Research Associate (5245C) - Civil & Environmental Engineering

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Departmental Overview

The Civil & Environmental Engineering Department at the University of California, Berkeley has a position opening for a Research Associate. The individual will be based in-person at UC Berkeley and will be part of the GeoSystems Engineering Faculty and Staff working under the direction of Professor Dimitrios Zekkos. The individual will be funded through a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to support the Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance Association (GEER), which is currently led by Prof. Zekkos at UC Berkeley, Prof. Nina Stark at the University of Florida and Prof. Brady Cox at Utah State University.

The College of Engineering at UC Berkeley is recognized for its educational and research excellence, consistently ranking among the top three engineering schools in the country. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) is one of the most prestigious academic departments within the College and on campus. US News and World Report has, for many years, ranked CEEs graduate program in civil engineering #1 in the nation. CEE offers a rigorous academic education that prepares students for leadership in the profession of civil and environmental engineering.

The Geosystems program is part of the CEE Department and has a very long and distinguished legacy in geotechnical engineering. Geosystems faculty, students, and researchers have been pioneers in research directions that have shaped the geotechnical engineering profession. The Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) Association is recognized internationally as a premier organization in extreme event investigation. Supported by the NSF, GEER brings together a global network of geotechnical engineers, engineering geologists, and earth scientists to collect perishable data during extreme events with geotechnical engineering impacts. GEER is widely regarded as the principal entity for collecting critical field data following earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, and other ground failures. Through its reconnaissance missions, GEER offers hands-on field experience and training that prepares professionals for leadership in disaster response and hazard mitigation. GEER has a legacy of continuously pioneering advanced technologies and protocols that have shaped the profession and enhanced community resilience.

Position Summary

The Research Associate is responsible for managing Geotechnical Extreme Event Reconnaissance Association (GEER) communications, operations, deployments, education and outreach and data archiving activities. This position coordinates the engagement of stakeholders in critical areas even before the occurrence of an event, manages virtual communications during reconnaissance, and facilitates collaborations with NHERI DesignSafe, NHERI Rapid and other partners. The Research Associate supports coordination with the science advisory groups (SAGs), virtual reconnaissance teams, and field deployment teams to ensure efficient data collection, indexing and communication of findings to advance hazard science. Additionally, this position assists with hosting virtual and in-person GEER events, outputs, communications and training.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: October 30, 2026. For full consideration, please apply on or before the first review date.

Responsibilities

Extreme Event Response - 30%

• Support GEERs response during and after the extreme events that include; Earthquakes, Landslides & Ground Failures, Hurricanes & Typhoons, Floods & Extreme Storms, Wildfires, etc. Provide administrative and technical support using established procedures during the response (virtual and in-person) with an emphasis on ensuring that perishable data is made available through GEER and GEER partners.

Data Generation and Dissemination - 30%

• Support GEER in the generation and dissemination of open AI-ready datasets that can be used to advance natural hazard research and science. Key part of this position is to strengthen the output of GEER so that extreme event reconnaissance data is readily available to the scientific community. Assist the reconnaissance team in creating such datasets as necessary.

Outreach and Communication Strategy - 30%

• Lead the outreach and communication strategy of GEER with a focus on engaging the scientific community, engaging with GEER stakeholders, and communicating GEER findings. This includes operating the website, the newsletter and supporting the organization of GEER events to communicate the impact of GEER.

Data Management Protocols - 5%

• Assists in developing protocols for data management and curation activities with a focus on AI-ready datasets. This includes protocols for data collection and data archiving in NHERI Designsafe.

Field Equipment and Deployment - 5%

• Maintain field equipment and deploy as part of a GEER extreme events response team to areas affected by extreme events. Receive training and potentially deploy to disasteraffected areas with specialty equipment. Participate in reconnaissance studies and assist with data collection, particularly using equipment for which training will be provided.

Required Qualifications

• Technical background to one of the following areas: field data acquisition, sensing (sensors, remote sensing), geospatial data analysis of optical, multi-spectral and radar imagery, or disaster data analysis using programming and AI.
• Minimum of three (3) years of professional or research experience collecting, processing and analyzing geotechnical and/or geospatial data, preferably within a university research, government, or non-profit environment.
• Demonstrated experience with project management and data management practices.
• Experience with field work for geotechnical characterization under difficult conditions.
• Ability to foster collaborative relationships and provide essential support to research teams.
• Excellent writing and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience with field data analysis. Demonstrated experience with design and implementation of computational tools such as AI, machine vision, remote sensing data analysis.
• Demonstrated experience with geospatial data analysis, field geodetic data collection (i.e. LiDAR, UAS, GPS, TLS).
• Demonstrated experience with cyberinfrastructure development lifecycle for processing and managing complex, high-volume geospatial data with open-data principles.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading and coordinating field teams in complex and challenging environments.
• Two to five (2-5) years post-PhD research experience collecting, processing and analyzing geotechnical and/or geospatial data.
• Experience working with or in the hazards community (e.g., emergency management, geoscience, climate resilience).

Education / Training

• Master's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training (Preferred)
• PhD in geotechnical engineering or geosciences or engineering (Preferred)

Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $31.68 to $43.09 hourly.

• This is a non-exempt, bi-weekly paid position.
• This is a full-time (40 hours/week) Career position eligible for UC benefits.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

Other Information

• This is not a visa opportunity. This position does not include sponsorship of a new consular H-1B visa petition that would require payment of the $100,000 supplemental fee.
• This position is covered by the collective bargaining agreement between UAW (United Auto Workers) and the University of California Regents for RP.

Conviction History Background

This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

Misconduct

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

"Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy

UC Anti-Discrimination Policy

Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.