The Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa is seeking a motivated Ph.D. student to start in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027. This position is related to coastal groundwater hydrology. The successful applicant will engage in modeling and fieldwork to study various groundwater-related coastal processes, such as groundwater-surface water interactions, groundwater salinization and contamination, and submarine groundwater discharge. The UH Mānoa Earth Sciences Program has been ranked No. 51-75 worldwide and No. 19-30 nationally, according to the 2022 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS). The university is based in Honolulu, a city known for being one of the most beautiful, outdoor friendly, and diverse cities to live in.
The ideal candidate should have a mater’s degree and a strong background in either hydrology/hydrogeology, environmental engineering and science, or related field. Fluency in English speaking and writing is necessary. Experience with programming (e.g., Fortran, MATLAB, Python, or C/C++), groundwater modeling, and fieldwork (e.g., monitoring well installation and groundwater sampling) will be preferred. Experience in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, data-driven modeling, or integrating AI approaches with environmental and hydrologic applications will be highly desirable
You can find information about the current projects in the research group at the following links:
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2130595&HistoricalAwar… https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2345629&HistoricalAwar…
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award?AWD_ID=2530058
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award?AWD_ID=2624187
Contact Information:
Interested candidates are encouraged to submit an application that includes a cover letter summarizing the applicant’s research experience and qualifications related to this position, a detailed curriculum vitae, a list of two references (along with their contact phone and email), and unofficial university transcripts to Dr. Xiaolong (Leo) Geng (xgeng@hawaii.edu). The ideal start date is Spring 2027 but Fall 2026 will also be considered. The review of applications will begin immediately and will proceed until the position is filled.