We are looking for motivated and qualified students with a vadose zone water modeling background to work with a team of soil scientists and engineers. The student will be working on a USDA-funded project titled “Improving water and nutrient retention through precision application of biochar in hill farming.”
A uniform application of biochar is not economically viable at current prices. Preliminary results shows that the selected use of biochar applied only to a fraction of field on hilltops significantly increases water retention throughout the growing season in non-irrigated hill farming. This project will expand the preliminary results to larger farm scale to quantify the benefits from the selective application of biochar.
Qualifications
The students should have a background in unsaturated subsurface soil water flow modeling and familiarity with modeling software like Matlab, Hydrus, Ansys or similar software, and be willing to do field/lab work. Applicants should have a B.S. or preferably an M.S. degree in Biological, Agricultural, Biosystem, Civil or similar engineering discipline. Alternatively, the student can also have a Soil Physics or Soil Chemistry background with willingness to take deficient courses in engineering or computer science. The students are expected to have familiarity with hydrology, soil physics, soil chemistry, and modeling.
Financial Support
The successful candidate will receive tuition, a stipend ($24,000/year), health insurance and financial support to participate in a relevant conference each year. The total value of this offer is estimated at $58,000/year.
Timeline
The review of applicants will start immediately and continue until the position is filled. Starting dates can be flexible but preferable by the fall of 2024.
Apply
For preliminary evaluation, please send your resume, unofficial transcript, and one-page research interest to Dr. Dev Shrestha at devs@uidaho.edu, or Apply directly to Biological Engineering Program by following the link https://www.uidaho.edu/admissions/graduate/graduate-programs/biological-engineering
