Thank you for your interest in our research! This page includes information on how to join our team and current/potential opportunities.
Prospective graduate students: general steps for inquiries and applications:
The application deadline for Fall 2023 admission has passed. Please reach out later this year to inquire about opportunities for Fall 2024.
- Review the programs where I advise graduate students (see below). Consider which is best for you based on your background and your career/academic goals. Also note the application process:
- Review current graduate opportunities (posted below, typically in fall every year).
- Contact Mark Raleigh to discuss further.
- After meeting, we will both consider whether this is a potentially good fit. If so, Mark will recommend that you submit an application to OSU. Applications are due to in early January. See the links above for the application to the program of interest.
We have the following potential opportunities available in our research group for graduate and undergraduate students:.
PhD or M.S. in Snow Hydrology and Remote Sensing of Alaskan Mountainous Watersheds (Fall 2023)
(funding is pending – selection expected in March 2023)
Funding might potentially become available to support a Ph.D. or exceptional M.S. student in our group with a research focus on snow hydrology and remote sensing of Alaskan Watersheds. The position would start in Fall 2023. Students can apply to either the degree program in Geography or the Water Resources interdisciplinary degree program. The student is expected to be self-motivated and to work in a collaborative environment with colleagues at OSU and external partners. The successful applicant will (1) lead the development and validation of a snow melt modeling dataset based on VIIRS remote sensing, (2) conduct hydrologic analyses with new satellite-based measurements of river discharge and estimates of snowmelt and rainfall, and (3) perform climate experiments. The project would include multiple site visits to Alaska as well as support for conference travel.
Preferred qualifications include:
- a background in hydrology, physical geography, Earth/environmental sciences, engineering, atmospheric science, or computer science
- proficiency in computer programming (e.g., Matlab, Python, R, etc.)
- experience in working with large geospatial datasets from remote sensing or models
For more information on how to apply, see the steps at the top of this page.
URSA Engage – current 1st/2nd Year OSU undergrad students only
The 2022-2023 deadline has passed. Please reach out in fall 2023 for the next cycle.
Each year our research group invites undergraduate researchers to join us through the URSA Engage program, with research activities in Winter and Spring Quarters. Each URSA student will engage in research, broadly related to how water stored in snowpack varies across mountain landscapes and forests. URSA projects tend to include local fieldwork in the Oregon Cascades, where we measure water in snowpack during multiple dates in winter/spring. During these field trips, URSA student(s) will dig snow pits and measure snow properties, including snow density, stratigraphy, and snow water equivalent. After fieldtrips, the student(s) will work together to ensure accurate and complete digitization of field data. URSA students would have the chance to analyze, visualize, and interpret the collected field data, and compare it to other datasets (e.g., remote sensing, geospatial data, other field data, etc.). There is some latitude in URSA projects, but generally they should relate to the field of snow hydrology.
More info on timeline and application: https://academicaffairs.oregonstate.edu/research/ursa-engage