Dr. Marie-Odile Fortier at the University of California, Merced (UC Merced) is seeking motivated and highly qualified graduate students to join her research group through the Environmental Systems and/or the Mechanical Engineering graduate programs in Fall 2019. Dr. Fortier is part of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the School of Engineering at UC Merced.

The research group analyzes the life-cycle climate change impacts of renewable energy systems, bioenergy systems, mining for energy metals, climate change mitigation strategies, and emerging industries with a focus on geographic modeling for resource availability over time and direct land use change impacts. Students with prior experience with GIS, energy systems design and modeling, thermodynamics, programming in Python or R, big data, and/or life cycle assessment (LCA) are encouraged to apply. A strong interest in LCA, excellent writing skills, and prior research experience are ideal. Prospective students should have earned a BS and/or MS degree in engineering, environmental science, energy systems, or related fields by their start date at UC Merced. Students applying for the PhD program (in Environmental Systems or in Mechanical Engineering) will be given priority for admission and funding.

The University of California, Merced, is the newest of the University of California system’s 10 campuses and the first American research university built in the 21st century. With more than 7,500 undergraduate and graduate students, UC Merced offers an environment that combines a commitment to diversity, inclusion, collaboration and professional development. The University of California, Merced is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer with a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of diversity among its faculty, students and staff.

UC Merced fosters and encourages interdisciplinary research and displays a commitment to sustainability across its main campus. Its location in the San Joaquin Valley allows for a relatively low cost of living in California and for weekend or day trips to the San Francisco Bay area, the Los Angeles area, and national parks such as Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks. The main campus is also only an hour’s drive from the 5th largest city in California, Fresno.

Interested students should contact Dr. Marie-Odile Fortier at mfortier2@ucmerced.edu with a CV/resume and a description of research interests and experience prior to submitting an application. Complete graduate applications are due to UC Merced by January 15th, 2019 through the following website: https://graduatedivision.ucmerced.edu/prospective-students/how-apply.