[ES_JOBS_NET] Assistant/Associate Professor in AI for Environmental Modeling/Forecasting, Univ. of Utah

[Christine Wiedinmyer]

https://employment.utah.edu/salt-lake-city-ut/assistantassociate-professor-in-ai-for-environmental-modelingforecasting/FCE7ADBFDAAC48ADB51E13460A47CADD/job/

*Assistant/Associate Professor in AI for Environmental Modeling/Forecasting*

Proposed Faculty Rank Assistant/Associate Professor

Department 00810 - Scient Comp & Imag Instit-Oper

City Salt Lake City, UT

Track Tenure Track

New Position to Begin 7/1/2026

Details

Details

Global change is rapidly altering the Earth system, leading to more
devastating extreme events and a greater need for tools for adaptation and
planning. A growing wealth of observational data from satellites, sensor
networks, foundation models, gridded weather and reanalysis, socio-economic
databases, and other multi-scale technologies are enabling a
higher-fidelity view of the Earth system than ever before, but a lack of
computational tools limits our ability to leverage these data to understand
the complex feedback governing the Earth system and its changes. The
University of Utah, under the leadership of the One-Utah Responsible
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Initiative ( One-U RAI  <https://rai.utah.edu/>),
is building a new group to address the full range of environmental
challenges and opportunities enabled by AI by leveraging, integrating and
enhancing existing strengths in earth and environmental science, social
science, modeling and computation.

We seek candidates who will exploit emerging datasets to advance
environmental and Earth system modeling, forecasting, and projection using
state-of-the-art computational approaches such as machine vision, digital
twins, AI, uncertainty quantification, data assimilation, or fusion
techniques, with the goal of improving forecasts, hindcasts and future
projections of environmental change. Methodological strengths may include
Earth-system foundation or other machine-learned physics models; the use of
AI methods for model parametrization; multi-model and multi-fidelity
ensemble and generative approaches for uncertainty quantification;
surrogate (reduced order/digital twin) models; and other modern
data-assimilation and data-fusion techniques. Envi

Qualified candidates may have research interests across the globe, and with
an interest in developing a research program in Utah and the Intermountain
West. A doctoral degree in environmental or climate science, environmental
studies, environmental engineering, applied math, geological science,
geography, urban planning, computational science, or related fields is
required by July 1, 2026.
The One-U RAI  <https://rai.utah.edu/>housed within the Scientific
Computing and Imaging ( SCI )  <https://sci.utah.edu/>Institute at the
University of Utah is growing and pursuing multiple new faculty hires over
the next 5 years. These hires will expand the core research expertise in
responsible and translational AI within three thematic areas: environment,
healthcare and wellness, and teaching and learning. A major goal is to
attract new partnerships across the University and beyond. Candidates whose
research expertise integrates social and technical aspects are of
particular interest.

This specific recruitment is for a tenure-track position at the Assistant
or Associate Professor level to begin in Fall 2026. The successful
candidate will have a research appointment with the SCI
<https://sci.utah.edu/>Institute at the University of Utah, and their
tenure home in one of the following participating colleges and
departments: College
of Architecture + Planning  <https://www.cap.utah.edu/>: Department of City
and Metropolitan Planning  <https://plan.cap.utah.edu/>; College of Business
  <https://eccles.utah.edu/>: Departments of Operations & Information
Systems
<https://eccles.utah.edu/faculty/department-operations-management-information-systems/>
and Quantitative Analysis of Markets and Organizations ( QAMO )
<https://eccles.utah.edu/department/division-of-quantitative-analysis-of-markets-and-organizations/>
; John and Maria Price College of Engineering  <https://www.price.utah.edu/>:
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
<https://www.civil.utah.edu/>; College of Law
<https://www.law.utah.edu/>; College
of Science  <https://science.utah.edu/>: School of Biological Sciences
<https://www.biology.utah.edu/>, Departments of Atmospheric Sciences
<https://atmos.utah.edu/>and Geology & Geophysics  <https://earth.utah.edu/>
; College of Social and Behavioral Science:  <https://csbs.utah.edu/>Schools
of Environment, Society & Sustainability  <https://ess.utah.edu/>and Public
Affairs  <https://publicaffairs.utah.edu/index.php>and Departments of
Anthropology  <https://anthro.utah.edu/index.php>, Economics
<https://economics.utah.edu/index.php>, and Sociology & Criminology
<https://soc.utah.edu/index.php>. We seek a colleague with a commitment to
excellence in teaching and demonstrated ability to obtain research funding
and publish high-quality peer-reviewed research. We are especially
interested in candidates who can contribute to our university’s Strategy
2030  <https://strategy.utah.edu/>and the One-U RAI  <https://rai.utah.edu/>
.
About the SCI Institute

The SCI Institute is a transdisciplinary, research-focused partnering
entity at the University of Utah, comprising faculty from four academic
colleges, as well as students and staff (185 current personnel). The SCI
Institute’s vision is to advance translational computing and data to enable
the transformation across disciplines in a way that benefits the University
of Utah and society at large. Its mission is to advance computation and
data science to catalyze research excellence and discovery in diverse
domains applied to multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary problems of
societal importance. The Institute accomplishes these goals through the
collaborative development, deployment, and application of software systems
and tools for applied scientific and data computing, imaging, and
visualization.

Over more than three decades, the SCI Institute has established itself as
an internationally recognized leader in translational innovations across
computational and data science, with leading research and training programs
in the areas of visualization, scientific and biomedical computing, and
image analysis applied to a broad range of challenging problems.

Alongside its research goals is a passion to educate students and staff.
The SCI Institute is proud to have supported over 400 graduate students and
postdoctoral fellows and nearly 100 undergraduates to achieve an education
at the cutting edge of research. Additional information about the Institute
and current faculty can be found at sci.utah.edu
<https://www.sci.utah.edu/>.
About the University

The University of Utah is a Carnegie Research I Institution. Located in
metropolitan Salt Lake City in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains, the
University of Utah is the state’s flagship research institution and
emphasizes exceptional scholarship, quality teaching, and professional
service. The university serves over 32,000 students from across the U.S.
and the world with over 72 major subjects at the undergraduate level and
more than 90 major fields of study at the graduate level, including law and
medicine. Known for its proximity to seven world-class ski resorts within
40 minutes of campus, the University of Utah encourages an active, holistic
lifestyle, innovation, and collaborative thinking to engage students,
faculty, and business leaders. The University of Utah provides a generous
benefits package with a variety of medical and dental plans from which to
choose. Other important benefits include retirement, tuition reduction, a
wellness program, and an Employee Assistance Program.

Salt Lake City is a vibrant, major metropolitan area with a diverse,
multicultural population and numerous cultural and outdoor activities. Utah
and the stunning Salt Lake Valley are undergoing robust economic growth
with one of the Nation’s fastest-growing technology sectors, and the
University of Utah is acclaimed for its successes in technology-driven
start-ups. The University has invested significantly in the SCI Institute,
and substantial further investments are now enabling these recruitments.

Salt Lake City is home to a robust array of diverse communities,
facilitating numerous opportunities for interaction with a range of civic
and political organizations, given the city’s role as the governmental and
social nerve center of the state. Utah public schools serve a diverse
student body (statewide average: eight percent ELs and twenty-six percent
non-white), notably higher in its urban districts. Utah is also home to the
first state-legislated and funded K-16 dual language education model in the
country.

The University of Utah is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer
and educator. Minorities, women, veterans, and persons with disabilities
are strongly encouraged to apply. Veterans’ preference is extended to
qualified veterans. Reasonable disability accommodations will be provided
with appropriate notice. For additional information about the University’s
commitment to equal opportunity and access. For more details see:
http://www.utah.edu/nondiscrimination/.

The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in
settings with students from diverse backgrounds and possess a strong
commitment to improving access to higher education for everyone, including
historically underrepresented students.

Responsibilities:

● Developing and maintaining an ongoing program of scholarly research that
involves computational methods and visualization for application within
climate modeling and forecasting;

● Developing meaningful collaboration with faculty in SCI , one of the
aforementioned home departments, and other academic departments and
research centers (e.g., Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy, the
NSF WIRED Global Center and the Global Change and Sustainability Center),
as applicable, to promote the integration of AI;

● Meeting the teaching requirements in the candidate’s chosen academic
department;

● Engaging as a member of the SCI Institute faculty;

● Training and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students;

● Developing and submitting research funding proposals to national agencies
and foundations;

● Developing partnerships, and commercialization opportunities to drive
excellence and innovation in AI-enhanced research;

● Conducting and publishing rigorous research topics aligned with climate
impacts forecasting;

● Collaborating in transdisciplinary teams to evaluate and improve AI
design, development, and use in climate impacts forecasting;

● Promoting responsible AI by incorporating responsible AI principles and
applications;

● Developing and sharing AI data and tools;

● Securing funding, partnerships, and commercialization opportunities to
drive excellence and innovation in AI-enhanced research;

● Sharing expertise in translational responsible AI through speaking
engagements, including those hosted by the One-U RAI ;

● Participating in monthly cluster-related team building and research
activities; and

● Participating in faculty governance at the department, college, and
university levels.

Qualifications:

● A doctoral degree in environmental or climate science, environmental
studies, environmental engineering, applied math, geological science,
geography, urban planning, computational science, or related fields is
required by July 1, 2026.

● Record of or demonstrated interest in interdisciplinary research and
collaboration.

● Experience in the application of AI in the relevant thematic area(s).

● Excellence in teaching and mentorship.

● Demonstrated ability to secure research funding and manage research
projects.

● Demonstrated commitment to responsible and ethical AI practices.

● Expertise in evaluating the ethical implications of AI in the relevant
thematic area(s).

All faculty are expected to conduct research and/or creative work within an
R1 university setting. The university policy defining career-line vs.
tenure-line faculty is linked here:
https://regulations.utah.edu/academics/6-300.php
<https://regulations.utah.edu/academics/6-300.php>.
The review of applications will begin on November 15, 2025.

Inquiries regarding the position may be directed to the Search Committee
Co-Chairs, Akil Narayan (akil.narayan at utah.edu) and Simon Brewer (
simon.brewer at ess.utah.edu).

EEO/Non-Discrimination Information

All qualified individuals are strongly encouraged to apply. Veterans’
preference is extended to qualified applicants, upon request and consistent
with University policy and Utah state law. Upon request, reasonable
accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals
with disabilities.

The University of Utah is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer
and does not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, color, religion,
national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender
identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions,
genetic information, or protected veteran’s status. The University does not
discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that
it operates, as required by Title IX and 34 CFR part 106. The requirement
not to discriminate in education programs or activities extends to
admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and
its regulations may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, to the
Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, or both.

To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability or if you or someone
you know has experienced discrimination or sexual misconduct including
sexual harassment, you may contact the Director/Title IX Coordinator in the
Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action ( OEO /AA). More
information, including the Director/Title IX Coordinator’s office address,
electronic mail address, and telephone number can be located at:

https://www.utah.edu/nondiscrimination/

Online reports may be submitted at oeo.utah.edu

Notice

The University is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems
(“URS”). Eligible new hires with prior URS service, may elect to enroll in
URS if they make the election before they become eligible for retirement
(usually the first day of work). Contact Human Resources at (801) 581-7447
for information. Individuals who previously retired and are receiving
monthly retirement benefits from URS are subject to URS’ post-retirement
rules and restrictions. Please contact Utah Retirement Systems at (801)
366-7770 or (800) 695-4877 or University Human Resource Management at (801)
581-7447 if you have questions regarding the post-retirement rules.

This position may require the successful completion of a criminal
background check and/or drug screen.

https://safety.utah.edu/safetyreport This report includes statistics about
criminal offenses, hate crimes, arrests and referrals for disciplinary
action, and Violence Against Women Act offenses. They also provide
information about safety and security-related services offered by the
University of Utah. A paper copy can be obtained by request at the
Department of Public Safety located at 1658 East 500 South.

Special Instructions for Candidates

Qualified applicants must submit:

● A letter of intent including research and teaching interests;

● Curriculum vitae

● Teaching philosophy statement

References will not be contacted prior to receiving the candidate’s consent
to contact. Candidates may be asked to provide additional information
during the search process.

Open Date 09/11/2025

Close Date

Open Until Filled Yes

Requisition Number PRN01408CF

Type Faculty
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