1. Soil Evaporation Study
2. Greenhouse and Regulated Gas Emissions Study

Graduate research assistantships are available at Utah State University within the Department of Plants, Soils and Climate. The Environmental Soil Physics Group (http://soilphysics.usu.edu/) welcomes graduate student applications for 3-year funded projects ($16,000/year) in addition to full tuition remission and student health insurance. The Ph.D. degree may be earned within Soil Science or in Biological and Irrigation Engineering, depending on the candidate's background and preference. Support for travel to professional meetings will be provided for presentation of research findings. A solid background in mathematics and physics is critical for this research.

The successful student will be self motivated and proactive in research and writing activities and will employ numerical modeling of subsurface processes using simulation packages such as Mathcad, MATLAB, HYDRUS-1D, -2D/3D or other modeling software. Preference will be given to candidates with an M.S. in Earth or Environmental Science/Engineering, Soil Physics, or Hydrology. Field and laboratory experience is preferred and publication experience is highly desirable. Work will be carried out at USU and at the University of Arizona in collaboration with Dr. Markus Tuller. The position (3-year minimum) is available immediately and will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. Funding is presently available under two different research topics:

1) The first involves development and testing of a novel measurement and modeling approach for subsurface soil evaporation rate determination using an innovative heat pulse-based sensor. The student will participate in both laboratory and field experiments where sensors are deployed. Data analysis will be combined with modeling of the evaporation process. Laboratory measurements will be conducted in an environmentally controlled chamber and field experiments will involve heat-pulse sensors coupled with microlysimeters and remote sensing measurements in Idaho and Arizona.

2) The second involves development of porous medium gas emission measurement systems for assessing greenhouse and regulated gas fluxes from animal feeding operations. The student will assist in design, calibration and testing of gas sensors and in the development of modeling approaches to characterize target gas fluxes from porous media. Target gases include CH4, NH3, N2O, NOx, H2S and VOC's. Data collection, analysis and dissemination is a key part of this study under the USDA Air Quality Program.

Applications for either position should include: (1) a statement of interests and goals, (2) a CV with copies of transcripts, (3) GRE scores and (if international student) TOEFL or IELTS scores if available and (4) names and contact information for 3-5 references. For USU graduate admission requirements please see: http://www.usu.edu/graduateschool/ . Email/send applications to soilphysics@gmail.com or mail to Scott B. Jones; 4820 Old Main Hill; Utah State University; Logan, UT 84322-4820; Tel: 435-797-2175.