PhD
Research Assistantship Opportunities
The Department of Environmental Science
and Technology at the University of Maryland (UMD) invites applications for up to two
PhD-level graduate research assistantships in the areas of water resources management
and water reuse starting in the Fall semester (or Summer) 2022.
Prospective applicants should have
BS/MS degrees in water resources management, agricultural engineering, environmental
engineering, environmental science, biosystems engineering, ecological
engineering, or other closely related fields. Applicants are expected to have strong
experience in geospatial analysis (e.g., ArcGIS) and hydrological modeling
(e.g., SWAT). Experience in data analysis, agent-based modeling, and decision
support systems is very desirable.
The students will work on a recently funded
USDA-NIFA grant titled: “Stakeholder Inclusive Water Management in a Changing
Mid-Atlantic: Alternative Water Sources, Related Socioeconomic Factors, and
Sustainability”. The overall goal of this project is to facilitate the use of alternative
water sources and the implementation of efficient water conservation practices
(i.e., best management practices (BMPs)). The PhD research will focus on the development of a multiscale water
resources management framework using Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) to identify and
implement BMPs for efficient freshwater and recycled water use. The PhD
student(s) will perform data collection and management, development of
hydrologic and ABM models, and geospatial data analysis. The PhD student(s)
will also develop decision support systems that integrate socioeconomic and
biophysical factors in agricultural water management and the use of alternative
water sources. Students will work with Dr. Negahban-Azar and Dr. Shirmohammadi
in the ENST Department, and Dr. Montas in Bioengineering Department.
The
position(s) will include year-round support (including salary, health benefits
& tuition) through a 12-month research assistantship for up to three years
(contingent upon satisfactory performance). Interested applicants may contact Dr. Negahban-Azar
via email (mnazar@umd.edu) to discuss their
background and research interests.
Please note that applications to the
UMD graduate school are due December 15, 2021, for the 2022 Fall semester start
date. Application materials will include transcripts, recommendation letters,
TOEFL/IELTS scores (for international applicants), GRE (optional), CV, and a
research statement.
