Dr. Chien-Yung Tseng

Two Ph.D. Positions in Eco-hydraulics and Environmental Fluid Mechanics at Colorado State University Starting in Fall 2024
The Eco-Energy-Environmental Flow Physics (EFP) Lab in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at Colorado State University (CSU) is recruiting two Ph.D. students starting in Fall 2024 to work on topics in Eco-hydraulics, Sediment Transport, Environmental Fluid Mechanics, and Natural-based solutions. We are looking for motivated and enthusiastic students interested in exploring the complex, nonlinear interactions between environmental flows and the ecosystem, thereby contributing to developing improved restoration and efficient engineering designs under climate scenarios.

Qualifications

1. Students with an undergraduate background in engineering, physics, earth sciences, environmental sciences, geosciences, or related fields (a master’s degree in one of the listed fields would be highly preferred).
2. Relevant coursework in hydraulics and/or fluid mechanics.
3. Experience in scientific programming (e.g., MATLAB, Python), image processing, hydrodynamic numerical modeling, water quality modeling, and/or statistical modeling.
4. Past relevant research/work experience is preferred but not required.

Research Area

1. Effects of flow-biota interactions on mixing and exchange processes in environmental flows.
2. Fluid dynamics and sediment transport processes to develop nature-based solutions to engineering problems and ecosystem restoration.
3. Thermal stratification simulations in river, lake, and reservoir systems and the corresponding effects on ecosystems.
4. Turbulence impact on fish energetics, drifting, and swimming responses.
   Students are expected to run hydrodynamic simulations on the super computing system and/or conduct hands-on laboratory experiments using state-of-the-art laser imaging flow measurement systems (e.g., PIV and PLIF) and the world-class innovative flume facilities at the Hydraulics Laboratory at CSU (https://hydraulicslab.engr.colostate.edu/).
   Required/Preferred Qualifications:
5. Students with an undergraduate background in engineering, physics, earth sciences, environmental sciences, geosciences, or related fields (a master’s degree in one of the listed fields would be highly preferred).
6. Relevant coursework in hydraulics and/or fluid mechanics.
7. Experience in scientific programming (e.g., MATLAB, Python), image processing, hydrodynamic numerical modeling, water quality modeling, and/or statistical modeling.
8. Past relevant research/work experience is preferred but not required.

Contact

Interested students are encouraged to email Dr. Chien-Yung Tseng (CY.Tseng@colostate.edu) with the title “Prospective graduate student”. It is recommended to contact me before January 19, 2024, to discuss the opportunities beforehand and see if the position fits. Please include the following information in the email:

1. A CV with three reference contacts
2. A one-page letter describing your research experience, relevant skills, motivation, and future career goal
3. An unofficial transcript(s) from your current and past attended institutes
   I also encourage eligible students to apply for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship or other fellowships. Feel free to contact me in advance so that I can assist with your application. I will be reviewing all emails continuously, but only candidates whose background fits well with the positions will be contacted for interviews via email.

Apply

Formal applications to Colorado State University with financial support are due on February 1, 2024, for the Fall 2024 semester. See (https://www.engr.colostate.edu/ce/graduate-application-information/) for further information on the formal application process

About CEE at CSU

Colorado State University is one of the nation’s top public research universities, categorized as a Tier 1 Research University with $447.2M annual research funding in 2021. The campus is located in the foothills of the beautiful Rocky Mountains in Fort Collins, Colorado. CSU is only 1 hour from Denver, one of the top 20 largest cities in the US and a rapidly growing tech-economic hotspot for several international corporations in the central US region.
Our CEE department is known for its strong water resources engineering program, with many faculty focusing on various hydraulic and hydrology research. The department is part of the well-known Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering, with many graduate programs and research collaborations across the campus, such as the Warner College of Natural Resources and the College of Agricultural Sciences.