Assistant Specialist in Civil & Environmental Engineering - Kendall Lab - 2025/26

The University of California, Davis is hiring an Assistant Specialist in Civil & Environmental Engineering for the Kendall Lab. The role requires a Master's degree in Environmental or Agricultural Science and involves specialized expertise in life cycle assessment and modeling for agricultural systems. Responsibilities include data collection, model development, and collaboration on research projects. This position is based in Davis, CA and is not remote.
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of California, Davis invites applications from qualified candidates for one or more Assistant Specialist positions.

Qualifications: Environmental Science, Agricultural Science or equivalent field. A Master's degree in Environmental Science, Agricultural Science or equivalent field, and training and experience working with agricultural, environmental, and life cycle assessment modeling and agricultural systems in North America and the developing tropics.

NATURE AND PURPOSE

The position of Specialist has a narrow focus in a specialized area and provides technical or specialized expertise (e.g., with instrumentation and research equipment or with social science research methods) in the planning and execution of a research project. The Specialist stays apprised of emerging issues and problems and maintains technical competence in the designated area(s) of specialization. Within this defined area and when appropriate, the Specialist is expected to provide leadership, facilitate teamwork and develop collaborative relationships with colleagues and to supply input into the planning of research and educational programs. Normally, Specialists do not have Principal Investigator (PI) status but may obtain permission by exception and/or collaborate with a PI in preparing research proposals for extramural funding. The Specialist is evaluated for merit and promotion using three basic criteria outlined below.

JOB SUMMARY AND DESIGNATED AREA OF EXPERTISE

This position will entail providing specialized expertise in support of life cycle assessment, geospatial, agronomic, environmental, and biogeochemical model development and utilization for agricultural and food systems in California, the United States, and the developing tropics. This will consist of data collection and processing from public datasets such as USGS SoilWeb and the California Irrigation Management Information System, as well as from literature and stakeholder survey to parametrize agronomic, environmental, and biogeochemical components of large-scale agricultural life cycle assessment models. The position will entail significant use of modeling tools including DNDC, USEtox, and various LCA models, and their integration for production of comprehensive environmental impact statement. This position will require development of modeling tools in the R coding environment. This position entails field soil and biomass sampling following standardized methods compatible with third party carbon credit brokerage (Gold Standard, Isometric, Verra, etc.) requirements and project site survey and trial design.

I. RESEARCH IN SPECIALIZED AREAS (85% EFFORT)

The candidate will both operate independently in project-specific leadership roles as well as assist the PI and other team members in data collection efforts towards parametrization of agronomic, environmental and biogeochemical models. The candidate will follow standardized protocols for soil collection from field sites and analysis for carbon content and other relevant parameters. The candidate will follow and develop protocols for model parametrization data collection, management and processing. The candidate will perform model development and parametrization tasks, utilize said models, and manage the resulting datasets to parametrize life cycle assessment models for production of case studies and regional reports on agricultural system environmental impacts. The candidate will also lead efforts towards and assist with results reporting, academic manuscript development, and funding proposals.

II. PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND ACTIVITY (10% EFFORT)

Candidate will be expected to actively participate in the dissemination of information at lab meetings and industry and academic conferences, as well as contribute to the general upkeep of the laboratory. Additionally, the candidate will be expected to liaison with collaborators and industry stakeholders as applicable to specific projects.

III. UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE (5% EFFORT)

Candidate will maintain liaison and respond to the needs of various industry organizations, state and federal agencies, and other external groups on issues related to area of expertise. Candidate may participate in activities of committees within the department, college, campus and other University entities, as appropriate.

POSITION AVAILABLE/CLOSING DATE: For full consideration applications should be received by March 17, 2025. Position will remain open until filled.

Qualified applicants should upload a cover letter detailing their qualifications for the position, curriculum vitae or resume and contact information for 3 professional references online. All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. For more information about the department, please visit the website: https://cee.engineering.ucdavis.edu/

QUESTIONS: Please direct questions to Elias Marvinney (emarvinney@ucdavis.edu).