PhD student Position in Urban Hydrology

Applications are invited for a PhD student position in Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering or Environmental Science, in the field of sustainable urban drainage (also called nature-based, blue-green stormwater solutions or low impact development, LID). The project is funded for three years by the Icelandic Research Fund (Rannís).Sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) have been increasingly implemented as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution to counteract the effects of urbanization and climate change. SUDS provide various benefits including flood mitigation, water treatment, cooling down cities, and carbon sequestration. However, SUDS functions deteriorate during winter due to frost, vegetation dormancy, and the lack of biological activity. The research conducted within the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Iceland in the past decades has demonstrated that cold maritime climate conditions such as intermittent snow, frequent rain-on-snow, and freeze-thaw cycles can negatively affect winter performance. Further information on the research project can be found here.

Field of work

The main goal of the PhD project is to assess of the hydrological water balance and carbon sequestration potential in two newly constructed bioretention cells receiving roof runoff from a building on University of Iceland Campus.

The successful candidate will be responsible for finetuning the experimental setup and collecting a comprehensive field data set for 2.5 years outdoors in all weather conditions. This includes, among other things, manually recording carbon sequestration rates in the bioretention cells and adjacent urban grass and green roofs every week, and operating self-recording instruments of hydrological load entering and exiting the bioretention cells, soil and weather conditions. The PhD student needs to have interest in conducting hands-on field data collection outdoors in cold climate with an interdisciplinary research team. The successful candidate will moreover analyze the data with statistical methods, and write the findings in the form of three scientific papers in English to be published in international peer reviewed journals. Furthermore, the PhD students will write a report/handbook detailing the local experience and design considerations of bioretention cells for practitioners/stakeholders in Iceland, as well as presenting results in local and international conferences. The candidate will contribute to a larger, interdisciplenary research team which includes a Masters and PhD student.

Facilities for the candidate will be at the Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty at the University of Iceland. The work will be conducted in collaboration with the Land Restoration Programme at the Agricultural University of Iceland and the Soil Conservation of Iceland.

Qualification requirements

Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering or Environmental Science.
Strong background in hydrological processes, environmental soil physics, and/or hydrological data analyses is preferred.
Good computer skills (such as Excel, Matlab, or R).
Reliability, initiative, and competence to work independently, along with good communication and cooperation skills.
Chemical laboratory training (handing chemicals safely, including acids) is an advantage.
Proficiency in English, both verbal and written.

The hiring of a PhD student is contingent on the candidate applying formally for the PhD program at the University of Iceland at the corresponding department and that the application is approved by the faculty.

Application process

The starting date for the position is September 1^st 2025

Applications should include:

A two-page statement of research interests and how the candidate can contribute to the project.
A CV, stating relevant work experience including laboratory or field experiments, computer programming skills and a list of publications and presentations if applicable.
Copies of university diplomas (BS and MS), with course listings and grade information (in English or Icelandic). If MS degree is not finished, hand in a letter from thesis advisor with projected end date.
Names and full contact information of two professional academic referees (including their relationship to the applicant).

All applications will be answered, and applicants will be informed about the appointment when a decision has been made. Applications are valid in the system for 6 months after the application deadline.

Appointments to positions at the University of Iceland are made in consideration of the Equal Action Policy of the University of Iceland.

The University of Iceland has a special Language Policy.

The University of Iceland is a flourishing community of knowledge and is a very dynamic and interesting workplace. Our values are academic freedom, professionalism and equality. The University strives to provide flexibility and encourages participation in the development of the study programs and research in all fields within the realm of the University. The School of Engineering and Natural Sciences employs approximately 390 people involved with teaching and research. The School offers an international working environment, where currently about quarter of all employees and graduate students are international, and that number is increasing each year. The school has around 2000 students and numerous graduate students. The School of Engineering and Natural Sciences is proud of its diversity and reform-minded environment where knowledge acquisition and sharing are paramount.

The Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering conducts diverse research that relate to Sustainable Development Goals, e.g. nr. 6 Clean Water & Sanitation, nr. 7 Renewable Hydropower and Wind Energy, and nr. 11 Sustainable Cities. The Faculty has expertise in Hydrology, Environmental Technology, Environmental Footprint, as well as Transport, Geotechnical and Structural Engineering. Further information about the Faculty can be found here.