The Urban Planet Lab at New York University (NYU) is inviting applications for a fully funded PhD position within the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. This opportunity is ideal for highly motivated candidates interested in climate resilience, extreme heat in cities, complex systems, and urban remote sensing.

About the Position

The selected PhD candidate will join a dynamic and expanding research team working on how people adapt to extreme heat in urban environments. The project sits at the intersection of mobility data, climate science, resilience, and complex systems.

The ideal applicant will be someone who:

• Has a strong academic background in engineering, mathematics, or physics
• Demonstrates a transdisciplinary mindset
• Is comfortable with Python or R, geospatial analysis, or machine learning
• Shows curiosity about urban systems, mobility, climate extremes, and urban data
• Brings creativity, technical rigor, and a collaborative spirit
• Has experience in complexity science, remote sensing, urban climatology, or large-scale mobility datasets (preferred but not required)

About the Urban Planet Lab

The Urban Planet Lab focuses on understanding how urban populations experience and adapt to climate extremes, particularly rising temperatures. The lab integrates remote sensing, weather modelling, statistical physics, and complex systems methodologies to support climate adaptation strategies worldwide.

PhD students within the lab will benefit from a highly collaborative environment, opportunities to shape research directions, and engagement with interdisciplinary scholars across NYU. The lab is led by Dr. Anamika Shreevastava, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP).

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply to the NYU Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering PhD program and clearly indicate their interest in joining the Urban Planet Lab. Applicants are encouraged to email Dr. Anamika Shreevastava at email with any questions prior to submitting.

Application Deadline: December 1, 2025

The lab welcomes applicants from all regions of the world who are committed to impactful interdisciplinary research on urban climate challenges.

About the Lab Environment

The Urban Planet Lab studies the dynamics and impacts of urbanization at multiple scales, from local neighborhoods to global systems. The mission is to better understand and address the complex challenges facing urbanizing populations worldwide.

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