Postdoctoral Associate - Earth Environmental Planetary Sciences

Dr. Ian McBrearty’s lab in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to work at the intersection of machine learning and geophysics. The lab focuses on developing data-driven techniques for earthquake monitoring, processing data from large seismic networks, and creating neural-surrogate emulations of PDEs governing tectonic and volcanic processes.

About the role

This is an on-campus, exempt (salaried) position located in Houston, Texas. Continued employment is contingent on the renewal of grant funding.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deploy machine learning models, specifically graph neural networks (GNNs), to process large, spatially irregular seismic datasets and advance neural-surrogate emulations of PDEs governing geophysical processes.
• Document, analyze, and maintain research data.
• Publish and present research findings in high-impact journals and conferences.
• Support project management and collaboration across institutions or disciplines.
• Perform all other assigned duties.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Geophysics, Computer Science, Data Science, Applied Mathematics, or a related quantitative field.
• Strong Python programming skills and practical experience with deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow) for scientific data analysis.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, as well as oral presentation skills.
• Organization and time management skills.
• Knowledge of modern research methods, data collection, and analyses.
• Ability to write scholarly papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
• Able to work in a collaborative environment.
• Able to work independently and professionally with minimal supervision.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) or physics-informed machine learning (PINNs).
• Background in seismological software packages (e.g., ObsPy) and large-scale, high-performance computing (HPC) data processing.

Pay

$65,000 per year.

Review of applications begins September 1, 2026, and will continue until the position is filled. Informal inquiries can be sent to Dr. Ian McBrearty at im76@rice.edu.