Select faculty teams are invited to submit full proposals following review of Letters of Intent.

Faculty proposals must demonstrate a commitment to mentoring, collaborative scholarship, and alignment with the goals of the Climate Commitment.  

Proposals should be no longer than 10 pages total (single-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins) and include the following sections:  

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Abstract of key elements of proposal, including a description of the proposed research project. (Cover page; not to exceed 250 words)  

MENTORING PLAN: The program emphasizes mentorship as a cornerstone of the Fellow experience. The proposal should provide an overview of the mentorship team, including a description of each person’s specific contributions to mentorship. 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. 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 are expected to support the professional development of the Fellow, including guidance on research, teaching, and career advancement. The mentoring plan should include an evaluation plan with metrics to assess progress and impact. (~2 pages) 

TEACHING & ENGAGEMENT COMPONENT: A description of one or more ideas about how the Fellow will contribute to enhancing climate and sustainability fluency on campus. Proposed contributions might address existing curricular gaps, introduce interdisciplinary perspectives, or build on emerging areas of interest. These initial ideas will ideally align with department needs while remaining flexible to draw upon the expertise and interests of the Fellow hired into the position. This component will be developed by the Fellow in the first year and implemented in each subsequent year. We encourage collaborations among Fellows, as well as engagement with existing programs such as Climate+, Bass Connections, DukeEngage, and/or seminars and research summit presentations. You can learn more about the Climate Commitment’s Climate & Sustainability Fluency Framework here.  

We 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 ideas alongside the opportunities and constraints that shape what is possible within the context of your department, unit, or school. (~2 pages) 

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH PROJECT PLAN: This section should outline a flexible and compelling foundation for a collaborative research project that the SCALES Postdoctoral Fellow will help shape. A final research project plan will be co-developed and submitted for approval within several months of the Fellow’s arrival. (~4 pages)  
Sections should include:  

  • a description of the climate, environment, or sustainability-related challenge the project seeks to explore, including its broader significance,   
  • preliminary research objectives, which may evolve in collaboration with the Fellow. These should reflect the potential for innovative inquiry and impact, rather than a fixed research agenda;   
  • a brief history of related work by the faculty mentors, including any prior collaborations, funding, or foundational research that informs the proposed direction;   
  • a description of the role of the Fellow in the project, emphasizing opportunities for leadership, intellectual contribution, and co-development of the project’s scope, methods, and outputs,   
  • a description of the proposed interdisciplinary methodology, with particular attention to how each faculty mentor brings a distinct disciplinary lens—methodological, epistemological, or theoretical—that differs meaningfully from the others. The interdisciplinary nature of the project should be clearly articulated and central to the project’s design; and   
  • a preliminary work plan and draft timeline, which will serve as a starting point for the Fellow to refine.   

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH PROJECT BUDGET: Detail the major categories of anticipated expenditures, including a brief budget narrative. 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. Fellows will collaborate on a final research project budget within several months of the Fellow’s appointment.  
 
We recognize that resource requirements will vary across projects and fields of inquiry. There is no minimum research budget and a maximum of $100k per year. 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 annually and based on the final project budget, which will be co-developed and submitted by the Fellow several months into their appointment. (2 pages max)  

RECRUITMENT PLAN: Faculty should outline approaches for recruiting and attracting strong candidates for this opportunity. This may include outreach to specific professional networks, targeted communications within disciplinary communities, and engagement with graduate programs or postdoctoral associations. (<1 page max)

JOB DESCRIPTION: OCS will draft a standard job description for all SCALES Fellows that will provide space to include the following sections, provided by faculty mentors as part of this proposal: (1) a preliminary description of the research project, including information on the role of SCALES Fellow and (2) a description of the proposed teaching & engagement component. (Appendix; not to exceed 100 words each)

LETTER OF SUPPORT:  A letter of support from the Department Chair (Trinity, SOM, Pratt), Division Chair (NSOE), or Dean (Divinity, Fuqua, Law, Sanford, SON) of the primary faculty mentor is required to affirm the unit’s commitment to supporting and engaging the SCALES Postdoctoral Fellow, as well as the unit’s operational and administrative readiness to host the Fellow. If multiple proposals come forth from the same unit, the letter will need to indicate any internal priorities or preferences. The Chair/Dean should send letters directly to robin.fail@duke.edu.