Fully funded PhD position in the Derin Precipitation Lab at University of Iowa – Start Fall 2026

[yagmur derin]

Dear colleagues,

The Derin Precipitation Lab in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Iowa is recruiting up to two fully funded PhD students. Start date: Fall 2026. 
We are broadly interested in advancing probabilistic precipitation estimation and uncertainty representation using satellite, radar, and model/reanalysis data, with applications to hydrometeorological extremes and hazards. The exact dissertation direction will be refined with the selected student(s) based on fit and emerging collaborations; two example focus areas are outlined below.

Your Tasks:
Depending on the student’s interest and background, the work may emphasize one of the following tracks:

• Track A: Stochastic precipitation modeling
  • Implement and extend stochastic precipitation modeling and ensemble generation frameworks
  • Produce reproducible workflows for large geospatial datasets (netCDF, xarray, HPC)
• Track B: Radar QPE and spatial statistics
  • Download, curate, and process ground-based radar precipitation fields
  • Develop statistical models for uncertainty representation and evaluation for radar QPE
  • Build scalable pipelines for processing large volumes of gridded radar data

Your Qualifications/Experience:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in civil and environmental engineering, atmospheric science, hydrology, meteorology, data science or closely related field
• Strong coding skills in Python and/or Matlab; comfort working with large datasets and efficient workflows
• Interest in precipitation science, statistics, uncertainty quantification, and/or remote sensing
• Ability to work independently, think critically, and communicate results clearly (writing + presentations)

What we offer:

• A supportive research environment with strong collaboration opportunities through IIHR (Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research) and the IFC (Iowa Flood Center), along with broader interdisciplinary collaborations.
• Access to modern computing resources, including HPC and data infrastructure for large remote-sensing datasets
• Conference participation and strong professional networking in the hydrometeorology/remote sensing/precipitation community
• A vibrant, historic university setting in Iowa City, IA with excellent quality of life

Who we are:
The Derin Precipitation Lab advances precipitation and hydrologic hazard science across scales. We develop physically grounded and data-driven methods spanning radar QPE, precipitation uncertainty and extremes, and scalable ensemble tools—including S2S stochastic downscaling and convective hazard emulation—to support flood resilience, infrastructure safety, and PMP modernization. More info here: https://dryagmurderin.com/

Interested?
Please email Dr. Yagmur Derin at yagmur...@uiowa.edu with your application as one combined PDF including:

• CV
• Brief statement of purpose indicating Track A and/or Track B (max 2 pages)

Review of applications will begin February 1^st and continue until the position(s) are filled.

Best,

Yagmur Derin

Assistant Professor

314 SHL  — C. Maxwell Stanley Hydraulics Laboratory

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

College of Engineering | The University of Iowa