Graduate Research Opportunities – Now Available

Civil and Transportation Engineering: The USDOT University Transportation Center for Advanced Multimodal Mobility Solutions and Education (CAMMSE – http://cammse.uncc.edu/) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) is currently recruiting multiple highly motivated Ph.D. students to join Dr. Wei (David) Fan’s research group, starting Fall 2023. Applicants should have a B.S. or M.S. in Operations Research, Transportation Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline. Applicants should possess the ability to work independently, as well as in a team. Proficient scientific writing skills and fluency (both oral and written) in English are required. Other desired qualifications should include, but are not limited to the following: (1) the determination to break new ground and succeed; (2) strong research interests in optimization methods (e.g., linear, integer and nonlinear programming, stochastic optimization), statistics and/or traffic simulation; and (3) considerable programming experience (e.g., in C/C++, Java, Python, and/or MATLAB).

Interested students are encouraged to send his/her resume along with TOEFL and GRE scores, and transcripts directly to Dr. Wei (David) Fan at wfan7@uncc.edu. Feel free to refer to his webpage at https://sites.google.com/view/professorweifan/ and the CAMMSE center at https://cammse.uncc.edu/ for more detailed information. Review of applications will start immediately.

February 2, 2023


Systems Engineering and Engineering Management: A graduate research assistantship is available immediately in Dr. Vishnu Prabhu’s research group (PhD students in the INES program will be given preference). His team works on utilizing Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, wearable devices, and digital health tools to address pain, anxiety, and mental health issues and has conducted multiple clinical trials. Applicants interested in healthcare research are encouraged to apply. This specific position requires VR/AR environment development skills.

Desired qualifications include:
• Strong programming skills (C#, Python – mandatory).
• Basic knowledge of statistics (mandatory)
• Prior experience developing environments in Unity 3D/Unreal Engine, working with biosignals, and human-subjects research experience would be a plus (not mandatory)

A competitive stipend, full tuition waiver, and health insurance benefits will be provided. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Prabhu (vgirisha@uncc.edu) with a CV and a description of their background and research interests.

January 10, 2023.


Civil Engineering Technology and Construction Management: Prof. Rachael Sherman is seeking a Ph.D. student to join her research group at UNC Charlotte’s college of engineering starting Spring 2021. Her team works on researching effective planning for power utility projects and how they impact the communities they serve. The Ph.D. student will join a collaborative team of interdisciplinary researchers in civil engineering, and construction management. Candidate should have desire to understand the overlap between engineering and social equity and be passionate about improving the community through their engineering skillset. Students with Civil Engineering background and coding experience are encouraged to apply. If interested, please send your CV to Prof Rachael Sherman at rsherma6@uncc.edu.

February 10, 2021.


Civil Engineering Technology and Construction Management: Prof. Omid Shoghli is seeking a Ph.D. student to join his research group at UNC Charlotte’s college of engineering starting Fall 2019. His team works on applications of advanced machine learning for Infrastructure Asset Management. The Ph.D. student will join a collaborative team of interdisciplinary researchers in civil engineering, computer engineering, and experts in highway asset management practice. Candidate should have good programming skills and basic knowledge of machine learning and deep learning. Students with Civil Engineering background are encouraged to apply. If interested, please send your CV to Prof Omid Shoghli at oshoghli@uncc.edu. February 22, 2019.


Infrastructure and Environmental Systems: A Ph.D. research assistantship is available starting in Spring 2019 in Dr. Nicole Barclay’s research group at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. Interested students should contact Dr. Barclay at nbarclay@uncc.edu with your resume or CV. The selected student will conduct research in stormwater infrastructure systems using simulation modeling and by performing field work. Desired qualifications include a background in civil engineering, environmental engineering, water resources engineering or related fields. Applicants should have previous research experience in addition to strong communication and writing skills. A competitive stipend, full tuition waiver, and health insurance benefits will be offered to the selected student. Applicants must also meet admissions requirements set forth by the UNC Charlotte Graduate School and the William States Lee College of Engineering. (Posted 10/05/2018)


Infrastructure and Environmental Systems: Positions are available for a graduate research assistant with the Doctoral Program of Infrastructure and Environmental Systems, starting Fall 2018. Applicants interested in the areas of disinfection byproduct control are encouraged to apply. Desired qualifications include: (1) B.S. or B.E. degree in environmental engineering/science, chemistry, chemical engineering, civil engineering or other related fields with good academic record; (2) strong interest in and commitment to research; (3) familiarity with principles of environmental chemistry and water/wastewater treatment; (4) research experience in a chemistry or environmental laboratory; and (5) good oral and written communication skills. Applicants must also meet admission requirements of the UNC Charlotte Graduate School and the William States Lee College of Engineering. Review of applications will start immediately until the position is filled. A competitive stipend, full tuition waiver, and health insurance benefits will be provided. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Mei Sun (msun8@uncc.edu) with a CV and a description of background and research interests before application. For consideration, candidates will need to submit complete applications through the UNC Charlotte graduate admission system (https://gradadmissions.charlotte.edu/apply). (Posted March 30, 2018)


Environmental Engineering: Ph.D. research assistantship is available in Dr. Jacelyn Rice’s research group at the University of North Carolina Charlotte starting Spring 2018. Highly motivated individuals interested in research pertaining to integrated modeling for water quality assessment, contaminant fate and transport, and/or sustainable water management are encouraged to apply. Applicants should have a background in environmental engineering/science, civil engineering, or a related field, and should have strong verbal and written communication skills. Experience with laboratory research, computer modeling, and environmental analytical chemistry are considered a positive, but not mandatory. Interested students are requested to contact Dr. Rice (jrice35@uncc.edu) with your resume and brief statement of research interests. (Posted on January 5, 2018)


Thermography-based Building Energy Analysis: MSc/PhD research assistantship (Part-time with a potential to a full-time support based on the applicant performance) is available starting October 2017 in Dr. Navid Goudarzi research group at the University of North Carolina Charlotte (UNCC). Highly motivated individuals with background in building energy analysis and IR thermography are encouraged to contact Dr. Goudarzi at (navid.goudarzi@uncc.edu). Please include your CV. (Posted on September 13, 2017)


Research in building, controls and architectural engineering: Ph.D. research assistantships are available starting Spring 2017 in Dr. Weimin Wang’s research group at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC). Highly motivated individuals with strong background in building HVAC systems, architectural engineering or automatic controls are strongly encouraged to apply. Previous experience with building simulation and energy analytics are preferred. Inquiries should be sent to Dr. Weimin Wang at (weimin.wang@uncc.edu) with a current CV. (Posted on October 16, 2016)


Environmental Engineering: Graduate research assistantship is available in Dr. Mariya Munir’s research group for highly qualified and motivated graduate students starting fall 2016. Additional appointments may be considered with funding subject to availability. Primary area of research includes microbial water quality and public health issues with specific emphasis on antibiotic resistance in water and soil environment, detection, removal and inactivation of emerging biological and chemical contaminants in drinking water and wastewater systems. Dr. Munir’s research mostly focuses on application on molecular genetics techniques to study pathogenic microbes and other emerging contaminants in the environment.

Applicants should have a background related to environmental engineering, environmental science, biotechnology, public health or a related field. Please send your resume and brief statement of research interests to Dr. Munir (mmunir@uncc.edu) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Review of applications will start immediately. Applicants must also meet admissions requirements set forth by the UNC Charlotte Graduate School and the William States Lee College of Engineering.(Posted on Feb. 24, 2016)


Environmental Engineering: Ph.D. research assistantship is available starting Fall 2016 in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Applicants interested in the following research topics are encouraged to apply: (1) disinfection byproduct (DBP) control in drinking water; (2) treatment of waste streams from water/wastewater treatment processes; (3) treatment of wastewater from the energy industry.Desired qualifications include: B.S. or B.E. degree in environmental engineering/science, chemistry, chemical engineering, civil engineering or other related fields; strong interest in and commitment to pursuing a doctoral degree; familiarity with principles of environmental chemistry and water/wastewater treatment; as well as strong oral and written communication skills. A master’s degree in the majors listed above and research experience in a chemistry or environmental laboratory are preferred. More information is available at http://coefs.uncc.edu/msun8/. Interested students are encouraged to contact Dr. Mei Sun (msun8@uncc.edu) with details about their background and research interests.(Posted on Feb. 24, 2016)


Structural Engineering (Infrastructure and Extreme Loads): One graduate research assistantship is available in Dr. Nicole Leo Braxtan’s research group starting Fall 2016 for a highly motivated individual with B.S. and M.S degrees in civil engineering or related fields and strong interest in and commitment to pursuing Ph.D. studies in structural engineering. Additional appointments at the M.S. or Ph.D. level may be considered with funding subject to availability. Research topics include analysis and design of buildings, bridges, and energy infrastructure subject to extreme loads, i.e. fire, earthquake, wind. Priority will be given to applicants with experience in experimental testing and/or finite element modeling of structural systems. More information is available at http://coefs.uncc.edu/nbraxtan/. Interested students are encouraged to contact Dr. Nicole Braxtan (nbraxtan@uncc.edu) with details about their background and research interests. (Posted on February 24, 2016)


Transportation Systems Engineering: Several graduate research assistantships and post-doctoral openings are available in Dr. Wei (David) Fan’s research group, starting Fall 2014 for highly motivated individuals with B.S. degrees in civil, transportation, mathematics/statistics, operations research or other engineering and strong interest and commitment in pursuing MS/Ph.D. studies in transportation systems engineering. Previous experiences with (1) traffic operations and simulation, planning and safety, (2) operations research including optimization and/or data analysis, and/or (3) pavement materials and design are preferred.Refer to http://coefs.uncc.edu/wfan7/ for details and send your resume along with GRE and GPA scores to Dr. Fan at wfan7@uncc.edu in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Review of applications will start immediately. (Posted on Feb 18, 2014)


Energy Forecasting and Optimization: Several graduate research assistantships are available in Dr. Tao Hong’s research group. Dr. Hong welcomes self-motivated students with high integrity and strong interest in the area of analytics applications in energy industry. In addition, the following are preferred:(1) Academic training in forecasting and optimization,(2) Field experience in energy industry (oil, gas and utilities), and(3) College degree in Operations Research; Electrical, Industrial, Environmental Engineering; Economics, Computer Science, or Mathematics. For more information, please visit www.drhongtao.com and https://seem.uncc.edu/directory/dr-tao-hong (Posted on Feb 18, 2014)