"Postdoctoral Researcher"

Position Overview

Two postdoctoral researchers are sought in the research area of water and wastewater infrastructure risk and resilience in the Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering Department at the University of Kansas. The positions are in-person and full-time.

The successful candidates will participate in the National Science Foundation-funded RII Track I EPSCoR project titled Adaptive and Resilient Infrastructure Driven by Social Equity (ARISE), conducting research on risk and resilience assessment in the face of natural hazards and supporting multi-disciplinary research on community resilience. ARISE enables research collaborations among a team of more than 70 faculty, students and staff across 18 partner universities and colleges in Kansas. Two postdoctoral researchers are sought to collaborate with this team of scientists and engineers to integrate modeling and experimental workflows across the project with a particular focus on water, stormwater, and wastewater infrastructure systems. Post-doctoral researchers will work under the supervision of Dr. Belinda Sturm or Dr. Justin Hutchison.

One position will play an important role in the project deploying recently developed water infrastructure simulation tools, including EPANET, EPA WNTR, and EPA SWMM, to assess community resilience using the community capitals framework. In addition, the post-doctoral research will lead data collection efforts of infrastructure systems in partnering communities for model validation. The post-doctoral researchers will leverage these computational workflows to evaluate established and proposed infrastructure enhancements in our community testbeds.

The second position will work to quantify contaminants of emerging concern, including microbiological and chemical hazards, relevant to the infrastructure systems. The data collected will be used to validate infrastructure simulation tools. Relevant laboratory skills of interest could include quantitative polymerase chain reaction, microbial culturing, advanced analytical chemistry techniques for emerging contaminant detection, and pilot reactor operation.

For further details on the research, scope, and position expectations, please contact Dr. Belinda Sturm or Justin Hutchison.

Job Description

• 50% - Perform research for the purpose of enhancing and developing research competencies in the technical areas described above, focusing on water, stormwater, and wastewater infrastructure systems and data analysis related to infrastructure resilience. Participate in planning, designing, and conducting highly technical and complex research projects under the direction of a supervisor. The two post-doctoral researchers are expected to build strong communication skills and establish a collaborative working relationships across the ARISE project.
• 30% - Contribute to the development of research documentation for publication and/or prepare technical reports, journal papers, and/or records.
• 10% - Contribute to the development, preparation, and submission of externally funded proposals related to the research program.
• 10% - Mentor undergraduate and graduate students.

Additional information about the project can be found at https://nsfepscor.ku.edu/arise-researchers/. Additional information on KU's Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering is found at http://ceae.ku.edu.

Position Requirements

This position works on-site but remote work may be considered per mutual agreement between the department and selected candidate.

Due to complex state employment laws, the University of Kansas may be unable to hire fully remote workers for this position outside of Kansas. Specifically, we cannot currently offer employment to candidates residing in the following states: California, Delaware, Idaho & Minnesota. We appreciate your understanding and invite interested individuals from eligible states to apply.

Required Qualifications

1. Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, or field related to the research expertise and within less than five years.
2. Established record of research, including publications and presentations, on the topics described in the position overview, as demonstrated by application materials.

NOTE: To be appointed at the Postdoctoral Researcher title or equivalent title, it is necessary to have the Ph.D. in hand. Appointments made without a certified transcript indicating an earned doctorate are conditional hires and are appointed on an Acting basis not to exceed 6-months. Appointment duration will be extended upon final verification of degree.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Candidates do not need expertise that spans the two positions to be considered for the positions.

Contact Information to Applicants

Belinda Sturm, bmcswain@ku.edu
Justin Hutchison, jhutch@ku.edu

Additional Candidate Instruction

In addition to the online application, a complete application consists of:

• resume
• cover letter
• list of three professional references

Application review begins Monday, January 26, 2026, and will continue until qualified applicants are selected.