The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is pleased to invite applications for an assistant professor position in the area of groundwater hydrology, or related fields. Ideal candidates should be able to demonstrate expertise in developing innovative solutions and advancing knowledge for the sustainable management of groundwater resources. This includes, but not limited to, addressing challenges related to protecting groundwater-dependent ecosystems, managing stressed groundwater systems, land subsidence, understanding and adapting to climate change impacts, mitigating emerging coastal groundwater hazards such as shallowing, flooding, erosion, legacy contaminant release, or liquefaction, groundwater salinization/contamination and energy needs. For example, California faces unique challenges and opportunities in managing its limited groundwater resources for agriculture and municipal water supply, and these challenges are exacerbated by frequent droughts, increasing nutrient pollution, toxic chemic chemicals such as PFAS, salinization from seawater intrusion along the coast, and the need to comply with state, federal and local regulatory requirements. The new candidate is expected to advance groundwater research and management in California and beyond. Applicants for the position must have a demonstrated record of excellence or show exceptional promise for high-quality teaching, research, and professional development in one or more of the following areas:

(a) Groundwater hydrology and sustainable groundwater management: Expertise in the applications of numerical modeling of groundwater flow and contaminant transport at local and regional scales, groundwater monitoring, field studies, data science, artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and machine learning. Additionally, the candidate should demonstrate an understanding of the effects of climate change on groundwater availability and quality, and the development of adaptive management strategies. A comprehensive understanding of federal, state and local water rights, regulations, and management practices would be considered an added value.

(b) Interconnected surface-groundwater systems: Ability to apply numerical models, remote sensing and in-situ measurements to characterize surface-groundwater interactions. This includes applications for protecting groundwater-dependent ecosystems, implementing managed aquifer recharge, optimizing conjunctive use planning of surface and groundwater, and characterizing emerging coastal groundwater hazards.

(c) Groundwater salinization, contamination and remediation: Research focused on modeling, identifying, mitigating groundwater salinization and contamination, including nutrients and emerging contaminants like PFAS.

UCLA offers competitive salary and attractive benefits packages. Candidates must hold an earned Ph.D. in Civil Engineering or related fields at the time of appointment.

To assure full consideration, applications should be submitted by December 1, 2024. The position will remain open until filled.

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae
• Cover Letter
• Statement of Research
• Statement of Teaching
• Statement on Contributions to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion - An EDI Statement describes a faculty candidate’s past, present, and future (planned) contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Reference check authorization release form

Reference requirements
3-5 required (contact information only)

Los Angeles is a global city renowned for its dynamism, robust economy, rich cultural diversity, and spectacular climate. UCLA has been ranked the No. 1 public university in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for seven straight years. Its engineering school is consistently ranked in the top 10 amongst U.S. public schools, and its master’s online program is ranked No. 1 overall by U.S. News & World Report. UCLA Samueli is a tightly knit community with more than 6,500 undergraduate and graduate students and nearly 200 full-time faculty members; it is in the midst of its largest growth since the school was founded in 1945. UCLA Samueli is known as the birthplace of the internet, where countless other fields also took some of their first steps – from artificial intelligence to reverse osmosis, from mobile communications to human prosthetics. UCLA Samueli is deeply committed to diversifying the ranks of its faculty, staff, and students and to providing an equitable and inclusive environment for all its members.

The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, where this position will be housed, currently hosts 26 tenured/tenure-track faculty, 4 affiliated and joint tenured/tenure-track faculty, and 7 adjunct faculty with diverse expertise. The department and Samueli Engineering are committed to continuously developing a strong teaching and research presence in engineering.

The posted UC salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and/or step at appointment. The salary range for this position is $115,000-$130,000. “Off-scale salaries” and other components of pay, i.e., a salary that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions.

Applicants must have a demonstrated record of interest in, and commitment to, the mentorship of and/or outreach to students from underrepresented and underserved populations. The successful candidate will be expected to advance their active mentoring activities and participate in programs that provide research and professional development opportunities for our diverse student body (such as our Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity, our Women in Engineering program, and our student organizations listed at https://samueli.ucla.edu/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/).

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, bullying and other demeaning behavior, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment as well as a commitment to addressing all forms of academic misconduct, UCLA conducts targeted employment reference checks for finalists to whom departments or other hiring units would like to extend formal offers of appointment into Academic Senate faculty positions. The targeted employment reference checks involve contacting the finalists’ current and prior places of employment to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University’s Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UCLA requires all applicants for Academic Senate faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload into RECRUIT the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” as part of their application. If the applicant does not include the signed authorization to release information with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete. As with any incomplete application, the application will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists (i.e., those to whom the department or other hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer) considered for Academic Senate faculty positions will be subject to targeted employment reference checks.