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Prospective students and collaborators

If you are drawn to problems at the intersection of modeling engineered systems, multiscale uncertainty quantification, objectively informing decision-making, and mitigating societal impacts from infrastructure failures, I would like to hear from you.

What I look for in PhD students

Strong candidates typically have some combination of:

  • A background in civil/structural engineering, industrial engineering, systems engineering, statistics, applied mechanics, applied physics, or a closely related quantitative field
  • Comfort with, or a genuine interest in developing, probabilistic and computational skills, and involvement in analyzing infrastructure systems at multiple scales
  • Intellectual curiosity about how engineering models connect to real decisions about infrastructure and communities
  • Ability to engage in engineering research that exposes you to laboratory, field, and computational work, or a combination of these
  • Prior research experience (undergraduate thesis, co-authorship, lab work) is valued

I particularly welcome applications from students with backgrounds underrepresented in engineering research.

What working in the group looks like

My approach to mentoring is shaped by years of guiding undergraduate researchers, judging and collaborating on master’s thesis work, and mentoring Ph.D. students through peer-mentoring programs. My experience has been shaped by training across multiple countries and research cultures.

In the Rincon Research Group, you can expect:

  • Substantive, regular mentoring
  • Exposure to the full research lifecycle
  • Professional skills development
  • Honest career conversations

This is a collegial, intellectually serious environment where new ideas are welcomed and existing ones are questioned respectfully.

Current recruiting status

I am not yet formally recruiting for Fall 2026 or Fall 2027 admission. This page will be updated when I am ready to actively receive applications. If you have a strong background and a genuine interest in this specific research, I am happy to hear from you in the meantime.

How to reach out

Please send an email to raul.rincon@colorado.edu with:

  • A short paragraph describing your background and what specifically drew you to this research
  • Your CV or resume
  • Any writing samples, thesis drafts, or publications you would like to share

I read every message but cannot always reply quickly. A brief follow-up after two weeks is welcome.