A Postdoctoral Scholar position is available in the School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering (CBEE) at Oregon State University under the direction of Assistant Professor Kathryn Newhart.
The successful candidate will work across a portfolio of projects that develop and deploy AI models for water, wastewater, and water reuse applications, spanning bench-scale experiments through full-scale implementation at operating utilities. Current work is supported by the U.S. Department of War, the Water Research Foundation, the National Alliance for Water Innovation, the National Science Foundation, and direct utility partners. Project topics include soft-sensor development, computer vision, fault detection, process control, and data governance at water and wastewater utilities. Depending on the project, the candidate can expect to operate and work with data from bench and pilot system data collected in our laboratory, with historian and SCADA data from partner facilities, and with utility operations staff during deployment and evaluation. The position involves travel to partner facilities, and the candidate will help mentor graduate and undergraduate students working on related projects.
Required qualifications
- Ph.D. in data science, computer science, statistics, environmental or chemical engineering, or a related field, completed by the start date
- First-author peer-reviewed publications
- Proficiency in Python or R, including model development and evaluation
- Experience with time-series, sensor data, and laboratory data
- Technical writing and project management skills sufficient to lead reporting to project sponsors
Preferred qualifications
- Deploying models in production or operational settings rather than offline analysis alone
- Computer vision, multivariate statistical process monitoring, forecasting, or anomaly detection
- Prior work with industry, utility, or government partners
- Familiarity with water or wastewater unit processes
The appointment is for one year, renewable contingent on performance and funding.
Review of applications will begin immediately and the position will remain open until filled.
Further information about Dr. Newhart's research group and about postdoctoral appointments at Oregon State University can be found at https://knewhart.github.io/ and https://gradschool.oregonstate.edu/postdocs, respectively.
To apply, fill out this form: https://oregonstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1HV8zUiW0gS8g0C
Include a curriculum vitae, a writing sample, a cover letter addressing your start date, experiences, career ambitions, etc., as well as the and the names and contact information of three references. Additional questions can be emailed to kathryn.newhart@oregonstate.edu with the subject line “Postdoctoral Scholar Application.”