PhD Positions in Climate-Related Hazards, Fire Modeling, and Flood Prediction at University of Virginia University of Virginia in United States

The Environmental Hazard & Climate Resilience (EHCR) Lab at the University of Virginia is recruiting two fully funded PhD students to begin in Fall 2026. The lab focuses on integrating remote sensing, Earth system modeling, and machine learning to study climate-related hazards such as wildfire, drought, and flood, and their impacts on ecosystems and human communities. Research directions include next-generation fire modeling (ignition, spread, suppression), changes in fire behavior and impacts in a changing environment, and high-resolution snow hydrology and flood prediction.

The group offers personalized mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and international engagement. The PI, Dr. Huilin Huang, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences, with expertise in wildfire and land cover change, carbon cycling, and land-atmosphere interactions.

Applicants should have a background in atmospheric science, geography, ecology, hydrology, environmental science, computer science, engineering, or related fields, and experience with programming and numerical modeling. The positions are fully funded for 5 years, covering tuition and stipend. To apply, candidates should submit a cover letter, CV, and GRE/TOEFL scores (if applicable) to Dr. Huang and also apply through the UVA Graduate School portal by January 15, 2026.