Postdoctoral Research Associate in Computational Fluid Dynamics of Nearshore Processes

General Summary of Position:

The Department of Environmental, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Lowell invites applications for a postdoctoral research associate to join an NSF-funded project investigating physical transport and mixing processes at the groundwater-surface water interface in shallow coastal environments. Coastal groundwater is an important source of freshwater, nutrients, carbon, and other dissolved constituents to estuaries and the coastal ocean. The research combines field observations with high-resolution computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling to improve understanding of the hydrologic and oceanographic processes that govern fluid exchange in these environments. The successful candidate will assist with field investigations in coastal settings and lead CFD modeling. The postdoctoral researcher will work in a collaborative environment spanning hydrology, fluid dynamics, and coastal science. The position provides opportunities for scientific leadership, mentoring, conference participation, fieldwork, and development of open, transferable modeling tools. Candidates are encouraged to contact Dr. James Heiss(james_heiss@uml.edu) with any questions.

Essential Job Duties:

• Lead the development, testing, and application of CFD simulations of density-dependent transport and mixing in dynamic coastal surface waters.
• Develop reproducible workflows for model setup, high-performance computing, sensitivity analysis, and visualization of large simulation datasets.
• Participate in field investigations, including installation, maintenance, and recovery of oceanographic and hydrological instrumentation.
• Lead peer-reviewed manuscripts and conference presentations; collaborate with faculty, graduate and undergraduate researchers, and external project partners.

Minimum Qualifications (Required):

• A PhD in Engineering, Hydrology, Oceanography, Physics, Geoscience, or related field.
• Proficiency in scientific programming, cluster computing, and CFD modeling.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience developing, evaluating, and applying CFD (e.g., OpenFOAM) models to investigate coastal and nearshore hydrodynamics.
• Broad understanding of coastal oceanographic processes.
• Experience working in a collaborative environment.
• Experience with script-based computational workflows using Python or MATLAB.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct surf zone, hydrologic, or hydrogeologic field investigations.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Only current UML Employees within the Grants & Contracts (MTA/GRACE) bargaining unit will be considered during the first 10 business days of the posting. All other candidates will be considered after that period.

This position is full-time, benefited and in the Grants & Contracts union in grade PD. Anticipated salary not to exceed $64,000 with formal range: Minimum: $50,000, 25th quartile $56,500 and Midpoint: $63,000.

This position is contingent upon funding, and is for one year contingent on productivity, successful performance and the availability of funding.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled; however, the posting may close when an adequate number of qualified applications is received.

Please include a resume and cover letter to include a description of relevant experience and research interests with your application. Names and contact information of three references will be required during the application process.