Graduate Research Assistant, PhD Program

Desert Research Institute • Reno, NV

64d

About The Position

The Desert Research Institute and the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) invite applications for a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) position in Atmospheric Sciences to work with Dr. John Mejia and Dr. Eden Furtak-Cole. This is a fully funded four-year opportunity leading to a PhD graduate degree at UNR, with research conducted at DRI. The successful candidate will contribute to the ForgedFire Model, a next-generation, urban-resolving wildfire-atmosphere modeling framework developed as part of the NSF funded FireScape NV project. The GRA will focus on developing and advancing the model's multiscale coupling (WRF-SFIRE Fire Dynamics Simulator) to better understand wildfire behavior, smoke dispersion, and fire-atmosphere-urban interactions across the wildland-urban interface (WUI).

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Atmospheric Sciences, Meteorology, Climate Science, Physics, Engineering or a closely related field.
• Background in numerical atmospheric modeling, with experience using WRF, FDS, or similar models.
• Familiarity with wildfire modeling, smoke dispersion, or computational fluid dynamics is highly desirable.
• Proficiency in programming (e.g., Python, Fortran, C/C++, Julia or similar) and data analysis.
• Ability to work independently and in collaborative, interdisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop and apply WRF-SFIRE simulations for fire-atmosphere interactions.
• Implement and evaluate multiscale coupling between WRF-SFIRE (a mesoscale atmospheric model) and Fire Dynamics Simulator (a parcel-scale computation fluid dynamic model).
• Integrate urban morphology, fuel datasets, and atmospheric observations into model workflows.
• Analyze model performance using case studies (e.g., the 2024 Davis Fire) and observational datasets.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and contribute to publications, digital twin tools, and scenario-based wildfire adaptation frameworks.

Benefits

• Four-year fully funded GRA position with stipend, tuition, and health benefits.
• Cutting-edge research at the intersection of fire science, atmospheric modeling, and urban climate.
• Hands-on experience with advanced modeling frameworks, high-performance computing, and stakeholder-informed applications.
• Professional development through publications, conferences, and collaborations with agencies and research partners.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Industry: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Education Level: Master's degree