Research Fellow

Alliance for the Great Lakes
Chicago, Il

Closing Date: Until Filled

Web Address: greatlakes.org

Description

The Alliance for the Great Lakes (AGL) is hiring a Research Fellow (Fellow) to advance the scientific basis for AGL’s strategic research, policy development, and advocacy to protect, restore, and conserve the Great Lakes for the people and ecosystems that depend on them. This is a one or two-year fellowship position, with the second-year dependent on satisfactory performance.

The Fellow will be responsible for supporting the Alliance’s research agenda and facilitating the work of the Alliance’s Science Council, with the opportunity to pursue research interests that are related to the Alliance’s two immediate priority areas:

Sustainable Water Management: Assess the existing and potential cumulative effects of large water-using industries on water quantity and quality in the Great Lakes region.

Plastic Pollution: Evaluate what is known about plastic pollution in the Great Lakes, including the primary sources, environmental and human health impacts, associated costs, and opportunities for control.

The Fellow will conduct literature reviews and meta-analyses of existing research, publish and otherwise disseminate findings, and propose specific ways that the Alliance can advance our efforts to address these critical issues. To successfully fulfill this research charge, the Fellow will collaborate with a newly formed organizational Science Council composed of external academic and technical experts. Additionally, the Fellow may be called upon to evaluate state and federal rulemakings, agency actions, and proposed legislation for scientific rigor and collaborate with Alliance policy staff to propose opportunities to strengthen Great Lakes protections.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in the natural or social sciences, with prior demonstration of significant environmental coursework and research relevant to the Alliance’s mission and initial issue focus as described in this announcement 
• Demonstrated excellence in conducting secondary and review research on environmental stressors, particularly within the freshwater environment 
• Strong written and oral communication skills; preference given to applicants with a proven publication record and experience with public speaking 
• Experiences connecting research findings to public policy pathways and engaging with natural resource management at the federal and state levels are a plus 
• Ability to translate complex scientific concepts into language that lay audiences, such as decision makers and advocates, can understand without compromising scientific integrity 
• Preference for existing familiarity with the Great Lakes freshwater environment or research experience in other large freshwater systems 
• Understands and upholds Alliance for the Great Lakes values of community, relationships, courage, integrity, and optimism.  
• Demonstrated alignment with our external and internal operating principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. 
• The selected candidate must be able to pass a background check.  

How to Apply

Please email your cover letter, resume or curriculum vitae, and three professional references to hr@greatlakes.org. Make sure to include the job title in the subject line. Additionally, be prepared to provide the following upon request: (1) your graduate school transcript, and (2) a writing sample, such as a paper, memorandum, or article for which you were the lead author or principal writer.

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis starting on April 6th, 2026, and until the position is filled. Materials should be compatible with Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat. Applicants will receive confirmation of receipt of their materials, further guidance, and updates about the hiring process by e-mail, with interviews provided for finalists. No phone inquiries, please.

The detailed job posting can be found at: https://greatlakes.org/2026/03/research-fellow/

Contact

Megan Cunningham
Alliance for the Great Lakes
hr@greatlakes.org