Research Associate

We are seeking a domestic PhD student with a background in Civil and Environmental Engineering or a related field to participate in a graduate program focused on the resilience and sustainability of the built environment (https://www.colorado.edu/gaann-infrastructure/). The start date for this position is as soon as spring 2025 or a later semester. The potential focus of this work is:
Is Water-Wise also Fire-Wise?

In Colorado and other western U.S. states, two major climate-change related challenges are increasing water scarcity due to declining snowpack and the increasing wildfires impacting urban areas. One major proposed solution for water scarcity is to reduce urban outdoor water use, which often makes up the majority of urban water use in the western U.S. Recently for example, more than 30 water agencies in the Colorado River Basin, including Denver Water, committed to remove 30% of non-functional turf and reduce the demand in the basin. These strategies include large-scale landscape transformations by removing conventional turfgrass and replacing with water-wise landscaping. One perceived barrier is that these water-wise landscaping are mutually exclusive with fire-wise landscaping. In this research, we will use modeling of fire simulation and statistical approaches to define the relationship between wise-wise and fire-wise landscapes. We will also explore the mechanisms used to motivate property owners to comply with these ideas, their success, and their relation to also advancing fire resilience goals.