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Salary : $ 63,480 - 80,000
Johns Hopkins University: Whiting School of Engineering: Department of Civil and Systems Engineering
Description Postdoctoral Fellow – Wildfire Resilience Job Summary
The Department of Civil and Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins University seeks a Postdoctoral Fellow to conduct research on wildfire resilience and the impacts of wildfires on the built environment and communities.
The Postdoctoral Fellow will contribute to the development of innovative research methodologies, computational models, and risk-informed approaches to better understand and enhance the resilience of structures and communities exposed to wildfire hazards. The research may address the interaction between wildfire hazards, the built environment, critical infrastructure, and community recovery, with the goal of advancing strategies to reduce damage, improve resilience, and support effective decision-making.
The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Professor Thomas Gernay and collaborate with members of the Multi-Hazard Resilient Structures research group and other interdisciplinary research teams.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Conduct independent and collaborative research focused on wildfire resilience and the impacts of wildfire hazards on the built environment.
- Develop computational models and simulation tools to assess the vulnerability and performance of structures and infrastructure exposed to wildfire and related extreme hazards.
- Investigate fire behavior and the interaction between wildfire hazards, structures, infrastructure systems, and communities.
- Develop methodologies to assess and enhance the resilience of buildings, critical infrastructure, and communities before, during, and following wildfire events.
- Apply risk-based and performance-based approaches to evaluate mitigation strategies, resilience investments, and recovery planning.
- Conduct computational analyses, data analysis, and numerical simulations to support research objectives.
- Collaborate with faculty, graduate students, researchers, and external partners on interdisciplinary research initiatives.
- Prepare manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals and present research findings at national and international conferences.
- Contribute to the development of research proposals and other scholarly activities.
- Assist in mentoring graduate and undergraduate students and contribute to the broader research activities of the group.
- Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Fire Protection Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a closely related field.
- Demonstrated research experience relevant to wildfire science, fire engineering, structural engineering, infrastructure resilience, computational mechanics, hazard modeling, or related areas.
- Strong analytical and computational skills.
- Experience with numerical modeling, simulation, and/or scientific programming.
- Record of scholarly research demonstrated through peer-reviewed publications.
- Strong written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to an interdisciplinary research team.
- Research experience related to wildfire hazards and their impacts on structures, infrastructure, or communities.
- Experience in fire dynamics, structural fire engineering, multi-hazard engineering, or disaster resilience.
- Experience developing computational or numerical models for complex physical systems.
- Experience with risk and resilience assessment methodologies.
- Knowledge of performance-based engineering or risk-informed decision-making.
- Experience working with large datasets, geospatial data, or hazard modeling tools.
- Demonstrated interest in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of engineering, hazards, resilience, and community systems.
Doctoral degree in a related field.
Application Instructions Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Salary Range
The referenced salary range represents the minimum and maximum salaries for this position and is based on Johns Hopkins University's good faith belief at the time of posting. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. The actual compensation offered to the selected candidate may vary and will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate's geographic location, skills, work experience, internal equity, market conditions, education/training and other factors, as reasonably determined by the University.
Total Rewards
Johns Hopkins offers a total rewards package that supports our employees' health, life, career and retirement. More information can be found here: https://hr.jhu.edu/benefits-worklife/ .
Equal Opportunity Employer
The Johns Hopkins University is committed to equal opportunity for its faculty, staff, and students. To that end, the university does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status or other legally protected characteristics. The University is committed to providing qualified individuals access to all academic and employment programs, benefits and activities on the basis of demonstrated ability, performance and merit without regard to personal factors or demographic characteristics that are irrelevant to the program involved.
Pre-Employment Information
If you are interested in applying for employment with Johns Hopkins University and require special assistance or accommodation during any part of the pre-employment process, please contact the HR Business Services Office at [contact details available in the full listing] . For TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711. For more information about workplace accommodations at Johns Hopkins University for disabilities, medical conditions (including medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), accessibility, or religious reasons, please visit accessibility.jhu.edu .
Background Checks
After receiving a conditional offer, the successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check including education verification. When deciding whether a candidate’s conviction history is job-disqualifying, the University considers the nature and gravity of the offense, the time that has passed since the conviction, and the nature of the job being sought.
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Vaccine Requirements
Johns Hopkins University strongly encourages, but no longer requires, at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This change does not apply to the School of Medicine (SOM). SOM hires must be fully vaccinated with an FDA COVID-19 vaccination and provide proof of vaccination status. We still require all faculty, staff, and students to receive the seasonal flu vaccine .
Exceptions to the seasonal flu vaccine or COVID-19 vaccine (for SOM) requirement(s) may be provided to individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs or medical conditions that preclude them from receiving the vaccine. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry. For additional information, applicants for SOM positions should visit https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/ and all other JHU applicants should visit https://covidinfo.jhu.edu/health-safety/covid-vaccination-information/ .
The following additional vaccine requirements may apply, depending upon your campus. Please contact the hiring department for more information.
The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam except for those candidates who provide results of blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational Health office.
