Postdoctoral Fellow (Collaborative, reproducible hydrologic modeling and hydrologic information systems)

The Utah Water Research Laboratory at Utah State University invites applications for two Postdoctoral Researchers in the area of collaborative, reproducible hydrologic modeling and hydrologic information systems. The researchers will work under the guidance of Drs. David Tarboton and Jeffery Horsburgh with a team of faculty, researchers, students, and programmers to advance cyberinfrastructure that supports large scale collaborative, reproducible hydrologic modeling. Specific research opportunities include improving flood inundation predictions and mapping based on high resolution digital terrain analysis, urban flooding, quantifying impacts on water availability in response to land use and land cover changes in continental scale models (Parflow, WRF-Hydro/National Water Model). The selected candidate will work on and assist the principal investigators in the management of multiple NSF projects, including, but not limited to HydroShare (www.hydroshare.org), HydroFrame (hydroframe.org) and the Urban Flooding Open Knowledge Network (ufokn.com).

Applicants should have experience in hydrologic modeling and an interest in advancing modeling methodology and the data and information systems supporting hydrologic modeling to improve collaboration, reproducibility and findability, interoperability, accessibility and reusability (FAIR principles) of results and addressing the challenges associated with applying these principles in large scale modeling. Each position will be funded for one year, with anticipated extension to a second year following demonstrated progress on agreed objectives. Application review will begin May 14, 2021 and will continue until the position is filled.

• Develop hydrologic modeling use cases to address large scale questions related to flood prediction, inundation mapping, and water availability.
• Apply the modeling use cases to improve computational approaches implemented in community collaboration platforms (e.g. HydroShare, JupyterHub) in support of collaborative,
  reproducible hydrologic modeling.
• Explore approaches for publishing models and results where the datasets are large.
• Advance available cyberinfrastructure for supporting modeling and sharing of model forcing data and results.

Required Qualifications:

• PhD in a scientific field that involves Hydrology or Water Resources Modeling.
• Proficiency in research computer programming with competence in at least one research software programming language.
• Experience in the development and use of hydrologic model codes.
• Demonstrated effective verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong publication record.
• Experience with the sharing and publication of data and models.
• Some experience with newer and older languages used in hydrologic model development (e.g. Python, R, C/C++, Fortran).
• Experience with reproducible science and modeling workflows

Along with the online application, please attach:

1. Resume/ CV to be uploaded in the Candidate Profile

2. Contact information for at least three professional references

3. Cover Letter to be typed/pasted into a text box at the end of the application

**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**

Employees work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not, necessarily, occasional temperature changes.  The employee is regularly required to sit and often uses repetitive hand motions.

As a postdoctoral fellow, you qualify for full USU benefits that include a comprehensive health plan with medical, dental, and disability insurance. USU also contributes 14.2 % of your salary towards a retirement account that is fully vested with you. Full information about benefits can be found at http://hr.usu.edu.

Utah State University (USU) was founded in 1888 and is honored to be Utah’s land-grant and space-grant university. USU is a Carnegie RU/H (Research University/High Research Activity) institution with approximately 27,700 students (24,660 undergraduates and 3,040 graduate students) on the Logan main campus. Utah State’s statewide system features eight campuses and 23 education centers and serves all counties in the state with Extension programs. USU offers 114 undergraduate majors, 132 graduate programs, and a variety of innovative stackable associate and certificate credentials. Washington Monthly ranked USU 14th in their national university rankings in 2019 and the 5th best public national university in the nation in 2018. As one of the two premier research institutions in Utah, USU is proud to provide a high-quality education at an affordable price. Additional information about Utah State University can be found here.

A core characteristic of USU is engagement with communities and people in economic development, improvements to quality of life, and human capital. Through the practical application of knowledge, the University and its faculty engage and share expertise with the state, nation, and world, preserving the historical land-grant tradition of partnering with communities to address critical societal issues in the interest of the public good.

The USU main campus is located in beautiful Logan, Utah; a city of about 50,000 situated in a picturesque mountain valley about 80 miles north of Salt Lake City. Outstanding recreational opportunities abound in the nearby mountains and proximate region. 

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