Postdoctoral Researcher - Water Observation Technology
University of Alabama | Posted Jun 24, 2026
Deadline: Jul 8, 2026
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- Experience Level:
- Entry Level
- Job Category:
- Post-doc
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This position supports collaborative research between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Alabama focused on advancing new water observing technologies and using off-the-shelf technologies in new ways to improve the operational monitoring and understanding of water, soil, and sediment dynamics across critical environmental interfaces. The research addresses new non-contact observation techniques, overcoming challenges with water observations under extreme conditions, and other areas of emerging need. Applications of the technology advances are operational monitoring and scientific studies of how the human modification of landscapes affects water quantity, water quality, and sediment transport processes. This position will have access to to the USGS Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility, a national hub for hydrologic instrumentation development, testing, training, and workforce development, in addition to advanced instrumentation, including recirculating flumes, velocity measurement systems, spectroscopic tools, and numerical modeling platforms, to test new instruments and new configurations of existing technology to investigate hydrologic and sediment processes.
This position works closely with USGS scientists, University faculty, and researchers in the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH). Contributes to applied research, technology advancement, research to applications translation, and scientific capacity building that supports nationwide water monitoring and modeling research programs. Helps incorporate research experiences into student education and practitioner training programs. Provides professional development through participation in seminars, workshops, and collaborative research activities within the USGS and CIROH networks.
Required Department Minimum Qualifications: Ph.D. civil engineering, geography, electrical engineering, computer science, geoscience, or related field. Candidates will need to have completed their Ph.D. or have it completed by the start of employment.
Due to requirements of the funding source, must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident.
Skills and Knowledge: Knowledge of hydrologic, hydraulic, and sediment transport processes. Ability to collect, process, and analyze complex environmental datasets. Proficiency with scientific programming and data analysis software. Ability to prepare technical reports, manuscripts, and presentations. Knowledge of familiarity with laboratory and field safety protocols. Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills. Ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary research environments. Ability to manage research tasks and timelines independently.
Preferred Qualifications: Experience developing and testing water observation technologies. Experience deploying prototype technologies into laboratory and field experiment. Experience designing and conducting laboratory and field experiments. Experience with numerical and computational modeling of water and sediment systems. Experience with coupled hydrologic, hydrodynamic, hydraulic, or sediment transport modeling. Experience in federally funded or multi-institutional research projects. Record of peer-reviewed publications or technical reports. Experience working with advanced laboratory and field instrumentation in environmental or water-resources research. Experience with U.S. Geological Survey data standards, quality assurance practices, or monitoring programs. Experience mentoring graduate students or junior researchers.