[ES_JOBS_NET] Ph.D. Assistantship on Water-Smart Agriculture (starting Jan. 2026)

[Zipper, Sam]

The HydroEcology of Anthropogenic Landscapes (HEAL) research group<https://www.samzipper.com/> at the Kansas Geological Survey/Department of Geology, University of Kansas is seeking a Ph.D. student to begin in January 2026.

Project: The student will contribute to an interdisciplinary research project investigating the utility of satellite data to inform and guide water-smart agricultural practices in the Southern High Plains. Student goals include developing regional satellite-based estimates of water use and using these to develop relationships between water use and groundwater level change in the Southern High Plains aquifer system.

This USDA-funded project integrates technical and socio-economic research methods and has a dedicated student mentoring program, providing strong opportunities for interdisciplinary training in basic research methods with applied, real-world impact. Within the project, this position is contributing directly to the technical team, but collaboration with other disciplines and universities is expected. Collaborating institutions include Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University, Texas Tech, NASA, and California State University.

The position will primarily be funded as a graduate research assistantship (GRA), but may include one or more semesters as a graduate teaching assistant (GTA).

Required Qualifications

  1.  Bachelor’s degree in Geology, Civil/Environmental Eng., Geography, Agronomy, or a related field.
  2.  Coursework related to hydrology, hydrogeology, and remote sensing.
  3.  Experience with programming-based approaches to data analysis and visualization.
  4.  English proficiency meeting KU's enrollment requirements<https://gradapply.ku.edu/english-requirements>.

Preferred qualifications:

  1.  M.S. degree in Geology, Civil/Environmental Eng., Geography, Agronomy, or a related field.
  2.  Experience working with satellite remote sensing data, preferably related to evapotranspiration.
  3.  Coding proficiency in Python or a comparable language (R, MATLAB, Julia, etc.).
  4.  Familiarity with irrigated agricultural landscapes typical of the U.S. High Plains region.

Questions? Sam Zipper (https://www.samzipper.com)  (samzipper at ku.edu<mailto:samzipper at ku.edu>).
Interested in applying? Please submit your information via this form<https://forms.office.com/r/gvAXPSQTzw> by August 18, 2025.



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-Sam Zipper

samzipper.com<https://www.samzipper.com/>

Assistant Scientist, Kansas Geological Survey

Assistant Professor, Department of Geology

University of Kansas
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