Postdoctoral AssociateFlorida Digital Twin; FLDT

Postdoctoral Associate Florida Digital Twin (FLDT)

Job No: 538686
Work Type:
Full Time

Location:

Jacksonville Campus
Categories:
Construction/Design/Planning, Education/Training/Instructional Design, Computer Science
Department:  - DCP-SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

The Jax Lab program of the School of Architecture (SoA) at the University of Florida (UF) is hiring two Postdoctoral Associates as part of a coordinated team effort, each with a distinct focus but both contributing to the advancement of the FLDT mission.

About the Jax Lab and the Florida Digital Twin (FLDT)

Jax Lab is an applied research and teaching program operated by UF SoA in Jacksonville, Florida delivering the Master of Architecture degree. It serves as a place‑based design and innovation hub—embedding faculty, students, and researchers within the dynamic urban fabric of Jacksonville. Jax Lab's mission centers on community‑engaged scholarship, transdisciplinary collaboration, and real‑world impact, with an emphasis on resilient, equitable, and design‑driven futures.

The Florida Digital Twin (FLDT) is a flagship research initiative funded by the UF Office of Research that leverages high‑performance computing, AI, and geospatial modeling to build AI‑powered replicas of the built and natural environment. FLDT enables real‑time monitoring, predictive modeling, and scenario testing for Florida's most pressing planning, environmental, and infrastructure challenges. Jax Lab plays a pivotal role in translating this statewide initiative into community‑centered applications with a focus on the Jacksonville region and beyond.

Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and maintain ETL pipelines, APIs, and geospatial data services using UF's Hi Per Gator  supercomputing environment.
• Support integration of diverse datasets across partner systems (e.g., JTA, FDEP, UF Geo Plan).
• Co‑develop resource description framework (RDF) and knowledge graph databases that support semantic query.
• Contribute to publications and white papers documenting system design, workflows, and findings.
• Develop technical documentation to support scalability and reproducibility.
• Assist when needed to help with the administrative development of the Jax Lab program.
• Teach 1 course per year in Jax Lab.

Required Qualifications:

• Terminal degree in Urban and Regional Planning, Architecture, or a closely related field.
• Master's degree in Computer Science, Geoinformatics, Data Science is preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proficiency in Python, geospatial libraries, API design (e.g., FastAPI), and cloud/HPC environments.
• Experience with containerization tools and orchestration platforms (Docker, Podman, Kubernetes), spatial databases (e.g., PostGIS), or 3D modeling workflows.
• Familiarity with GIS platforms (ArcGIS, QGIS) and web‑based data visualization.
• Knowledge with Apache Jena, Neo4j, and Cloud Platform (e.g., GCP, AWS).

Responsibilities:

• Lead community engagement activities including public forums, stakeholder interviews, and participatory mapping.
• Translate technical outcomes from FLDT into accessible materials and prepare high‑quality content (documents, images, case studies) for FLDT's landing webpage.
• Teach one course per year (studio or seminar) with themes such as urban design, hazard resilience, civic technology, or digital twins.
• Collaborate with researchers to incorporate community feedback into model development and decision workflows.
• Contribute to proposal writing and documentation that reflect community outcomes and impact.

Required Qualifications:

• Terminal degree in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning, Public Policy, or related field.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience in community engagement, participatory methods, or public‑interest design.
• Teaching or curriculum development experience in a university setting.
• Excellent facilitation, writing, and communication skills.
• Interest in digital tools for resilience, equity, or urban systems.

• Collaborate with interdisciplinary faculty across…