What are the responsibilities and job description for the POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW position at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley?
Number of Vacancies
1
Location
Edinburg, Texas
Department
Office of Research
FTE
1
FLSA
Exempt
Scope of Job
Seeking a postdoctoral scholar in Civil (Structural) Engineering to join the research team at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). The successful candidate will engage in research focused on the development of intelligent dynamical systems aimed at promoting sustainable hazard mitigation for built environments. This research will leverage AI and big data to advance technologies in energy harvesting, vibration control, and metamaterials, enabling the sensing, monitoring, and control of civil structures subjected to natural hazards and extreme loading events such as earthquakes, windstorms, and floods.
This position is designed to support the postdoctoral scholar’s educational mission and professional career development, with research as a central component. The postdoctoral scholar will work under minimal supervision, exercising initiative and independent judgment in both research and teaching (if required). Responsibilities may include teaching and/or conducting research within the classroom and on assigned projects as needed.
This position is designed to support the postdoctoral scholar’s educational mission and professional career development, with research as a central component. The postdoctoral scholar will work under minimal supervision, exercising initiative and independent judgment in both research and teaching (if required). Responsibilities may include teaching and/or conducting research within the classroom and on assigned projects as needed.
Description of Duties
The following is a listing of typical duties that may be applicable to the position:
- Develops, tests, and analyzes research projects focused on the development of intelligent dynamical systems for sustainable hazard mitigation in built environments.
- Conducts experimental studies to advance technologies in energy harvesting, vibration control, and metamaterials, with applications in the sensing, monitoring, and control of civil structures.
- Writes detailed narrative summaries of research findings and completes related tasks under the guidance of the supervising faculty member.
- Conducts comprehensive background research, including literature reviews, to support project objectives and experimental design.
- Analyzes and maintains accurate data from experimental studies and computational models, identifying best practices and innovative solutions.
- Teaches one to two courses per semester in collaboration with a faculty member, as assigned, with a focus on topics relevant to the research.
- Publishes research findings in peer-reviewed journals and conferences.
- Performs other job-related duties as assigned.
Supervision Received
General supervision from immediate faculty supervisor.
Supervision Given
None.
Required Education
Ph.D. in Civil (Structural) or Mechanical (Vibration) Engineering, or any related discipline from an accredited university at the time of appointment.
Preferred Education
None.
Licenses/Certifications
None.
Required Experience
Experience in research on the design and testing of structural engineering systems. Experience with computational and finite element (FE) software, as well as programming languages to run codes.
Preferred Experience
- Experience in research on vibration and structural control methods, including active, semi-active, and passive systems.
- Experience in advanced vibration field, particularly in vibration-based energy harvesting systems and their components design.
- Proficiency with finite element (FE) software such as OpenSEES, COMSOL, or ABAQUS, and programming languages like Python.
- Experience in developing AI models trained and tested using sensor data with noise.
Equipment
Proficiency in using personal computers, basic laboratory equipment, and sensors for vibration and lateral load testing on bench setups in the lab.
Working Conditions
Must be able to successfully perform all required duties. The position involves working in an office/research environment, with some travel and occasional weekend work is required. UTRGV is a distributed institution, which requires presence at multiple locations throughout the Rio Grande Valley.
Other
This is a trainee position subject to a specific time as agreed to by stakeholders.
Grant End Date: One year after the effective start date.
Grant End Date: One year after the effective start date.
Physical Capabilities
N/A
Employment Category
Full-Time
Minimum Salary
Commensurate with Experience
Posted Salary
Commensurate with Experience
Position Available Date
01/23/2025
Grant Funded Position
Yes
If Yes, Provide Grant Expiration Date
Posting Detail Information
EEO Statement
It is the policy of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to promote and ensure equal employment opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information or protected veteran status. In accordance with the requirements of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, our University is committed to comply with all government requirements and ensures non-discrimination in its education programs and activities, including employment. We encourage women, minorities and differently abled persons to apply for employment positions of interest.
Special Instructions to Applicants
Dear Applicant,
Human Resources will not be held responsible for redacting any confidential information from the documents you attach with your application. The confidential information includes the following:
Date of Birth
Gender
Please make sure that you omit this information prior to submission. We are advising that Human Resources will be forwarding your application to the department as per your submission. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley reserves the right to discontinue accepting applications prior to the stated close date of this position, after meeting the posting requirement of three (3) calendar days.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at (956) 665-2451 and/or careers@utrgv.edu.
Human Resources will not be held responsible for redacting any confidential information from the documents you attach with your application. The confidential information includes the following:
Date of Birth
Gender
- Ethnicity/Race
Please make sure that you omit this information prior to submission. We are advising that Human Resources will be forwarding your application to the department as per your submission. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley reserves the right to discontinue accepting applications prior to the stated close date of this position, after meeting the posting requirement of three (3) calendar days.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at (956) 665-2451 and/or careers@utrgv.edu.
Additional Information
UTRGV is a distributed location institution and working location is subject to change based on need.
All UTRGV employees are required to have a criminal background check (CBC). Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Substitutions to the above requirements must have prior approval from the VP of HR & Talent Development .
All UTRGV employees are required to have a criminal background check (CBC). Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Substitutions to the above requirements must have prior approval from the VP of HR & Talent Development .
