Research Assistant: Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment - UTK

University of Tennessee•Knoxville, TN

19d•Onsite

About The Position

This position will report to the Research Assistant Professor and contribute to the TNWaterTA research program that provides technical support and training to small water and wastewater systems across the United States. The position will use specialized knowledge of water/wastewater systems (including transport and treatment processes, hydrology and hydraulics, and computational modeling) to support the PI with completing project deliverables which will include the development and implementation of hydraulic analysis and asset management tools, training material, and assisting systems with their operations, analysis, and planning. The position will be expected to help oversee undergraduate research assistants on project tasks.

Requirements

Master’s Degree in Engineering or Physics
1 to 2 years experience (includes internships)
Knowledge of fluid mechanics and hydraulics.
Skilled in geographic information systems (GIS) software.
Basic knowledge of hydraulic modeling principles.
Ability to communicate (both written and oral) for training and communication with research project sponsors, preparation of professional quality progress reports, and the preparation of academic journal articles.
Ability to communicate (both written and oral) with rural utility staff.
Good organizational skills for managing multiple projects' tasks and deliverables.
Some knowledge of in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge and/or experience in hydraulics and hydrology, computational modeling, water and wastewater engineering, and database management.
Technical writing, giving technical presentations, and managing time on multiple projects, tasks, and deliverables.
Consulting and/or working in state or federal entities working with EPA.
Experience managing multiple projects, tasks, and deliverables.
Experience with GIS, EPANET, EPASWMM, python, and/or MATLAB.
Skilled in hydraulic modeling software (EPANET, EPASWMM).
Skilled in writing computer code (VBA, python, MATLAB).

Responsibilities

Completes project tasks and deliverables with some direction and oversight from the PI.
Tasks will include Geographic Information System (GIS) use and analysis, development and analysis of infrastructure asset management plans, development and implementation of hydraulic models, development of training materials, conducting trainings and webinars, national asset data management, and statistical analysis.
Drafting regular progress reports for submission to project sponsors.
With direction from the PI, managing undergraduate research assistants on project tasks to complete project deliverables
Travel to assist utilities with project tasks and deliverables mentioned above.
Contributes to scientific, peer-reviewed journal manuscripts
Assists with the Tennessee Water Resources Research Center's general operational needs including administrative tasks (procurement research for equipment, send emails to schedule undergrad interviews, and scheduling meetings), creating and assisting with implementation of training programs, and in support of other ongoing research projects that are part of the Center.