AGRICULTURAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

• Applications are solicited for a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) position (Ph.D. level) in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department at the University of Florida under the supervision of Drs. Vivek Sharma and Rafael Muñoz-Carpena.
• The candidate will work on the Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services (FDACS) Office of Agricultural Water Policy (OAWP) funded project on measurement and modeling of leaching rain events under different soil and climate settings.
• The project will collect data and develop an approach to quality leaching rain considering rainfall scenarios (duration, amount, and intensity) using rainfall simulator. The project will analyze the broader impacts of leaching rain on water quality, irrigation, and drainage. The further requires mechanistically identify leaching rain events for site-specific conditions compared to empirical coarser generalizations.
• The candidates will work on different modeling approaches to predict soil infiltration and water content for major soil types found in Florida. The successful candidate should have relevant experience in soil physics and hydrological modeling. In addition, candidate possess strong programming skills. The successful candidate will be self-motivated, creative, and has a desire to collaborate in a multidisciplinary environment. The candidate will be expected to publish in peer-reviewed journals and conference publications.

APPOINTMENT PERIOD:

• The GRA will cover stipends, tuition, and fee for the Ph.D. program, starting Fall 2024 until December 2027 (3.5 years).

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• M.S. degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Hydrology, Soil and Water Science, or any other related field with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• English writing and communication skills.
• Non-English credentials must obtain a TOEFL score of 79 iBT or IELTS score of 6.5 or higher (GRE may be waived).

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Knowledge and experience in soil physics, hydrological modeling.
• Experience and willingness to work in various lab and field conditions.
• Programming skills (Fortran, Mathematica, Python, R, C++, MATLAB, etc.).
• Record of previous scientific communications (journal articles or/and conference publications).

HOW TO APPLY:

• Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Vivek Sharma (vsharma1@ufl.edu) directly with a copy of your CV, research statement, and name of three references.