Research Associate in Civil and Environmental Engineering
About The Position
We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate (Postdoc) to support a growing body of work focused on flood modeling, flood risk assessment, and early flood warning systems in rural communities. This research addresses the pressing need to understand and mitigate the impacts of flooding in underserved and geographically complex regions, where cascading effects on infrastructure, transportation, and community resilience demand innovative and integrative approaches. The Postdoc will join Dr. Majid Shafiee Jood’s research group in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Virginia and lead and contribute to projects spanning hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, flood risk assessment under current and future scenarios, and the analysis of critical infrastructure vulnerabilities. An important component of this work involves developing and evaluating structural and non-structural mitigation strategies, with an emphasis on nature-based solutions. Beyond these efforts, the Postdoc will pursue new research directions including advancing surrogate modeling approaches to accelerate flood simulations, investigating the intersection of flood dynamics, transportation network disruption, and cascading community impacts, and developing sensor-integrated frameworks for near real-time flood monitoring and early warning.
Requirements
- Ph.D. in civil engineering, environmental engineering, hydrology, or a closely related field by the appointment start date.
- Expertise in one or more of the following areas: Hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and flood risk assessment, Climate change impacts on hydrology and flood frequency, Surrogate modeling, machine learning, or data-driven approaches in hydrology and water resources, Sensor networks, real-time data integration, or early warning systems, Critical infrastructure vulnerability assessment, Transportation network analysis under natural hazard scenarios, Community engagement and stakeholder collaboration.
- Ability to conduct independent research.
- Ability to communicate effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
- Ability to work collaboratively with academic, government, and community partners.
Nice To Haves
- Experience mentoring students is a plus.
Responsibilities
- Lead hydrologic and hydraulic modeling efforts to simulate flood scenarios under current and future climate conditions, including watershed-scale rainfall-runoff modeling, flood inundation mapping, and stormwater system analysis (e.g., HEC-RAS, SWMM)
- Conduct flood risk assessments that identify vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and inform prioritized mitigation strategies
- Advance surrogate modeling approaches to improve the efficiency and scalability of flood simulations
- Investigate cascading impacts of flooding on transportation networks and community systems
- Develop and integrate flood sensor data into modeling frameworks to support near real-time early warning capabilities
- Engage with local governments, community stakeholders, and partner organizations to ensure research findings are actionable and aligned with community needs
- Synthesize and disseminate research findings through peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and presentations
- Mentor graduate and undergraduate students and contribute to an inclusive and collaborative research environment
- Contribute to proposal development and identification of new funding opportunities
Benefits
- Information on benefits available to postdoctoral associates at UVA can be found at postdoc.virginia.edu and hr.virginia.edu/benefits.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
