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Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral Research Associate
Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Portland, ME, USA
USD 64k-70k / year
Posted on Jan 7, 2026
Description
Job Title: Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral Research Associate
Supervisor: Dr. Kathy Mills
Starting Salary Range: $64,000-$70,000
Overview:
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) develops and delivers collaborative solutions to global ocean challenges. We are dedicated to the resilience of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and the communities that depend on it. To learn more, visit gmri.org.
Position Description:
GMRI is seeking a full-time Postdoctoral Research Associate to lead and collaborate on research related to climate adaptation in marine fisheries and fishing communities. The successful candidate will have strong interdisciplinary expertise and work across multiple existing projects to advance research, assessment, and planning related to the impacts and responses associated with climate change in marine fisheries and fishing communities.
This role spans several active projects that focus on adaptation strategies in the context of shifting species distributions and changing population productivity, but broader issues (e.g., sea level rise, storm intensity) are relevant as well. Existing research is concentrated in the Northeast U. S., with international collaborative opportunities available on existing and planned projects. The successful candidate will have the ability to develop independent future research within climate adaptation and resilience topics in marine fisheries.
The successful candidate will have an interdisciplinary background related to marine fisheries, with expertise in a social science discipline. The candidate should have experience conducting research in coupled social-ecological systems using qualitative social research methods and analytical approaches that are grounded in relevant theoretical frameworks. The role includes community-engaged research with fishery participants, managers, and community leaders. Strong collaboration skills are essential, as our projects are highly interdisciplinary and often implemented with industry, community, and agency partners.
The position is based in the Integrated Systems Ecology Lab, led by Dr. Kathy Mills. The lab examines how climate and ecosystem change affect fish populations and fisheries, evaluates adaptation and resilience strategies, and provides actionable information to support decision-making. This full-time position is funded for 18 months and is based in Portland, ME. The position may be extended beyond the 18-month period contingent upon success in securing grant support to continue funding.
Responsibilities/Tasks:
- Design and conduct research to understand how marine fisheries (including aquaculture) and fishing communities are impacted by and responding to climate-related ecosystem changes, as well as factors that influence adaptation options and outcomes.
- Lead the design, implementation, analysis, and interpretation of qualitative research related to climate adaptation and resilience, and advise other project collaborators conducting qualitative research on similar topics as needed.
- Build partnerships, facilitate communication, and engage diverse groups in research activities.
- Collaborate with GMRI teams and community partners to support vulnerability assessments and resilience planning in fishing communities and to share insights gained from those experiences.
- Compile and deliver quantitative information related to changes in marine ecosystems and fish populations for community-based assessment and planning efforts.
- Communicate research results through peer-reviewed manuscripts, conference presentations for scientific and practitioner audiences, public-facing documents, and public speaking engagements.
- Contribute to (and eventually lead) competitive grant proposals.
- Participate in working groups and research networks related to climate adaptation in fisheries as relevant opportunities arise.
- Participate in lab and GMRI staff meetings and other activities, including peer groups and mentorship roles.
Requirements
Required Qualifications:
- Ph.D. in a marine social science discipline (e.g., anthropology, sociology, policy, or interdisciplinary program with strong social science training)
- Strong background and familiarity with literature and theories associated with climate adaptation and resilience
- Experience designing and conducting qualitative social science research, including IRB protocols
- Experience coding, analyzing, synthesizing, interpreting, and presenting qualitative social science data
- Experience in marine fisheries and understanding of their management context
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively
- Ability to establish and maintain relationships with relevant stakeholders and partners
- Strong written and oral communication skills, as evidenced through publications in the peer-reviewed scientific literature and presentations to a variety of audiences
- Ability and willingness to travel for fieldwork, meetings, workshops, conferences, and other purposes as needed
- Ability to manage multiple tasks, timelines, and partnerships effectively
- Fluent in English
- Eligible to work in the United States
Preferred Qualification:
- Experience working across natural and social science disciplines
- Experience and expertise related to quantitative data collection and analyses in social sciences
- Ability to analyze, interpret, and communicate results from ecological and fisheries data
- Understanding of fisheries science, stock assessment, and management processes
- Experience engaging directly with resource users, community leaders, tribal entities, or other groups relevant to research topics
- Experience working across research-to-practice pipeline
- Experience working with transdisciplinary research teams
- Experience organizing workshops
- Experience managing projects, including administrative responsibilities
- Experience contributing to the development and writing of grant proposals.
- Ability to work in a statistical computing environment (e.g., R)
- Fluency in a language other than English
Diversity and Inclusion:
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) has a long-standing policy and commitment to providing equal access and equal employment opportunities in all terms, conditions, processes, and benefits of employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, family status, veteran status, or any other classification protected by law. GMRI's employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, family status, veteran status, or any other classification protected by law.
Applicants and employees are encouraged to voluntarily provide certain status data to assist GMRI in fulfilling various reporting requirements of the federal government. This self-identification is completely voluntary, will be kept confidential and separate from your application data, and used only to meet certain state or federal reporting requirements. Providing or declining to provide this information will not result in adverse action of any kind.
Salary and Benefits:
GMRI offers a competitive salary and benefits package.
Application Instructions:
All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter, CV/résumé, and a list of three professional references with their contact information. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the successful candidate has been selected. The deadline to submit applications is February 13, 2026.