We encourage students at all levels to get hands-on research experience through coursework, internships or working in a lab.
Many of our faculty employ undergraduate students through the UWM Office of Undergraduate Research.
Students in the MS Thesis and PhD programs for freshwater sciences must be accepted by a faculty member who will serve as the major professor and be primarily responsible for matriculation. We strongly encourage you to reach out to the faculty member whose research is of greatest interest to you. A short e-mail to introduce yourself and let us know that you are interested is a great starting point.
Current Opportunities
Newton Lab: Microbial Processes in Municipal Wastewater Conveyance Systems
The Newton research group (www.newtonlabuwm.org) is looking for an MS Thesis graduate student to conduct research on the microbial ecology of wastewater conveyance systems. The anticipated start date is August 2024.
The research will focus on how biological interventions impact microbial processes in municipal wastewater conveyance systems and will involve molecular biology and microbial community-based DNA sequencing and analysis in an applied context. This is a great opportunity to apply microbiological principles to urban water issues and work with others in water industry. A strong background in biology/microbiology or environmental engineering is preferred.
Please contact Dr. Newton (newtonr@uwm.edu) with questions or your interest in applying to the Freshwater Sciences program at UWM School of Freshwater Sciences. Graduate school applications for August (Fall 2024 semester) are due by January 15, 2024. For more information, see www.uwm.edu/freshwater.
Kravtsov Lab: Multi-Scale Statistical Modeling of Precipitation over the Global Domain
The Kravtsov research group is seeking a PhD student who will learn and apply the techniques of empirical climate modeling to simulate global precipitation patterns. The anticipated start date is August 2024.
We propose to build a seamless multi-scale high-resolution statistical modeling/prediction system for precipitation over the global domain. The system will utilize MERRA-2 reanalysis’ 3-D daily air temperature and humidity data, as well as a combination of the reanalysis (1980–present) and NASA’s global gridded multi-satellite daily precipitation estimates (2000–present) to provide and verify ensemble forecasts of daily precipitation — with the focus on extreme events — at subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) time scales (lead times up to 3–6 weeks).
Please contact Dr. Kravtsov (kravtsov@uwm.edu) with questions or your interest in applying to the Atmospheric Science or Freshwater Sciences program at the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences. Graduate school applications for August 2024 (Fall 2024 semester) are due by January 15, 2024. For more information, see www.uwm.edu/freshwater.
Center for Water Policy: Water Policy and Science Communications Graduate Fellow
The Center for Water Policy is seeking candidates for a two-year funded Water Policy and Science Communications Graduate Student Research Fellowship, while earning a master’s degree from the School of Freshwater Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.
The Fellowship will begin in Fall 2024 and run through Spring 2026. The successful candidate will have a bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, political science, public policy, economics, environmental science, engineering, or a related field. Candidates should be interested in conducting graduate research toward a thesis focused on water policy and science communications as well as publishing papers in scientific journals, writing policy briefs, and communicating research results to broader audiences. The Research Fellowship represents a unique opportunity for a student who wants to explore the intersection between water policy, science, and communications.
The Fellow will be enrolled in the water policy Thesis track master’s degree at UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences to conduct original thesis research around the topics of water policy, science and communication. The specific topic of the student’s work will be determined by the student, in consultation with Center for Water Policy Director, Melissa Scanlan. Professor Scanlan will supervise the student work and serve as the student’s advisor. The work performed by the student will culminate in a thesis that will be defended before graduation. The student may have an opportunity to work with Dan Egan, Brico Fund Journalist in Residence and author of Death and Life of the Great Lakes and The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance.
To Apply: Please email Erin Cross at crosse@uwm.edu with questions or your interest in applying to the Fellowship and the graduate program. Please send a CV and a short letter of interest in this position.
To be considered for the Fellowship, the student must be admitted to the School’s water policy thesis track in our master’s degree program. Click here for information on how to apply for the master’s degree program. Applicants should indicate interest in the “Water Policy and Science Communications Fellowship” on their personal statement when applying to the graduate program. The application deadline for Fall 2024 is January 15, 2024.
Shen Lab: Hydro-Intelligence
The Hydro-Intelligence Lab is seeking three fully funded thesis-based students at Master or Ph.D. level (preferred), to join Spring or Fall 2024. We are also enthusiastic to support prospective undergraduates who are interested in our topics. We will also help students with fellowship applications (federal/university level).
We are seeking graduate students with strong programming capabilities and mathematical background with skill sets in one of three tracks: Remote Sensing/Hydrology, Climate Change Impacts on Terrestrial Biodiversity, or Social Vulnerability in Flood Hazards.
We particularly welcome prospective students who are interested in one of the following research areas: Near real-time (NRT) flood observation using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Satellites, flood risk analysis and numerical modeling, analysis of flood impact and drivers, or climate change on biodiversity.
Detailed information about research
For Spring 2024, all application materials need to be submitted by Oct. 1, 2023. For Fall 2024, they need to be submitted by Dec. 15, 2023.
To Apply: Please email Xinyi Shen your CV (most importantly, the publication list), unofficial transcript, and your preferred direction/research areas.
Additional Opportunities
Faculty may have upcoming opportunities that haven’t yet been listed. Please reach out to them below.
Human and Ecosystem Health Researchers
Freshwater System Dynamics Researchers