Open Postdoctoral Position

The School of Engineering and Sciences at Tecnológico de Monterrey invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow within the Research Group Water 360°. The successful candidate will be engaged in: Environmental Geoprocesses. The candidate will be working in close collaboration with Dr. Jürgen Mahlknecht at the main projects “Coastal Aquifers, Salinization and Water Security under Climate Change” and “Data-Driven Hydrogeology: Integrating Environmental Tracers, Hydrochemistry and Artificial Intelligence”

Research Issues/(research project):

The postdoctoral researcher will contribute to an interdisciplinary research program focused on understanding and predicting the response of groundwater systems to climate change, seawater intrusion, groundwater abstraction, land-use change, and water-quality deterioration.

Particular emphasis will be placed on coastal and water-stressed aquifers, where changes in recharge, pumping, sea level, and hydrogeochemical conditions can strongly affect groundwater availability and quality.

The research will integrate field observations, hydrogeochemistry, environmental tracers, geospatial information, numerical and statistical approaches, and artificial intelligence/machine-learning techniques to improve the characterization, interpretation, and prediction of groundwater systems.

The candidate will have the opportunity to work on topics such as:

• Groundwater salinization and seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers.
• Groundwater recharge and climate-change impacts on groundwater resources.
• Identification of groundwater flow paths, mixing processes, and water–rock interactions.
• Application of environmental and stable isotopes as groundwater tracers.
• Hydrogeochemical characterization and identification of geogenic and anthropogenic contamination sources.
• Development of conceptual models of complex groundwater systems.
• Integration of hydrochemical, isotopic, climatic, geological, and remote-sensing datasets.
• Application of machine learning, explainable artificial intelligence, Bayesian approaches, and spatial statistics to groundwater assessment.
• Development of predictive tools for groundwater vulnerability, salinization, water quality, and water security.
• Assessment of groundwater-management and climate-adaptation scenarios.

Related Activities

The postdoctoral researcher will be expected to:

• Conduct independent and collaborative research within the above-mentioned research areas.
• Analyze existing hydrogeological, hydrochemical, isotopic, climatic, and geospatial datasets.
• Participate in the design and implementation of field campaigns and groundwater-monitoring activities when required.
• Develop innovative quantitative, statistical, and/or machine-learning approaches for groundwater analysis.
• Prepare high-quality manuscripts for publication in leading international JCR-indexed journals.
• Present research results at international scientific conferences.
• Collaborate with graduate students and researchers from Tecnológico de Monterrey and international partner institutions.
• Contribute to the preparation of research proposals and the development of new international collaborations.
• Participate in scientific seminars and activities of the Climate and Sustainability Research Core and the Water 360° Research Group.
• Contribute to translating scientific results into recommendations relevant to groundwater management, climate resilience, and water security.

Qualifications:

• PhD in Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Environmental Sciences, Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Environmental Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Strong scientific production demonstrated through publications in JCR-indexed journals and/or presentations at recognized international conferences.
• Strong background in at least one of the following areas: groundwater hydrology, hydrogeochemistry, environmental isotopes, coastal aquifers, groundwater salinization, contaminant hydrogeology, groundwater modelling, or quantitative hydrology.
• Experience in the analysis and interpretation of hydrochemical and/or isotopic groundwater datasets.
• Strong quantitative and data-analysis skills.
• Experience with Python, R, MATLAB, or similar scientific programming environments is highly desirable.
• Experience with machine learning, artificial intelligence, Bayesian modelling, geostatistics, or advanced statistical methods is highly desirable.
• Experience with GIS and spatial analysis is desirable.
• Experience with groundwater modelling tools such as MODFLOW, SEAWAT, PEST, PHREEQC, or equivalent software would be considered an advantage.
• Experience in groundwater fieldwork, sampling, hydrochemical analysis, or environmental-tracer studies would be an advantage.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to multidisciplinary and international research teams.
• Demonstrated ability to formulate scientific questions, analyze complex datasets, and communicate research findings clearly.
• Strong motivation to publish in high-impact international journals and develop an independent research profile.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Willingness to collaborate with international academic, governmental, and industrial partners.
• Spanish language skills are welcome but not required.

Compensation:

• Full-time postdoctoral position for one year, with the possibility of extension for a second year, subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability.
• Starting date: As soon as possible (flexible, upon agreement with the selected candidate).
• Competitive salary and benefits, in accordance with Tecnológico de Monterrey policies and commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Application requirements:

• A detailed CV, including a complete list of publications, awards and recognitions, and the earliest possible starting date.
• A short research statement describing previous work, current research interests, and the candidate’s future vision for the field.
• The names and contact information of three referees who may be contacted for letters of recommendation.
• A PDF copy of one recent publication that the candidate considers representative of his/her research work.

About Tecnológico de Monterrey (tec.mx)

Tecnológico de Monterrey, the leading private University in México, continues strengthening and renewing the commitment with its research strategy, making research an institutional priority to: significantly contribute to the quality of its teaching-learning process (Educate), transform the scientific and technological knowledge into innovative solutions that benefit society (Innovate) and transform, through knowledge generation and transfer, impacting the community in economic, political and social aspects. Aimed to fulfill these objectives, Tecnológico de Monterrey has designed an action-research model, named Research that Transforms Lives, based on a collaborative, interdisciplinary and open innovation ecosystem, with participation of researchers, teachers, professional and graduate students. Research that Transforms Lives objective is to be and engine that generates innovative solutions for the economic and social development of México. 40 Research Groups with Strategic Focus have been stablished where the scientific activity starts from a specific challenge, which is connected with a discipline and, more precisely, connected with specific topics and approaches. The entire scientific publication effort is done having in mind an application context, either to support the productive sector or to satisfy the communities’ social demands on issues such as health, food, education, housing, transportation, business, public policy, among others.