PhD openings in the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences at the 
University of Arizona 

Dr. Bo Guo’s Subsurface Flow Physics Group (http://www.u.arizona.edu/~boguo/) 
has 1⁓2 openings for fully-funded PhD students starting in Fall 2023 through the 
Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences (HAS) at the University of 
Arizona (UArizona). Successful candidates would have the opportunity to work on 
one of the following research directions:
(1) Fate and transport of emerging contaminants in soil and groundwater. 
(2) Physics of pore-scale fluid flow, transport, and phase change processes 
relevant to subsurface environmental and energy problems.

Our group studies the fundamental physics of fluid flow and transport in Earth's 
subsurface. We develop and use novel mathematical and computational models to 
understand and quantify flow and transport processes in geological porous 
materials across a wide range of spatial scales from microscale (i.e., pore-
scale) to laboratory scale and to real-world subsurface environmental and energy 
problems at the field scale. Specific application areas of our research include 
contaminant transport in soil and groundwater especially emerging contaminants 
such as PFAS, critical zone science, shale gas/oil recovery, and geological CO₂ 
sequestration. Students with bachelor’s and/or master’s degrees in hydrology, 
applied mathematics, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, petroleum 
engineering, environmental engineering, and other closely related fields are 
encouraged to apply. Candidates with a strong background in mathematics, fluid 
mechanics, and computer programming are especially welcome. 

To apply, please contact Dr. Guo (boguo@arizona.edu). When contacting via email, 
please include the following materials: unofficial transcripts, curriculum 
vitae, and a brief summary that highlights your skills and research interests 
relevant to the project. All applicants should meet the minimum admission 
requirements (see http://grad.arizona.edu/admissions/requirements) set by the 
Graduate College at the University of Arizona. Note that GRE scores are no 
longer required by the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences. The 
application deadline is January 15, 2023.

Dr. Guo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric 
Sciences at the UArizona. He received his PhD in Civil and Environmental 
Engineering from Princeton University in 2016 and a bachelor’s degree (with 
highest honor) in Hydraulic Engineering from Tsinghua University in 2011. Before 
joining the UA, Dr. Guo was a postdoc in the Department of Energy Resources 
Engineering at Stanford University.

The UArizona HAS department (has.arizona.edu) has one of the most prestigious 
programs in hydrology and water recourses worldwide. It was previously known as 
the Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, which was the first department 
in the US (established in 1966) dedicated solely to the science of water. The 
UArizona water resources program has always been top-ranking in various 
university rankings. For example, the UArizona ranked No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 
2 globally in the area of water resources in the 2021 Academic Ranking of World 
Universities. To learn more, please see the following links from the UArizona 
websites (https://news.arizona.edu/story/shanghai-rankings-uarizona-has-top-
water-resources-program-us, https://news.arizona.edu/story/uarizona-again-earns-
top-us-ranking-water-resources).