Graduate Research Assistant, PhD Program
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.
- Proficiency in programming (e.g., Python, Fortran, C/C++, Julia or similar) and data analysis.
- Ability to work independently and in collaborative, interdisciplinary teams.
Nice To Haves
- Familiarity with wildfire modeling, smoke dispersion, or computational fluid dynamics is highly desirable.
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.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Number of Employees
501-1,000 employees
