The Urban Systems Lab (USL) at The New School invites applicants for an appointment as a Senior Research Fellow in Urban Flood Modeling with a tentative start date of September 15, 2023.
The Urban Systems Lab is an interdisciplinary research, design and practice space at The New School that provides knowledge and analysis for developing more equitable, resilient, and sustainable cities. The Lab’s work advances cutting edge science, data visualization, and computation to develop systemic solutions to social and environmental challenges driving inequity and injustice in urban areas. We bring together designers, urban ecologists, scientists, researchers and policymakers with the goal to improve the lives of those most vulnerable, and to enhance decision making and science communication from local to global scales. To learn more visit: http://urbansystemslab.com
The Schools of Public Engagement comprise the School of Media Studies, the School of Undergraduate Studies, the Milano School of Policy, Management, and Environment, the Creative Writing Program, and the Julien J. Studley Graduate Programs in International Affairs, as well as several programs, research centers and institutes; the Urban Systems Lab is among them. You can find more information on The Schools of Public Engagement here: https://www.newschool.edu/public-engagement/
The New School, a private university in New York City’s Greenwich Village, serves undergraduate and graduate students across a range of fields with a commitment to bringing practices in design and social research to studying issues of our time and challenging students to become engaged citizens dedicated to solving problems and contributing to the public good.
The New School is strongly committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and particularly seeks applications from members of underrepresented groups, as well as candidates who share this commitment.
POSITION OVERVIEW
We are seeking an outstanding scholar with expertise in hydrological modeling, flood risk, and spatial modeling to work with diverse local and global databases to analyze and communicate urban climate change risks. The Fellow will be part of our Google.org funded project, ClimateIQ, an AI driven integrated climate risk modeling environment and data visualization tool that provides near term and future flood risk data in urban areas, as well as contribute to our Kresge Foundation supported urban flood equity research as part of their Climate Resilient and Equitable Water Systems program. The Fellow will work closely with the Lab’s Director to advance hydrological modeling in urban areas, coordinate and communicate outputs and analysis, and work with a team of climate modelers to validate data and processes. This includes collaborations with Stockholm Resilience Centre, Climasens, and other Lab partners in a global research network. The fellow will work with a diverse team of climate scientists, researchers and modelers leveraging cutting edge technologies and data science to improve planning and urban climate adaptation across the world. This is a 3-year fixed term, full-time, benefits eligible position with the possibility of renewal or extension contingent on funding.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Work with the Lab director and research teams to conduct hydrological modeling and flood risk modeling.
- Contribute to active research initiatives including Google.org funded project ClimateIQ, to help develop an integrated climate risk modeling environment and data visualization tool that provides near term and future flood risk data in urban areas.
- Assist with flood risk modeling as part of the Kresge Foundation’s Climate Resilient and Equitable Water Systems initiative to better understand the environmental justice impacts of climate change related flooding on disadvantaged communities.
- Run relevant hydrological modeling for multiple cities and assist with spatial vulnerability analysis to inform climate adaptation planning and policy.
- Participate in an ongoing research program in the Urban Systems Lab at The New School and develop work based on their interest and expertise with faculty at The New School and with external colleagues on the project.
- Collaborate with the Lab’s cutting-edge data visualization team as well as a community of research technicians and scholars.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Expertise in urban flood modeling especially hydrological and hydraulic modeling
- Geospatial analytical skills including in ArcGIS and related software, Python, R, or other relevant coding languages and libraries
- Familiarity with urban resilience, climate change, and complex urban systems
- Capability to communicating research methods and results to non-academic audiences
- Experience conducting multi-disciplinary research;
- Willingness and ability to work as part of a multi- and transdisciplinary team – collaboration
- Comfort working in GitHub and related version control and collaboration tools
- Strong evidence of excellent organization, communication, presentation and writing skills including academic and other outputs in the form of scientific publications
- Ability to adhere to the University’s Covid-19 policy and requirements
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience and publications on spatial analysis of urban flooding, vulnerability and risk
- Climate scenario modeling including potential work with CMIP6 global scenarios
- Dynamic integrated modeling is a plus as is experience working with multi-hazards or cascading hazards
- Familiarity with geoprocessing workflows and geospatial analysis design
- Comfort with machine learning in quantitative modeling environments
- Experience in the fields of: Climate Change Adaptation, Resilience, and/or Disaster Risk Reduction
WORK MODE
On-Campus Position – Employees in this position are expected to work on-campus during regularly scheduled work hours due to the nature of the work being that which is not feasible, or not in the best interest of the organization, to be performed remotely.
SALARY RANGE
$60,000 – $70,000 depending on experience
INTERESTED CANDIDATES MUST SUBMIT:
1. A cover letter describing the applicant’s research, scholarship and work experience relevant to this position
2. A curriculum vitae
3. Names and contact information of three references
Applicants may be contacted at the discretion of the search committee for additional materials. For information on the University benefits package including health and retirement plans, please visit http://www.newschool.edu/human-resources/benefits/
We look forward to receiving your application!
