AFIT Postdoctoral Researcher in Water Distribution Systems Resilience
A research opportunity is available for a recent PhD graduate on a joint project with the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, OH.
What will I be doing?
You will join a community of scientists and researchers in an effort to minimize cost and risk to drinking water infrastructure.
Every critical mission on Department of Defense (DOD) installations is impacted by the resilience, quality, and quantity of water supply. The procurement of a reliable water supply is hampered by aging infrastructure and limited investment capital. Therefore, there is a need for targeted investment into infrastructure to minimize cost and risk to drinking water infrastructure. The project couples hydraulic modeling with topological modeling to identify opportunities and vulnerabilities in water distribution systems to promote system resilience.
We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher with a background in water resources engineering, data analysis, and resilience to evaluate water distribution systems and promote best asset management practices for resilience. We anticipate investigating a series of scenario analyses across multiple DOD installations using both hydraulic and topological models to understand system performance. Tools used include network theory, hydraulic modeling in EPANET, and risk analysis. The research will answer questions about water distribution system vulnerability and impact to facility missions.
About the Air Force Institute of Technology
The Air Force Institute of Technology, or AFIT, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the Air Force’s graduate school of engineering and management as well as its institution for technical professional continuing education. A component of Air University and Air Education and Training Command, AFIT is committed to providing defense-focused graduate and professional continuing education and research to sustain the technological supremacy of America’s air, space and cyber forces.
This appointment is a twelve month research appointment, with the possibility to be renewed for additional research periods.
Stipends are typically based on a participant’s academic standing, discipline, experience, and research facility location. Other benefits may include the following:
- Health Insurance Supplement (Participants are eligible to purchase health insurance through ORISE)
- Relocation Allowance
- Training and Travel Allowance
A qualified candidate will have a Ph.D. in a relevant field (or will reach completion by the start date of the appointment) and be able to conduct independent research under the guidance of Dr. Christopher Chini at the Air Force Institute of Technology. United States citizenship or permanent residency is required for security clearance.
Highly competitive candidates will have:
- Experience with EPANET or WINTR software is ideal but not required.
- Skills in dataset management including geospatial and statistical information through the R, Matlab, or Python programming languages.
- Background in engineering design and risk that relates to resilience assessment in water systems
- Previous examples of mentoring undergraduate or graduate students will be looked upon favorably.