Departmental Unit № 1
Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering (CEOE) & Davidson Laboratory
PhD in Ocean Engineering / PhD in Environmental Engineering / PhD in Civil Engineering
100% Full Funding Guaranteed (4-5 Years)
Funding Package: Full tuition scholarship + 12-month living stipend (~$32,000–$36,000/yr) + health insurance covered via Provost Fellowships, GTA, and GRA appointments.
Fall Priority Deadline: January 15 (Fall Priority)
GRE Policy: Not required / Optional
English Minimums: TOEFL iBT 86 or IELTS 7.0
MS in Environmental Engineering (Thesis Track) / MS in Ocean Engineering
Eligible for Research Assistantships (Target PhD for Guaranteed Multi-year)
Funding Reality: Thesis MS students working on Davidson Lab maritime grants can receive GRA tuition waivers and stipends.
Application Deadline: February 1
Admissions Advisory: If full funding is required and MS is self-funded, students are strongly advised to apply directly to the PhD track.
Vetted Matched Scholars (2 Profiles)
Prof. Philip Orton
Research Associate Professor of Ocean Engineering
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
He runs the official flood prediction supercomputers for New York City and New Jersey, calculating real-time storm surge forecasts days before hurricanes strike to show which subways and shorelines will flood.
Core Research Topics: Coastal physical oceanography, storm surge flood modeling, compound flooding, sea level rise adaptation, New York Harbor flood resilience.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: Operating the Stevens Flood Advisory System (SFAS), combining hydrodynamic circulation models (sva-POM, ADCIRC) with meteorological ensembles to provide real-time storm surge and compound flood forecasts for New York City and New Jersey (NOAA / NYSDEC 2024–2026).
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: Stevens Flood Advisory System (SFAS), ADCIRC, Delft3D, Python, ensemble storm surge forecasting, GIS flood visualization.
Recruiting Context: Director of operational forecasting for the Stevens Flood Advisory System; prominent figure in NY/NJ coastal storm surge defense.
Candidate Match:
Flood StudiesHydrologyEnvironmental ModelingCoastal OceanographyGIS
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Discussing your interest in operational storm surge forecasting (SFAS), compound flood modeling, and hydrodynamic simulation in the Davidson Laboratory."
Prof. Dibyendu Sarkar
Professor of Environmental Engineering
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
He invents green environmental cleanup systems using natural biochar and specialized vetiver grass plants to suck up dangerous lead, arsenic, and chemical toxins out of poisoned city soils and runoff water.
Core Research Topics: Green environmental remediation, heavy metal soil and water contamination, vetiver grass phytoremediation, bio-waste sorbents, chemical pollution.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: Developing engineered biochar and water treatment residuals (WTRs) for capturing heavy metals (lead, arsenic) and antibiotic residues from urban stormwater runoff and contaminated industrial brownfield soils (EPA / USDA 2024–2026).
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), column leach testing, greenhouse mesocosms, wet lab analytical chemistry.
Recruiting Context: Editor of several top environmental journals, Fellow of SSSA and GSA; massive research portfolio in green soil/water remediation.
Candidate Match:
Environmental PollutionWater QualityWet Lab Environmental TestingEnvironmental Remediation
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Discussing your interest in green environmental remediation, heavy metal sorption dynamics, and ICP-MS testing in the Sarkar Environmental Laboratory."