Postdoc Position in Hydraulic Modeling

The Pennsylvania State University; Ferguson Township (PA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

The Pennsylvania State University seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar in Civil and Environmental Engineering starting July 2026 (date negotiable). The position focuses on roadway hydraulic structures using CFD simulations and flume experiments to guide practitioners.

Under PI guidance, the researcher will perform literature surveys, data collection, modeling, analysis, and reporting, contributing to a funded project and collaborating with external partners.

Qualifications

• PhD in civil engineering or related field with focus on hydraulics or water resources.
• Experience with computational modeling and flume experiments.

Responsibilities

• Carry out research tasks including literature survey, data collection, and flume experiments.
• Perform CFD simulations and computational modeling; analyze results and synthesize findings.
• Prepare reports describing methods, results and significance.

Skills

CFD simulations

OpenFOAM

Flume experiments

Computational modeling

Data collection

Results analysis

Report writing

Literature review

Education

PhD in Civil Engineering

Tools

OpenFOAM

Job description

Contract

This is a term position; length of the term will be discussed during the interview process. Continuation past the term length discussed will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.

Remote and hybrid work

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

Position specifics

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University has a Postdoctoral Scholar opening starting in July 2026 (starting date negotiable, but preference will be given to candidates who can start at this time). This position is funded through a project to research on roadway hydraulic structure perform, such as culvert, through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and flume experiments. The product of this project will be used as a guidance for practitioners.

Job responsibility: Under the guidance of the PI and collaborators from other university and industry, the major responsibility of the research associate is to carry out the research tasks in the project, which include literature survey, data collection, flume experiments, computational modeling, result analysis and synthesis, and report writing.

Requirements and qualifications

Applicants should have a Ph.D. in civil engineering or related fields with a focus on hydraulics, environmental fluid mechanics, or water resources in general. The applicant must have prior experience with computational modeling and flume experiments. Experience with CFD software such as OpenFOAM is preferred, but not required.

To be considered for this position or if you need more information, please contact Dr. Xiaofeng Liu ([e-mail]). Dr. Liu’s research group webpage: http://water.engr.psu.edu/liu/

Background checks/Clearances

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Benefits

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page. (Note: For Postdoctoral benefits, please see our Postdoctoral Benefits page.)

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