Assistant Professor, Risk and Reliability for Natural Hazards

The challenge of understanding risk, increasing resilience and reducing societies exposure to, and impact from natural hazards is a global one.  The reality we see today has created a demand for engineers who can work across disciplines and incorporate transdisciplinary approaches to engineering design, especially infrastructure systems under increased stress from climate change.   The Department of Civil Engineering, in the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary is pleased to invite applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor in the area of Risk and Reliability for Natural Hazards.  The anticipated start date is July 1, 2021 or mutually agreed upon date.

The successful applicant will align with the University of Calgary's Growth Through Focus strategic vision and support its strategic academic and research priorities of transdisciplinary scholarship, future-focused program delivery, and deeper community integration. 

You will be an emerging scholar with an original, creative, innovative and forward-looking research program, with demonstrated excellence in Civil and/or Environmental Engineering.  This will be evidenced by high-quality scholarly output and research impact that demonstrates the potential for independent research leading to peer-evaluated publications, securing of external research funding, active engagement with industry, and supervision of graduate students.  You will be able to demonstrate a strong academic background with research expertise in Civil and/or Environmental Engineering, an ability to work as part of our highly-collaborative research teams, and preferably have participated in municipal, provincial, industrial and/or Indigenous community collaborative research. 

With a proven track record in the field of disaster and risk mitigation, reliability and resilience, and a strong statistical and stochastic modelling background, you will have familiarity with predictive modeling, decision theory, and data-driven methodologies to characterize, model and predict the effect of natural hazards and their mutual interactions on the built environment.   Preference will be given to candidates with a background in earth system modelling, climatology, hydro-meteorology and hydrology; and the application of these principles in modelling, engineering design and decision making.  Areas of research interest should include one or more of the following:

• analysis and modelling of extreme events under climate non-stationarity, including designing new tools for flood and drought mitigation;
• socio-hydrological modelling of coupled human-natural systems and decision making under uncertainty; and/or
• improving the resiliency of communities and reducing risk to infrastructure, such as structural and non-structural mitigation measures that can reduce the risk imposed by natural hazards (e.g. flooding)

You will have a demonstrated ability to develop and teach a range of undergraduate and graduate courses core to engineering and on topics related to Civil, Sustainable and/or Environmental Engineering.  You will actively contribute to teaching, curriculum development, graduate student supervision and mentoring, and are expected to provide service in support of the Department, School, University and Profession.  As a member of the University of Calgary community, you will support, and contribute to, equity, diversity and inclusion and a positive working and learning environment. 

To be eligible for consideration, candidates must hold a B.Sc. in Civil, Environmental Engineering, or equivalent Engineering degree and a Ph.D. in Civil or Environmental Engineering or a closely related discipline; have a strong research track record; and provide evidence of excellence in teaching. Relevant industrial experience is an asset.  Candidates should have strong oral and written English communication skills. All candidates must be eligible for registration as a professional engineer with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA).

You will benefit from a rich ecosystem that includes world-class engineering scholars, a focus on entrepreneurship and innovation, and a university community that supports transdisciplinary research, partnerships and collaborations, and supports research and teaching excellence.  You will have a unique opportunity to engage with the Urban Alliance, a partnership between the University of Calgary and the City of Calgary. 

Housed within the Schulich School of Engineering, the Department of Civil Engineering supports Catalyst for a Connected World, while sharpening our focus on sustainable infrastructure that is adaptive to the climates of today and tomorrow.

Interested individuals are encouraged to apply online via UCalgary Careers (careers.ucalgary.ca). Please be aware that the application process allows for only four attachments. Your four application attachments should be organized to contain the following (which may require you to merge documents, such as publications):

• Cover letter and curriculum vitae, including the name and contact information of three referees
• Statement of research interests, accomplishments and vision (3 pages)
• Statement of teaching philosophy (2 pages)
• Statement on equity, diversity and inclusion (2 pages)
• Applications will be accepted until March 7, 2021.

To apply, visit job opening 22118: https://careers.ucalgary.ca/jobs/6243619-assistant-professor-risk-and-reliability-for-natural-hazards-department-of-civil-engineering

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High, committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

The University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. In this connection, at the time of your application, please answer the following question: Are you a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada? (Yes/No)

The University of Calgary recognizes that candidates have varying career paths and that career interruptions can be part of an excellent academic record. Candidates are encouraged but not required to provide any relevant information about their experience and/or career interruptions to allow for a fair assessment of their application. Selection committees have been instructed to give careful consideration to, and be sensitive to the impact of career interruptions, when assessing the candidate's research productivity. 

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is Canada’s leading next-generation university – a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation’s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

About Calgary, Alberta

Calgary is one of the world's cleanest cities and has been named one of the world's most livable cities for years. Calgary is a city of leaders - in business, community, philanthropy and volunteerism. Calgarians benefit from a growing number of world-class dining and cultural events and enjoy more days of sunshine per year than any other major Canadian city. Calgary is less than an hour's drive from the majestic Rocky Mountains and boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America.