Water Resource Analyst

Colorado State University • Fort Collins, CO

2d • $70,000 - $90,000

About The Position

POSITION SUMMARY The position of water research associate/scientist is with the ROSSSyndicate and will contribute to efforts in enhancing the sustainable management of National Park Service (NPS) water supplies. This position is fully funded on a federal contract. The role will be responsible for applying climate, hydrologic, and hydrogeologic models and other qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the vulnerability of park water supplies to climate change and assist in the development of NPS adaptation strategies. This role involves hydrologic data analysis and interpretation; hydrologic modeling; developing conceptual hydrologic and hydrogeologic models; estimating water demands and supplies; geospatial database development; and collaboration with an interdisciplinary team. The Radical Open Science Syndicate (ROSSyndicate) uses open data, reproducible workflows, and community partnerships to better design and manage (mostly freshwater) ecosystems. The ROSSyndicate is part of Colorado State University’s Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, whose mission is to understand the function of ecosystems and watersheds across space and over time. We assess ecosystem sustainability by examining interactions within and between natural and human systems in the context of current stresses such as changing climate, species introductions, land-use change, and increased demand for water. The department will use state of the art technologies and approaches to provide quality education to future scientists, educators and decision makers, conduct cutting edge interdisciplinary research, and deliver culturally relevant outreach programs that empower our students and the general public locally, nationally, and internationally. The position will also collaborate closely with our partner, the National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, on the key project associated with this position.

Requirements

• BS/BA degree + 5 years related experience OR Master’s degree + 2 years of experience OR PhD
• In-depth understanding of watershed and hydrological principles, groundwater flow, aquifer recharge, discharge, saltwater intrusion, or groundwater-surface water interactions.
• Demonstrated ability to clearly communicate results from analyses through written reports, visualizations, and verbal presentations.
• Direct experience in the development and/or application of hydrological models.
• Command of the R, Python, or equivalent programming language.
• Experience analyzing large hydrologic or climatic datasets (from: USGS, EPA, NOAA, etc.).

Nice To Haves

• Experience with estimating current and future water demands.
• Project management experience, ideally in a computational environment like using git and GitHub with a team, and the project management tools therein.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent analyses, learn on the job, and collaborate with a team of diverse experts. Especially conducting analyses relating to stream and groundwater recharge, discharge, and flow.
• An understanding of water rights and Western USA water law.

Responsibilities

• Independently lead the forecasting and modelling of future climate impacts on NPS water supplies and local demand.
• Help establish a structured climate vulnerability assessment framework.
• Select optimal methods/models for evaluating water supply sources and their sensitivity to changing climate and water demand based on various types and amounts of available data.
• Catalog park climate, hydrology, and water supply data (including water rights).
• Help lead reporting for NPS partners on climate vulnerability and recommended adaptations for parks or park clusters.
• Aid in crafting a comprehensive literature review on climate vulnerability methods for water resources.
• Lead research papers and other products associated with water supply modelling.
• Coordinate with Geospatial Centroid on web-visualization of NPS water supply modelling results.
• Miscellaneous tasks associated with the NPS water vulnerability project as well as other related ROSSyndicate projects.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree