PhD Positions at CEE, UIUC (Fall 2026) in Sediment Transport & River Morphodynamics, Environmental Fluid Mechanics, and Hydraulic Engineering
Hongbo Ma
Multiple PhD Positions (Fall 2026) in Sediment Transport & River Morphodynamics, Environmental Fluid Mechanics, and Hydraulic Engineering at CEE, UIUC
Professor Hongbo Ma’s research group in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign (UIUC) is recruiting:
- 1–2 fully funded PhD students (tuition + stipend), regular Fall 2026 semester start.
All applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until filled. UIUC PhD application deadline: December 1, 2025 (University deadline). Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the advisor in advance of application submission.
About the PI and Research Group
Prof. Hongbo Ma joined UIUC CEE as an Assistant Professor in June 2025. His research investigates sediment-laden flows and their geomorphic consequences, integrating:
- sediment transport physics and fluid mechanics
- morphodynamics of river–delta–submarine systems,
- and river hazards & management.
Prof. Ma has published as first/corresponding author in Science Advances, PNAS, Nature Communications, and over 40+ papers in leading journals. His work has been recognized by the AGU Luna B. Leopold Early Career Award and the AGU Robert P. Sharp Lecture Honor (2023). He currently serves as Associate Editor of JGR: Earth Surface and on the AGU Earth & Planetary Surface Processes Honors & Awards Committee.
UIUC is a top-ranked global research institution (U.S. News: Engineering #7, Civil Engineering #1, Environmental Engineering #3). The Urbana–Champaign community is welcoming, safe, affordable, and highly supportive of academic life.
Potential Research Areas for PhD Students
(Research directions may be tailored to student interests)
- Hydraulics & River Morphodynamics
- Sediment-laden and Two-phase Environmental Fluid Mechanics
- Water Resources Systems & River Management
- Data-driven and Scientific Machine Learning in Geophysical Systems
Qualifications
Minimum Requirements:
- Strong motivation, curiosity, and commitment to research.
- B.S. or M.S. in Civil/Environmental/Water Resources Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Earth/Geosciences, Physics (mechanics), or related fields.
- Experience in experiments, numerical modeling, and/or scientific programming.
Preferred Qualifications (one or more desirable):
- Background in fluid mechanics, sediment transport, or geomorphology.
- Experimental research experience (flume experiments, physical modeling).
- Programming proficiency (MATLAB, Python, Fortran/C++, etc.).
- Data analysis or ML-based modeling experience.
Application Instructions
PhD Applicants: Please email the following in one PDF package to hong...@illinois.edu with subject line: “2026 PhD Application – Your Full Name”: 1. CV / Resume; 2. Brief research statement (experience, skills, interests, and goals); 3 Transcripts (unofficial is acceptable initially); 4 Contact information for 3 references. Then submit the official UIUC Graduate College application by December 1, 2025.
Best!
Hongbo
Hongbo Ma
Assistant Professor
The Grainger College of Engineering
Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering
2018 Civil Eng Hydrosystems Lab
301 N Mathews Ave
Urbana, IL 61801
Associate Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface
Associate Editor, ARC Geophysical Research-a Diamond Open-Access Journal
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