Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA)

School: Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Department/Area: Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA) / Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS)

Position Description

The Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA) in the Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS) at Harvard University seeks an outstanding spatial researcher as a CGA Postdoctoral Fellow. CGA's mission is to enable and sustain cross-campus, cross-disciplinary spatial analytical capacity that generates impactful and innovative research, supports GIS teaching and training, and provides researchers, students, and instructors with state-of-the-art methods, data, and software..

The Postdoc will: 1) work with other CGA team members to develop and offer state-of-the-discipline geographic data science (including desktop GIS) training workshops and other short-form training to members of the Harvard Community (30%);

2) contribute to CGA's research support activities through consultation, project development and support, and, where required, collaboration on research outputs (e.g., peer-reviewed papers) (30%);

3) develop their independent research profile and collaborations with researchers internal and external to Harvard, including proposals for externally-funded research (30%);

4) contribute, through networking and community-building activities, to CGA's internal and external visibility in the geography and spatial science domains (10%).

Should the possibility arise, the Postdoc may have the opportunity to contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching.

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position. Compensation is $70,000-$80,000 per year. The appointment is for one year with the possibility of renewal based on satisfactory performance and continued availability of funding. We anticipate the Postdoc will start in the Fall 2026 semester.

To ensure full consideration, complete applications must be received by Monday, July 6, 2026.

CGA is a member organization under the Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS). This appointment will be administered by IQSS. CGA was established in 2006 to support research and teaching across all disciplines in the University as they relate to spatial technology and methods. Combining research support and consultation services, technical training, platform development and sponsored research, the Center undertakes and enables a diverse range of research projects involving spatial data, methods, and applications.

IQSS sits in the Division of Social Science. At IQSS, respect and fairness, kindness and collegiality, and trust and transparency are among the values we espouse and promote in our workplace culture. We work hard to ensure a healthy, inclusive, and positive environment where everyone does their best work in support of Harvard's mission.

Basic Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience working with spatial analytic methods to answer substantive spatial social science questions
• PhD in geography, GIScience, or a related social science

PLEASE NOTE: If you have obtained your Ph.D. in the past 12 months you must be able to provide a certificate of completion from the degree-granting institution OR a letter from the institute's registrar stating all requirements for the degree have been successfully completed and should verify the date the degree has been or will be conferred. No exceptions.

Additional Qualifications

Experience developing and teaching spatial methods, especially desktop GIS, R, and Python strongly preferred.

Desirable Qualifications: Interest/experience in spatial AI approaches. Comfort with research project development/management and a willingness to contribute to others' research, across a variety of domains, applications, and disciplines.

Special Instructions

Applicants should provide the following:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Cover letter
• Research Statement
• Contact information (name, email address, & phone number) for three references. At least two references should be experts at the faculty ranks that can attest to your research qualifications. We will solicit letters of recommendation for finalists.
• A sample paper is optional but not required.

To ensure full consideration, complete applications must be received by Monday, July 6, 2026.

Contact Information

Lisa Galvin, IQSS Academic Affairs Coordinator

Contact Email: [email protected]

Salary Range

$70,000 - $80,000

Minimum Number of References Required: 3