Postdoctoral Researcher

Postdoctoral Researcher

The mission of William & Mary's Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) is to seek and broadly communicate knowledge in marine and coastal science to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world through research, education, and advisory service. The Batten School & VIMS make seminal advances in understanding coastal and marine systems through research and discovery, translate research findings into practical solutions to complex issues of societal importance, and provide new generations of researchers, educators, problem solvers, and managers with an education of unsurpassed quality. The Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) supports informed decision-making on coastal and marine resource management issues at all levels of government and among private and corporate stakeholders. CCRM integrates scientific research, modeling, and applied analysis to address complex coastal systems challenges, including flooding, resilience, and water quality.

The Postdoctoral Researcher will serve as a numerical modeler and programmer within the coastal systems modeling group led by Dr. Y. Joseph Zhang at CCRM. This position supports ongoing and emerging research initiatives focused on coastal hydrodynamics, water quality, and environmental forecasting using physics-based and AI-driven modeling approaches. The incumbent will contribute to the development of next-generation, seamless "creek-to-ocean" operational modeling systems based on the SCHISM framework, collaborate with interdisciplinary research teams, engage with graduate students and visiting scientists, and pursue independent research aligned with CCRM and VIMS strategic priorities.

Required Qualifications

• Earned Ph.D. in a relevant field such as computational science, applied mathematics, or physical oceanography.
• Demonstrated strong quantitative, numerical modeling, and programming skills, including web-based programming.
• Broad knowledge of coastal and estuarine systems.
• Experience applying numerical models to oceanic and estuarine systems.
• Record of peer-reviewed research and scholarly publication appropriate to career stage.

Preferred Qualifications

• Expertise in uncertainty quantification and statistical methods.
• Experience with data assimilation techniques.
• Experience applying machine learning approaches to ocean or coastal modeling.
• Hands-on experience with unstructured grid numerical models, particularly SCHISM.
• Demonstrated experience working in interdisciplinary research teams.

Salary - up to $70,000.00 commensurate with experience

Conditions of employment: This is a term restricted position, subject to the continued availability of funding.

Core Duties and Responsibilities

Research and Project Support (75%)

• Conduct advanced numerical modeling research in support of the Center of Excellence for Environmental Forecasting (CEEF), with a primary focus on recurrent flooding, coastal resilience, and related coastal system processes.
• Apply physics-based and AI-based modeling approaches to simulate coastal hydrodynamics, water quality, sediment transport, and estuarine processes using established and emerging modeling frameworks, including SCHISM.
• Contribute to the development, testing, calibration, and implementation of next-generation "creek-to-ocean" operational modeling systems.
• Support other funded research projects aligned with CEEF priorities, including projects related to flooding dynamics, sediment transport, and coastal and estuarine systems modeling.
• Work closely with faculty investigators, research collaborators, graduate students, and visiting scientists to support ongoing research activities and project deliverables.
• Assist with model setup, data processing, analysis, visualization, and interpretation of results to support project objectives and decision-making needs.

Scholarly Publications (15%)

• Prepare high-quality manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed scientific journals based on modeling results and research findings.
• Collaborate with project team members and co-authors to synthesize results and develop clear, well-documented scientific publications.
• Respond to reviewer feedback and revise manuscripts as needed to support successful publication.
• Maintain an active research and publication record consistent with the expectations of externally funded research projects.

Proposal and Report Development (10%)

• Assist in preparing technical reports and research summaries for project sponsors, funding agencies, and other stakeholders.
• Contribute modeling results, figures, methods descriptions, and technical narratives for project reports and deliverables.
• Support the development of grant proposals by assisting with technical content, modeling approaches, and research methodology sections.
• Participate in proposal development efforts to help secure continued and new external research funding aligned with CCRM and CEEF priorities.