Postdoctoral Research Associate I

Overall Project Description:
A tri-University hydrologic research team consisting of researchers from University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University, and Arizona State University is collaborating to address needs expressed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (DWR) to identify areas where water that would otherwise evaporate could be captured for underground storage without affecting surface water flows. This team will be conducting research activities to assess the potential to increase water supply availability in Arizona via enhanced recharge of water via unallocated sources throughout the state in the context of climate change. This is a great opportunity to engage with a variety of actors involved in water management in the Western U.S., which are actively seeking solutions to address decreasing water supplies due to the ongoing millennium megadrought.
Postdoctoral project:
As part of this team, we are recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to examine how management of natural environment (forests, woodlands, grasslands) can be used to help increase water in our landscapes, including enhanced runoff and recharge and/or reductions in evapotranspiration. Some topics include: 1) using model simulations and empirical observations to understand how vegetation cover impacts snow accumulation and melt, evapotranspiration, runoff, and recharge across grasslands and forested areas in Arizona, 2) examining how changes in forest and land management practices could influence the hydrologic cycle, within the context of climate change, and 3) identifying areas where this management may have the greatest potential to increase water available for recharge.
Desirable candidates will be familiar with hydrologic analysis techniques and tools, including remote sensing, GIS, hydrologic modelling, and multiple forms of observed or model-derived spatial and/or temporal data sets.  In addition, candidates should be motivated to work in an applied, interdisciplinary context with multiple stakeholders.
The postdoc will work closely with Dr. Jia Hu, Dr. Patrick Broxton, and Dr. Wim van Leeuwen. The start date is expected in early to mid 2023. This is a year-to-year appointment with up to a three-year renewed appointment, upon satisfactory performance.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

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• Conduct independent or team-based research aimed at understanding the potential to increase unallocated recharge in Arizona. 
• Conduct quantitative hydrological/ecological/modeling analyses, both independently and as directed by PI or senior scientist.
• Develop reports and scientific publications.
• Represent the research team in various scientific conferences and technical forums.
• Regularly interact with additional partners and stakeholders within and beyond the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and Northern Arizona University.

• PhD in Ecohydrology, Hydrology, Watershed Management, or related fields upon date of hire.
• Strong scientific communication experience, demonstrated by participation in multiple scientific conferences and development of peer review publications.
• Experience with scientific programming languages such as MATLAB, R, and/or Python.
• Experience using GIS and statistical software to develop and analyze spatiotemporal datasets.

• Experience with remote sensing and/or climate model data.
• Experience with hydrologic modelling tools and techniques.
• Experience performing fieldwork to support hydrologic and ecologic studies.
• Experience with stakeholder engagement.