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Spring 2026 Ph.D. Opportunity in Civil/Structural Engineering at UNLV (Water/Structure)

A financially supported Ph.D. position is available in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), beginning in the Spring 2026 semester. The selected candidate will conduct research in the interdisciplinary engineering areas of structures and water/wastewater treatment systems.

Position Details and Expectations

• Funding: This position is supported by a Graduate Assistantship (GA). Funding is available for up to 2 years, with renewal for the 2nd year contingent upon satisfactory research performance and the continued availability of funds.


• Program Duration: The typical duration for completing a PhD in structural engineering at UNLV is 4 to 5 years.

Required Qualifications

Applicants must hold undergraduate degrees (and master’s degrees preferred) in Civil Engineering or a related field. Experience with structural analytical software and data science techniques (e.g., Machine learning) is preferred. Programming skills in MATLAB or Python are desirable. All applicants must have valid GRE scores. International applicants must provide proof of English proficiency. For detailed admission requirements, please visit the PhD in Civil & Environmental Engineering program page (https://www.unlv.edu/degree/phd-civil-environmental-engineering).

How to apply

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply for admission to UNLV by the November 15th final deadline for the spring semester. The formal application procedures and requirements can be found on the UNLV Graduate College website (https://www.unlv.edu/admissions/graduate/apply).

About the Supervisor

The project will be supervised by two faculty members at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV): Dr. Shoma Kitayama and Dr. Jacimaria Batista. Dr. Kitayama is an Assistant Professor of Structural Engineering with expertise in the analysis and design of various structures. Dr. Batista is a Professor specializing in water and wastewater systems. Both are actively engaged in research and teaching within the Civil Engineering department, instructing both the undergraduate and graduate levels. They have extensive experience supervising PhD, master’s, and undergraduate students on a wide range of research projects. A comprehensive list of their publications is available on their Google Scholar profiles.