or participation in university-wide initiatives such as Climate+, Bass Connections, and DukeEngage.

Selected faculty teams will be invited to propose research projects that will host and mentor SCALES Postdoctoral Fellows. These projects must address a significant research question in climate, environment, or sustainability and foster an interdisciplinary collaboration that leverages diverse academic traditions and creates space for the SCALES Postdoctoral Fellow to shape the research direction in substantive ways. 

We encourage LOIs from faculty across the full academic landscape, including the arts, humanities, social sciences, law, natural sciences, engineering, and medicine. Preference will be given to proposals that align with at least one Climate Commitment focus area: climate policy and finance, oceans, climate and health, environmental and climate justice, climate science and technology, and climate and community resilience. 

The SCALES LOI Selection Process Includes Two Stages: 

Stage 1: Letter of Intent: Faculty submit a 3-page LOI outlining mentorship structure, research project, and teaching/engagement ideas. Guidelines for LOIs detailed below.  

Stage 2: After a review process of LOIs, selected faculty teams will be invited to submit a detailed proposal, including preliminary budget and project plans.  

Please note: you will be required to include an abstract (250 words max) along with the letter of intent on the form provided. 

SCALES 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.  

Specifically, 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. 

Key SCALES 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. 

SCALES Funding and Budget 

Each selected proposal will receive: 

  • funding to support one postdoctoral fellow for up to three years, including salary and fringe benefits; and  
  • dedicated funding to support the design and implementation of an interdisciplinary, faculty-mentored research project for up to three years. 

Each SCALES Postdoctoral Fellow will also receive $10,000 each year in support of professional development activities. 

SCALES Program Eligibility  

  • LOIs must be submitted by two or more faculty members committed to playing an active role as a mentor to their Postdoctoral Fellow and within the broader SCALES community.
  • Mentors must be full-time, regular rank Duke faculty in good standing with the university. Each proposal must identify a primary faculty mentor. The SCALES Fellow will be hired into the department of the primary faculty mentor, who will also serve as the supervisor of record.
  • While there is no requirement that faculty mentors represent different departments, units, and schools, the proposal must clearly articulate the interdisciplinary dimensions of the proposed project.
  • Faculty may serve as the primary mentor on only one proposal.

Note: Proposals must support new postdoctoral hires in an early stage of their scholarly career. Most will have received their Ph.D. just prior to the start of the fellowship and should be no more than two years past Ph.D. to apply. Awards cannot be used to support current postdocs.   

Guidance for Letters of Intent

We invite letters of intent for mentorship-centered proposals that emphasize collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches to research and teaching/engagement. Preference will be given to proposals that align with at least one Climate Commitment focus area: climate policy and finance, oceans, climate and health, environmental and climate justice, climate science and technology, and climate and community resilience.  

We recognize that research projects—and the forms they take—vary widely across disciplines. In addition to traditional empirical, field-based, and modeling studies, we welcome proposals with projects grounded in the arts and humanities, including (but certainly not limited to) archival or textual research; creative practice-based inquiry; programs, workshops, or convenings; and the development of exhibitions, performances, or public-facing interpretive media and materials.  

We expect that costs will vary widely across projects. The SCALES program aims to provide Fellows and their faculty mentors with the financial support necessary to successfully carry out their research activities. While a budget is not required as part of the LOI, full proposals will include a preliminary estimate of project costs. To help guide your planning, we anticipate research project budgets in the range of $30K-$100K per year for up to three years, in addition to the salary & fringe for the SCALES Fellow. Complete budget details will be provided to faculty invited to submit a full proposal. 

We also understand that teaching and engagement opportunities are not uniform across the university, and that areas with a strong research mission may provide fewer avenues for formal instruction and engagement. Supporting climate fluency across campus is central to the mission of the SCALES program, and Fellows may contribute to this goal in many ways. We encourage faculty to think creatively about meaningful opportunities for teaching, experiential learning, and engagement—ones that suit the context of the host unit’s goals for climate fluency, draw on the strengths of the mentorship team, and ultimately support the Fellow’s professional goals. We invite you to outline your initial ideas alongside the opportunities and constraints that shape what is possible within the context of your department, unit, or school.  

Letter of Intent Requirements 

The letter of intent should be no more than three single-spaced pages (~1500 words) and include the following information:  

  • Mentorship Team & Plan: 
    • An overview of the mentorship team, including a description of each person’s specific contributions to the interdisciplinary research project and to mentorship of the Fellow, both during the period of the fellowship and in preparation for their anticipated career path(s). Be sure to identify the primary faculty mentor. If community-engagement forms a significant part of the research project, the mentoring plan should address how the team will prepare the Fellow for this kind of work.
    • A short statement describing how the SCALES Fellow will be supported by and integrated into the interdisciplinary research team.   
  • Research Project: 
    • An overview of the proposed project, including: 
      • The central question(s) and/or themes that will form the foundation of a research project to be co-created alongside the SCALES Fellow; 
      • its significance and impact on climate, environment, and sustainability challenges; 
      • a description of its interdisciplinary methods; and  
      • how the mentorship team will work with the SCALES Fellow to finalize a project plan that incorporates their interests and expertise.  
  • Teaching & Engagement: 
    • A description of how the SCALES Fellow might contribute to enhancing climate and sustainability fluency on campus.  

SCALES LOI Selection Criteria and Process 

Faculty LOIs for hosting fellows must demonstrate a commitment to mentoring, collaborative scholarship, and alignment with the goals of the Climate Commitment. 

Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria: 

  • Mentorship and Professional Development: Is there a robust plan for mentoring the Fellow? Does it include an evaluation plan? Does the proposal reflect a clear commitment to supporting the Fellow and encouraging their development as a research leader? Does the proposal include strategies for developing the Fellow’s competence and confidence as an independent investigator?  
  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Does the proposal reflect a commitment to interdisciplinary co-creation and intellectual exchange? Is there a clear articulation of the interdisciplinary approach of the proposed research project? Does the research project present a compelling and flexible foundation for collaborative, interdisciplinary inquiry? 
  • Teaching, Engagement & Climate Fluency: To what extent does the teaching & engagement component contribute to expanding climate and sustainability fluency? Do the options suggested in the proposal align with department needs? Is there flexibility for incorporating the Fellow’s expertise, interests, and professional development needs? 
  • Research Project & Alignment with Climate Commitment Goals: Does the proposed project address a significant climate, environment, or sustainability challenge? Is the proposal innovative, original and solutions focused? What is the role of the SCALES Fellow in the research project? How will the proposal advance the Climate Commitment? Does the proposal demonstrate clear relevance to climate, environment, and sustainability challenges? How well does the proposal align with focus areas of the Duke Climate Commitment?  

Members of the Climate Commitment Advisory Council Research Subcommittee will review proposals. The selection will be overseen by Toddi Steelman, vice president and vice provost for climate and sustainability; Ed Balleisen, senior vice provost of interdisciplinary programs & initiatives; and Suzanne Barbour, dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate education. 

SCALES 2nd Cohort Program Timeline  

  • February 2026: Call for letters of intent announced .
  • April 10, 2026: Letters of intent due.
  • June 4, 2026: Decision on letters; invite full proposals.  
  • August 19, 2026: Invited faculty proposals due.  
  • October 2026: Faculty finalist interviews . 
  • November 2026: Postdoc positions posted.  
  • February 2027: Offers extended to second cohort.  
  • Summer 2027: Second cohort of SCALES Fellows welcomed to Duke!  

Guidance for Research Project Budgets 

We recognize that resource requirements will vary across projects and fields of inquiry. The program aims to provide Fellows and their faculty mentors with the support necessary to successfully carry out their research activities. We anticipate research budgets in the range of $30k-$100k per year. 

Budgets should reflect the anticipated needs of the proposed research project and be reasonable and justifiable within the context of the disciplines and scope of work. At the proposal stage, budgets are expected to be preliminary and serve as an indication of likely expenses and faculty priorities. 

Allowable expenses may include materials, supplies, and equipment; honoraria and payments to community partners and consultants; research-related travel; and costs associated with workshops, symposia, or other events organized as part of the project. Support staff salaries are permitted and should correspond to their percent effort on the project. Faculty salary requests are not allowed. Only direct costs are allowable; indirect costs and gift taxes are not permitted. 

Research project funding will be released following approval of the final research project plan and budget, which will be co-developed and submitted by the Fellow several months into their appointment. 

Learn More 

Contact Information 

Questions? Connect with Robin Fail, Assistant Director of Climate and Sustainability Research.