The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department (CEE) at the University of California, Davis invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate focusing on the socio-economic impacts of water shortages on food systems, under the supervision of Professor Alvar Escriva-Bou. The project will be carried out in collaboration with Professor Josue MedellĂn-Azuara (University of California, Merced). Specifically, the main duties will be related to (1) conduct a state of the science review of the utility of current tools (hydro-economic, agroeconomic, agent-based, etc.) for coupling human-natural systems and risk-informed decision-making to improve the representation of socio-economic drivers and impacts into integrated water use and availability assessments, (2) develop a conceptual framework to characterize distributional outcomes of alternative water use allocation scenarios in the Central Valley communities strongly dependent on irrigated agriculture, and (3) link drought indicators and related impacts in agricultural regions.
This is a two-year position beginning Winter of 2025, and located in Davis, California.
Required:
- Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, Agriculture Economics or related field.
- Strong understanding of agricultural systems, and their linkages with water supply systems
- Strong communication skills in oral and written English
- Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team
Preferred:
- Programming experience
- Interest in economics and policy
Contact Alvar Escriva-Bou (aescriva@ucdavis.edu) for more information. Candidates should send a full CV, 1- 2 relevant publications, and contact information for three references. The appointment is expected to begin in early 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the position will remain open until filled.