Agrohydrological Modeler

University of Kansas•Lawrence, KS

3d•Remote

About The Position

We are looking for an experienced researcher to contribute to multiple projects related to agricultural water use practices in irrigated landscapes. Initial focal areas for this position will include: (i) advancing the use of remotely sensed Earth observation data (i.e., OpenET) to support farm and water management decision-making, and (ii) developing and applying coupled socio-hydrological modeling tools that can be used to quantify the impacts of different management strategies on water resources. This work will contribute to multiple externally funded projects from USDA, EDF, and NSF and include opportunities to develop new projects. This position is based at the University of Kansas as part of the part of the HydroEcology of the Anthropocene Lab (HEAL) supervised by Sam Zipper in the Kansas Geological Survey and the Department of Geology.

Requirements

Ph.D. in a discipline related to water, environmental, geological, geospatial, and/or agricultural science or engineering.
M.S. in a discipline related to water, environmental, geological, geospatial, and/or agricultural science or engineering AND at least three years of professional research experience related to agrohydrological modeling.
Experience working with remotely sensed data, preferably related to evapotranspiration.
Experience in irrigated agricultural landscapes typical of the U.S. High Plains region.
Coding proficiency in Python or a comparable language (R, MATLAB, Julia, etc.).
Strong communication skills.
Demonstrable experience working with stakeholders on issues related to water management.
Experience writing research proposals to obtain grant funding, fellowships, or similar.
Experience with field-based hydrologic and/or agronomic data collection.

Responsibilities

Lead agrohydrological modeling research, with a focus on irrigated agricultural landscapes.
Identify key decision needs for stakeholders and create models, tools and data products to help support these decision-making processes.
Design and implement field-based data collection approaches where necessary.
Develop research proposals for external funding agencies to support the development of these tools and data products.
Communicate the results of research in peer-reviewed publications and to both scientific and lay audiences.
Support KGS efforts in the areas of technical service and communication and public information.
Interact with public, university, government, and industry.
Participate in professional scientific and industrial organizations.
Serve on University and KGS committees and organizations as assigned or in response to opportunities.
Participate with other KGS personnel in professional and governmental organizations that deal with Kansas and US water resources.
Work with students and visiting scientists when it complements and enhances research programs.