Job Description

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Texas A&M AgriLife Research

El Paso, Texas

Job Description

A postdoctoral research associate will join the 'Arid Hydrology and Water Systems' research group at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at El Paso. The current focus of the group is on transboundary and shared water resources modeling for sustainable management and binational cooperation, with a strong emphasis on hydrologic modeling, participatory numerical modeling, remote sensing applications, and the development of data-driven decision-support tools. The successful candidate will work on a NASA-funded Transboundary Model and Data Homogenization (TMDH) project that aims to integrate NASA Earth observation (EO) products, in situ and field-sensor records, and advanced hydro-geologic models into an operational platform to support U.S.–Mexico treaty-based water allocation and infrastructure planning. The postdoc will have opportunities to work at the interface of research and practice, interacting closely with U.S.–Mexico stakeholders and agency partners, including the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) and the North American Development Bank (NADBank).

Responsibilities:

• Develop, implement, and validate remote-sensing-enabled models for transboundary surface-water and groundwater assessment, including the integration of NASA EO products (e.g., GRACE/GRACE-FO, SWOT, MODIS, GPM, Landsat, ECOSTRESS, OpenET, and others) with in situ and field-sensor data.
• Configure, calibrate, and apply hydrologic and groundwater modeling systems (e.g., SWAT+ with gwflow/MODFLOW, ParFlow) for the Rio Grande and other arid and semi-arid basin settings.
• Design and implement AI(ML/DL)-based predictive frameworks to assess water availability, drought impacts, groundwater depletion, and salinity risk under climatic and anthropogenic changes.
• Lead data collection, QA/QC, harmonization, storage, and processing workflows across heterogeneous binational datasets for the TMDH framework.
• Support to develop APIs, dashboards, and decision-support tools (e.g., web-based interfaces and visualization workflows) for IBWC, NADBank, and other regional stakeholders.
• Coordinate usability testing, stakeholder workshops, and feedback loops, and contribute to advancing the platform from prototype to operational readiness.
• Compose research articles for peer-reviewed journals and present results at scientific and stakeholder meetings.
• Assist the supervisor in writing the project reports and potential grant proposals.
• Train and supervise under/graduate student(s), interns, and other project team personnel.
• Perform other assigned research and outreach duties related to ongoing research projects.

Required Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Hydrology, Water Resources Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Geosciences, or a closely related field with remote sensing data application at the time of appointment.
• Peer-reviewed publications in hydrology, water resources, environmental modeling, remote sensing, or related domains.
• Strong knowledge of hydrologic processes, transboundary/shared water resources management, and coupled human–natural systems.
• Proficiency in geospatial and scientific computing tools (e.g., Python, R, GIS, Google Earth Engine, or equivalent) to handle and process complex datasets.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to interact with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to work multi-tasking with project team, end-users, and binational stakeholders, complete project tasks before the deadline, and work cooperatively with the interdisciplinary project team.
• Experience with surface water and groundwater modeling using tools such as SWAT/SWAT+ with gwflow/MODFLOW, ParFlow, and other similar models.
• Experience with remote sensing and Earth observation data integration into hydrologic or environmental models.
• Demonstrated experience with AI (ML/DL), data assimilation, or advanced statistical modeling for environmental or water resources applications.
• Experience working with large, multi-source geospatial datasets, preferably in transboundary or data-scarce contexts.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of arid and semi-arid water resources and systems, drought, surface-groundwater interactions, and water-treaty policies.
• Experience in building web-based tools, APIs, or dashboards for environmental data and model output visualization.
• A valid driver's license is required to commute to project-related fieldwork and meetings.

Salary: Compensation for this position is commensurate based on the selected candidate's qualifications.

Why Work at Texas A&M AgriLife?

When you choose to work for Texas A&M AgriLife, you become part of an organization that is an established leader in agriculture and life sciences with a wide range of capabilities to meet the needs of our statewide, national, and international constituents.

In addition, Texas A&M AgriLife offers a comprehensive benefit package including:

• Health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance with Texas A&M AgriLife contributing to employee health and basic life premiums
• 12-15 days of annual paid holidays
• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month
• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas
• Employee Wellness Initiative for Texas A&M AgriLife

Applicant Instructions

Interested candidate, submit your application in a single PDF including: (1) a cover letter, (2) an updated CV, and (3) contact information of three professional references. Failure to provide requested application could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution's verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution's procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.

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