Position Overview
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is pleased to invite applications for an assistant professor position in the area of groundwater hydrology, or related fields. Ideal candidates should be able to demonstrate expertise in developing innovative solutions and advancing knowledge for the sustainable management of groundwater resources. This includes, but not limited to, addressing challenges related to protecting groundwater-dependent ecosystems, managing stressed groundwater systems, land subsidence, understanding and adapting to climate change impacts, mitigating emerging coastal groundwater hazards such as shallowing, flooding, erosion, legacy contaminant release, or liquefaction, groundwater salinization/contamination and energy needs. For example, California faces unique challenges and opportunities in managing its limited groundwater resources for agriculture and municipal water supply, and these challenges are exacerbated by frequent droughts, increasing nutrient pollution, toxic chemic chemicals such as PFAS, salinization from seawater intrusion along the coast, and the need to comply with state, federal and local regulatory requirements. The new candidate is expected to advance groundwater research and management in California and beyond. Applicants for the position must have a demonstrated record of excellence or show exceptional promise for high-quality teaching, research, and professional development in one or more of the following areas:
- Groundwater hydrology and sustainable groundwater management: Expertise in the applications of numerical modeling of groundwater flow and contaminant transport at local and regional scales, groundwater monitoring, field studies, data science, artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and machine learning. Additionally, the candidate should demonstrate an understanding of the effects of climate change on groundwater availability and quality, and the development of adaptive management strategies. A comprehensive understanding of federal, state and local water rights, regulations, and management practices would be considered an added value.
- Interconnected surface-groundwater systems: Ability to apply numerical models, remote sensing and in-situ measurements to characterize surface-groundwater interactions. This includes applications for protecting groundwater-dependent ecosystems, implementing managed aquifer recharge, optimizing conjunctive use planning of surface and groundwater, and characterizing emerging coastal groundwater hazards.
- Groundwater salinization, contamination and remediation: Research focused on modeling, identifying, mitigating groundwater salinization and contamination, including nutrients and emerging contaminants like PFAS.
See the link below for details regarding salary and application requirements.