Post-Doctoral Researcher - Civil & Construction Engineering - Hydroinformatics and Global Hydrologic Forecasting

​Job Title:  Post-Doctoral Researcher - Civil & Construction Engineering - Hydroinformatics and Global Hydrologic Forecasting

Posting End Date: August 11, 2026

Position Start Date: October 1, 2026

Required Degree: 

PhD in Civil Engineering, Hydrology, Water Resources, Computer Science, or a closely related field.

The required degree must be completed by the start date.

Required Experience: 

• Strong background in hydrologic modeling, hydroinformatics, or environmental data science.
• Demonstrated experience developing scientific or engineering software in Python or similar languages.
• Experience working with large geospatial or time-series datasets.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with cloud computing platforms (AWS and/or Google Cloud Platform).
• Familiarity with global or continental-scale hydrologic models (e.g., GEOGLOWS RFS, NOAA National Water Model).
• Experience with hydrologic data services such as HydroShare, HydroServer, or WMO-aligned systems.
• Prior work on open-source software projects and collaborative code versioning (e.g., Git/GitHub).
• Interest in applied research with international partners and real-world decision-support contexts.
• Experience with or interest in AI/machine learning applications in hydrology or environmental science.

Position Summary

The Post-Doctoral Researcher will support advanced technical and research activities for the GEOGLOWS (Global Earth Observation for Water Sustainability) initiative with a primary focus on hydrologic modeling systems, cloud-based data infrastructure, and applied hydroinformatics. The position will work closely with the GEOGLOWS technical lead to advance core system capabilities, support partner integrations, and translate research innovations into operational, globally scalable services.

This role emphasizes technical depth, software engineering rigor, and applied research, serving as a key contributor to system development, validation, and deployment across international partners.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities of the Post-Doctoral Researcher:

Hydrologic Modeling & Forecast Systems

• Support the ongoing development, testing, and enhancement of the GEOGLOWS Global River Forecast System (RFS), including Version 3 upgrades and experimental workflows.
• Contribute to model evaluation, validation, and uncertainty analysis in collaboration with international datasets and partner institutions.
• Assist with integration of additional hydrologic components such as baseflow separation, groundwater and GRACE-based products, and long-range forecasting extensions.

Technical Development & Cloud Infrastructure

• Design and implement software tools and workflows for hydrologic data processing, analysis, and visualization using Python and related scientific computing libraries.
• Support cloud-based deployment and data distribution strategies using AWS and Google Cloud Platform resources, including open-data programs and scalable APIs.
• Contribute to interoperability efforts between GEOGLOWS, and other external data providers, with emphasis on enabling communities to contribute shared data that improves both the RFS and partner other potential models.

Applied Research & Innovation

• Conduct applied research that bridges hydrologic science with operational forecasting, decision-support tools, and real-world implementation in areas such as flood early warning and flood inundation modeling.
• Codify and advance technical standards for hydrologic data sharing, reproducibility, and GEOGLOWS workflows, drawing from the existing RFS to make model outputs more accessible, interoperable, and able for other model providers to follow.
• Co-author peer-reviewed journal articles, technical reports, and conference presentations related to global hydrologic forecasting and hydroinformatics.

Collaboration & Mentorship

• Provide technical guidance to graduate and undergraduate students contributing to GEOGLOWS-related research and software development.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary team members and external partners working on validation, impact analysis, and regional implementation while maintaining a primary focus on technical contributions.
• Support documentation, tutorials, and internal knowledge transfer to ensure continuity and scalability of technical systems.

Documents Required at the Time of Application: Please attach your updated curriculum vitae, cover letter, and Mission Alignment Statement (instructions below) to the faculty application.

This position requires the successful candidate to relocate and/or reside in Utah for the duration of their employment.

MISSION ALIGNMENT STATEMENT INSTRUCTIONS

If you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

BYU is committed to hiring faculty members who enthusiastically embrace and energetically advance its unique mission. To this end, please include a one-page mission alignment statement as part of your application that addresses how you might, as a BYU faculty member: (1) live a life of loyalty to Jesus Christ and His restored Church and align yourself with doctrine and teachings declared by living prophets, seers, and revelators; (2) demonstrate intentionality in building faith in Jesus Christ and testimony of His restored gospel among students and others in the BYU community; and (3) teach your subject matter with the Spirit of God and strive to keep it “bathed in the light and color of the restored gospel” (Spencer W. Kimball).

If you are not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

Applicants who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints include a one-page mission alignment statement that describes understanding of and commitment to the Mission of Brigham Young University and the AIMS of a BYU Education.

EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

All new employees who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be required to hold and be worthy to hold a current temple recommend.

All faculty are required to abide by the university’s Honor Code and Dress & Grooming Standards. Preference is given to qualified candidates who are members in good standing of the affiliated church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Successful candidates are expected to support and contribute to the academic and religious missions of the university within the context of the principles and doctrine of the affiliated church.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Brigham Young University is an equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veteran status.