Water System Postdoctoral Researcher
Berkeley Lab
Summary
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Climate & Ecosystems Division within the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area (EESA) is seeking a Water System Postdoc to understand water infrastructure systems and their management under changing environmental and compounding stressors.
Job description
You will:
- Develop and apply models of water systems to understand their vulnerabilities, hazards, and implications of alternative management options
- Analyze model outputs and observed data to understand model performance, evaluate key sensitivities, quantify uncertainties, and support decision analysis
- Engage with water and energy resource managers in working group discussions to refine analysis of Pacific West water system models under drought and other hydroclimatic scenarios
- Communicate research findings effectively across diverse professional and scientific communities through oral presentations, scientific meetings, technical discussions, and peer-reviewed publications
- Work effectively in an integrated, interdisciplinary, and multi-institutional research environment
We are looking for:
- Recent PhD in Environmental Sciences/Engineering, Civil Engineering, Hydrology, or other related technical discipline
- Knowledge of state-of-the-art water infrastructure modeling tools and data sources
- Knowledge of current Earth and climate modeling capabilities and limitations
- Familiarity with theoretical frameworks for multi-sectoral management of resources and decision-making in the context of uncertainty
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Ability to work effectively in an integrated team environment and ability to collaborate with colleagues at multiple institutions
- Demonstrated ability to publish research in peer-reviewed journals
Desired skills/knowledge:
- Experience engaging with and facilitating discussions with practitioners at resource management organizations
- Experience with the WEAP water systems model and/or Pywr water systems model
Requirements
- Recent PhD in Environmental Sciences/Engineering, Civil Engineering, Hydrology, or other related technical discipline
- Knowledge of state-of-the-art water infrastructure modeling tools and data sources
- Knowledge of current Earth and climate modeling capabilities and limitations
- Familiarity with theoretical frameworks for multi-sectoral management of resources and decision-making in the context of uncertainty
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Ability to work effectively in an integrated team environment and ability to collaborate with colleagues at multiple institutions
- Demonstrated ability to publish research in peer-reviewed journals
- Less than 3 years of paid postdoctoral experience
Benefits
- Comprehensive health benefits
- Medical, Dental & Vision
- Retirement savings
- 24 days PTO
- Sick leave
- Paid holidays
- Postdoctoral Paid Family Leave
- Professional development
Company overview
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is a premier federally funded research and development center established in 1931 and managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy. With a distinguished history spanning over 90 years, Berkeley Lab has been awarded 17 Nobel Prizes and operates as a multidisciplinary research institution focused on discovery science and energy solutions. The laboratory's expertise encompasses six major research areas: Computing Sciences, Physical Sciences, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Biosciences, Energy Sciences, and Energy Technologies. Berkeley Lab operates five national scientific user facilities including the Advanced Light Source, Joint Genome Institute, Molecular Foundry, National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), and Energy Sciences Network (ESnet), serving over 14,000 researchers annually. The institution is renowned for its team science approach, pioneering research in particle physics, materials science, genomics, and climate science, while maintaining a strong commitment to addressing global energy challenges and advancing fundamental scientific knowledge.