Departmental Unit № 1
Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering (Environmental & Hydrologic Engineering)
PhD in Civil Engineering (Hydraulics & Hydrology / Environmental)
100% Full Funding Guaranteed (5 Years)
Funding Package: Full tuition waiver + 12-month stipend (~$30,000–$35,000/yr) + graduate health insurance guaranteed via Research Assistantships (RA) or Teaching Assistantships (TA).
Fall Priority Deadline: December 15 (Fall Admission)
GRE Policy: Not required / Waived
English Minimums: TOEFL iBT 80 minimum or IELTS 6.5 minimum
MS in Civil Engineering (Thesis Option)
100% Full Funding on Thesis Track!
Funding Reality: Purdue is a powerhouse land-grant university that routinely provides full tuition waivers and RA/TA stipends to admitted MS thesis students! Ideal for a funded Master's.
Application Deadline: December 15
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. Venkatesh Merwade
Professor of Civil and Construction Engineering
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
He builds computer tools that connect digital GIS maps directly into flood simulation engines, automatically generating color-coded flood inundation maps that show exactly which houses will flood.
Core Research Topics: GIS in water resources, flood inundation modeling, hydrodynamic river simulations (HEC-RAS), CyberGIS watershed modeling, surface water hydrology.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: Pioneer in GIS-based hydrological modeling; developed foundational automated tools connecting ArcGIS with HEC-RAS and SWAT models. Directs large-scale flood inundation mapping projects across the US Midwest using high-resolution LiDAR and drone surveys.
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: HEC-RAS 1D/2D hydrodynamic modeling, ArcGIS Pro, SWAT watershed model, Python/ArcPy automation, LiDAR elevation processing.
Recruiting Context: World authority on GIS in water resources. Highest possible match for candidate's background in GIS, remote sensing, and flood hydrology!
Candidate Match:
GISFlood ModelingHydrologyPythonGeography
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Discussing your hands-on experience in GIS spatial workflows and Python scripting, expressing admiration for his automated GIS-based flood inundation modeling (HEC-RAS integration)."
Prof. Linda S. Lee
Distinguished Professor of Agronomy and Environmental & Ecological Engineering
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
She investigates how toxic 'forever chemicals' (PFAS) seep out of farm fertilizers and industrial sludge into agricultural soils and drinking water aquifers, discovering how to clean them.
Core Research Topics: Environmental chemistry, PFAS ('forever chemicals') remediation, contaminant transport in soil and groundwater, agricultural wastewater testing.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: World-leading environmental chemist investigating the environmental fate, transport, and remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in biosolids, agricultural soils, and groundwater systems.
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), soil batch sorption testing, chemical extraction, environmental wet-lab water analysis.
Recruiting Context: Directs one of the largest and most well-funded PFAS analytical wet-laboratories in the United States.
Candidate Match:
Environmental PollutionLab Water TestingWater QualityEnvironmental Science
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Highlighting your hands-on environmental wet-lab testing and water quality analysis background, referencing her pioneering work on PFAS contaminant fate in soil and water systems."