Research Associate - Water Resources Engineering

The University of Alberta; Edmonton; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Alberta is inviting applications for a Research Associate to advance optimization algorithms for river basin planning and management. The role focuses on coordinating with a regional irrigation district to optimize daily reservoir operations to satisfy irrigation demands using WEB.BM, a model that simulates diversions, storage, and releases under licence constraints.

Goal is to link WEB.BM with SCADA components for full control of water balance across the canal network,

Qualifications

• Experience applying optimization methods to water resource systems.
• Ability to model reservoir storage and release decisions.
• Proficiency in data analysis and numerical modeling.

Responsibilities

• Develop and apply optimization algorithms to river basin planning.
• Collaborate with irrigation district partners to optimize daily operations.
• Work toward integration with SCADA data monitoring for real‑time control.

Skills

Optimization algorithms

River basin planning

Data analysis

Numerical modeling

Tools

WEB.BM

SCADA integration

Job description

This position has an end date of December 31, 2028.

Location - This role is in-person. Work primarily takes place at North Campus, Edmonton.

Applications are invited for a Research Associate position in the application of optimization algorithms for river basin planning and management. The selected research associate will work with a prominent irrigation district in Alberta to optimize daily reservoir operations (storage and releases) to meet irrigation demands, using a river basin management model called WEB.BM. WEB.BM is an optimization model that simulates river diversions, reservoir storage, and reservoir releases, subject to water licences and WCO/IFN constraints, to meet downstream water demands throughout the open water season. The ultimate goal of the project is to link WEB.BM and other software components with a SCADA data monitoring system to obtain full control and optimization of water balance throughout the district’s canal system, which involves both travel time and attenuation processes, in addition to optimal balancing of storage.