The Ecohydrology lab at the University of Minnesota (http://feng.umn.edu) is looking to hire a PhD student to conduct research on the ecohydrology of urban watersheds. As climate change results in more intense and frequent storms, green infrastructure (GI)—such as urban trees and rain gardens—is being adopted in cities across the world to reduce floods, improve water quality, and cool the air. However, not enough is being done to coordinate the placement of GI projects at the watershed scale, partially due to a scarcity of data on actual benefits. My group aims to fill this data gap by developing low-cost sensors, conducting field campaigns, and synthesizing remote sensing products to quantify the benefits of GI projects, so that they can be effectively incorporated into urban climate-adaptation portfolios. 

This project will be affiliated with the newly established National Science Foundation Long-Term Ecological program (https://mspurbanlter.umn.edu/), located in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan area. The MSP LTER brings together dozens of researchers across several universities, nonprofits, and federal agencies to examine how urban stressors affect nature structure and function, including pollinators, urban forests, urban watersheds, and lakes and streams. Project activities may include (1) sapflux and environmental sensor development, (2) field campaigns to collect environmental and tree physiological measurements and samples, (3) data post-processing and publication, and (4) hydrological modeling. Activities will be tailored to the candidate’s background and interests. Desired qualifications include (1) interest in ecohydrological and/or stormwater processes, (2) quantitative background in data analysis and/or numerical modeling, (3) ability to work independently and as part of a team, and (4) excellent writing and communication skills. 

This is a great opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary, team-based setting with a diverse group of researchers. The University of Minnesota is located in the vibrant twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and hosts one of the top graduate programs in the U.S. for Environmental Engineering (ranked #9 in US News and World Reports in 2023). In addition, students will become a part of an active student community at the Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory (https://cse.umn.edu/safl), a world-renowned facility for conducting Earth systems, stormwater, and environmental fluid mechanics research.

Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Dr. Xue Feng (feng@umn.edu) with their CV and description of interests. Applications may be directly submitted to the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering (https://cse.umn.edu/cege) or the Water Resource Science program (https://wrs.umn.edu/) at the University of Minnesota. Full consideration will be given to those received by the application deadline in early December 2023.