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NM Water Resources Research Institute (NM WRRI) Graduate Student Assistant - Field

Employer
New Mexico State University Water Science & Management Program
Location
3170 South Espina Street, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001
Salary
Job salary will range from $26,252 - $27,467 annually at 20/hours per week.
Closing date
Apr 1, 2023

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Discipline
Hydrology, GeoHealth
Career Level
Student / Graduate
Education Level
Bachelors
Job Type
Internship
Relocation Cost
No Relocation
Sector Type
Academia

Submit the application directly to the handshake system. If the candidate is not a NMSU student, they would need to also apply for graduate school: https://gradschool.nmsu.edu/. More information about NM WRRI can be found at: https://nmwrri.nmsu.edu/, and the NMSU Water Science and Management Graduate Program at https://wsm.nmsu.edu/. Dr. Sam Fernald can be contacted directly at afernald@nmsu.edu about the Water Science and Management Graduate Program.

Several graduate research assistantships are available starting in the summer or Fall 2023 semester which all involve field work assessing water dynamics. Each position will specialize in one of these areas: water budget analysis, spatial analysis, hydrologic modeling, and system dynamics modeling. The position covers tuition at New Mexico State University, funded through the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute (NM WRRI). The positions are exciting opportunities to be part of a transdisciplinary group, involving collaboration between stakeholders and scientists, that is seeking innovative solutions to long-standing and pressing dryland agricultural and water management questions. The positions are for related grant projects funded by USDA, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the New Mexico Environment Department. The projects’ goals focus on collaboration with regional agricultural communities to identify pathways to agricultural and water resilience in the face of current challenges, particularly climate change. The projects cover three main regions of New Mexico that include traditional agricultural communities of acequias and tribes and pueblos and larger irrigation districts. Each position would focus on one particular region. A central question in these projects is what watershed-scale strategies can optimize water supply and demand while achieving resilience of both the water and agricultural systems, as defined collaboratively with the communities. The research, field work, and systems science modeling use an integrative approach between the social and the natural systems. The field positions each have different objectives, which include: 1) assessing water use of extreme drought tolerant crops, 2) the effects of riparian restoration on downstream creek flows which supply water for a small acequia community, and 3) the ability for watershed restoration to mitigate downstream flooding.

Job Duties and Responsibilities :

  • Setup, operation, maintenance, and downloading of data of research equipment for the site. The candidate will work towards assuming responsibility for the field research site.
  • Working with stakeholders to adapt results to be useful for their objectives. 
  • Research and synthesis of the analysis of the field findings. 
  • Specializing in one area of the research relevant across the sites. The areas include: water budget analysis, spatial analysis (particularly the ability to process and analyze geospatial data in ArcGIS and ArcPro, compile and verify data, maintain basic metadata, and make maps, and work with remote sensing data), hydrologic modeling (Hec-RAS 2-d), and integrating the field data into system dynamics modeling .
  • Publish results in peer-reviewed academic journals and develop materials for reports and presentations to provide the results to project partners and stakeholders.
  • Synthesize research and work on community-based planning projects to inform future land and water management.
  • The candidate will work closely with team leaders, and all will report to Dr. Fernald.

Requirements and Preferred Qualifications:

  • Successful candidates will have a strong academic record in one or more of the following fields: hydrology, ecology, biology, environmental science, or a similar natural resource-related field.
  • Ability to effectively collaborate and work independently.
  • Preference will be given to applicants who have an interest in addressing stakeholder issues, have previous field research experience, and an enthusiasm for working outside in southwestern US climates.
  • Preference will also be given to applicants with skills in one of the specialty areas: water budget analysis, spatial analysis, hydrologic modeling, and system dynamics modeling experience.
  • Candidate must have a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a license within six months of hire, the ability to lift 40 lbs and carry heavy equipment. 

Hours per week:

  • 20 hours

When applying for the position, please include in the cover letter: 1) your general research and career goals and 2) if you are interested in obtaining a MS or PhD. Note that interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis until position is filled.

NMSU is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, people with disabilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply

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