Samuel A.

Fully funded PhD opportunities are available at the University of Illinois Chicago in the newly established Human-Infrastructure Systems Lab (Hi Lab) within the Department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering. The lab is recruiting PhD students for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 under a new tenure-track Assistant Professor. Research interests include human-infrastructure systems , resilience , mobility technologies , natural hazards , disasters , cascading failures , and adaptive governance with a strong emphasis on equity and justice-oriented research . Example topics mentioned include equitable evacuation during wildfires and floods, lived experience of infrastructure disruption, cascading failures across transportation/energy/water/communication systems, immigrant mobility under institutional stress, adaptive infrastructure governance during hazards, and equitable emerging mobility systems such as electric and autonomous vehicles. Applicants should be motivated by justice-focused questions and have skills in statistical modeling (R, Python, or STATA), geographic mapping and spatial analysis (ArcGIS, Python, and/or R), and independent research. Preferred experience includes qualitative methods, stakeholder engagement, strong writing, and causal/predictive modeling. Due to visa uncertainties, priority is being given to US-based students and international students already in the US with valid visas. Interested candidates should email a brief statement of research interests and a CV to the recruiter.