Postdoctoral Researcher – Florida Gulf Coast University, United States

Join this multidisciplinary project and collaborate with a dynamic team of researchers to advance the science and practice of groundwater sustainability, and the role of nature-based infrastructure in reducing the impacts of climate change.

Project Overview:

This is an EPA-funded and collaborative project between the Department of Bioengineering, Civil Engineering, and Environmental Engineering at Florida Gulf Coast University, and the Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science at Florida State University. The project focuses on addressing the challenges of sea-level rise, changing precipitation patterns, and rapid socioeconomic development, which pose threats to groundwater and community resilience in South Florida. The project will assess the efficacy of nature-based solutions in enhancing groundwater recharge and maintaining ecosystem functions through an integrated modeling approach combining surface-water groundwater (SW-GW) models and human activities.

Job Description

Typical duties include but not limited to:

• Use an existing regional density-dependent SW-GW model to assess the impact of climate change (e.g., precipitation and sea-level rise) on groundwater resources.
• Evaluate the potential of nature-based infrastructure in reducing the impacts of climate change at different scales.
• Develop machine learning-based surrogate models across scales for different purposes.
• Disseminate research findings using interactive notebooks.
• Publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals, and present at scientific meetings.

Additional Job Description

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, hydrogeology, hydrology, or a related field.
• Strong background in numerical groundwater modeling particularly MODFLOW family.
• Experience in land-use and land-cover change with tools such as ArcGIS or QGIS.
• Programming skills such as Python, R, or MATLAB.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience in or interest to learn:

• Integrated surface water – groundwater modeling
• Nature-based infrastructure
• Google Earth engine and GeeMap
• Machine learning models and surrogate modeling

Benefits:

• Competitive postdoctoral salary with benefits
• Access to state-of-the-art computational resources
• Contribute to impactful research that directly informs policy and benefits the community.

All employees are expected to:

• Promote a common purpose consistent with stated University goals and demonstrate a commitment to students and the learning environment.
• Possess the knowledge of general written standards and procedures utilized, and can read, interpret, and follow procedural and policy manual related to the job tasks.
• Demonstrate the ability to respond to supervision, guidance, and direction in a positive, receptive manner and in accordance with stated policies.
• Present a professional image in word, action, and attire.
• Apply effective techniques to create working relationships with others to achieve common goals; successfully communicates and collaborates with others to achieve goals.
• Demonstrate skills necessary to look at situations and processes critically to make recommendations for improvement.