We are looking for a postdoc (with a preferred start in early 2025) and two PhD positions (for Fall 2025) to join our team. See the details below:

Postdoctoral Research Associate: Agricultural Water Use and Economic Impacts to Food Systems (desired start date: early 2025)

The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department (CEE) at the University of California, Davis invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate focusing on the socio-economic impacts of water shortages on food systems, under the supervision of Professor Alvar Escriva-Bou. The project will be carried out in collaboration with Professor Josue Medellín-Azuara (University of California, Merced). Specifically, the main duties will be related to (1) conduct a state of the science review of the utility of current tools (hydro-economic, agroeconomic, agent-based, etc.) for coupling human-natural systems and risk-informed decision-making to improve the representation of socio-economic drivers and impacts into integrated water use and availability assessments, (2) develop a conceptual framework to characterize distributional outcomes of alternative water use allocation scenarios in the Central Valley communities strongly dependent on irrigated agriculture, and (3) link drought indicators and related impacts in agricultural regions.

This is a two-year position beginning Winter of 2025, and located in Davis, California.

Required:

• Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, Agriculture Economics or related field.
• Strong understanding of agricultural systems, and their linkages with water supply systems
• Strong communication skills in oral and written English
• Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team

Preferred:

• Programming experience
• Interest in economics and policy

Contact Alvar Escriva-Bou (aescriva@ucdavis.edu) for more information. Candidates should send a full CV, 1- 2 relevant publications, and contact information for three references. The appointment is expected to begin in early 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the position will remain open until filled.

PhD Positions (2) in Water Systems for Fall 2025

The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department (CEE) at the University of California, Davis invites applications for two funded PhD positions focusing on (1) improving drought early warning systems considering socio-economic impacts and (2) on water partnerships to promote aquifer recharge for equitable economic and environmental resilience, under the supervision of Professor Alvar Escriva-Bou.

Qualifications:

• Applicants must hold a BS and/or MS degree in Civil/Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, or Applied Mathematics, or related fields, with a good academic background in hydrology and/or water management.
• Experience with water models, socio-environmental systems, and coding will be positively evaluated.
• Interest in interdisciplinary research, including water engineering, economics and policy, and the ability to demonstrate this interest, will be a plus.
• Strong communication skills in oral and written English

Terms of appointment:

• The position will cover full tuition fees and a competitive compensation, subject to completing department coursework and exams in a timely manner, maintaining GPA requirements, satisfactory research performance, and the availability of funds.

Applications should be submitted online, following the guidelines provided in our Grad School website.

Application Fee Waiver and Fellowship Programs:

UC Davis, the College of Engineering, and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offer several Application Fee Wavier and Application Fee Fellowship Programs! Be sure to review your eligibility for these programs before applying.