Postdoctoral Research Associate

The Role and Department

Durham Earth Sciences is one of the very best UK Earth Science departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and both the satisfaction and employability of its students. It is regularly ranked in the top 5 of UK departments and is within the global top 30.

The department has around 35 academic staff, 15 research staff, 50 postgraduate students and 250 undergraduate students. Its research covers a spectrum of Earth Science disciplines around four broad themes: Solid Earth; Climate and Environmental Change; Geoenergy, Resources and Waste; Geohazards. The themes reflect our aim to not only undertake fundamental and intrinsically excellent research, but also research which is relevant to and which impacts society. We collaborate widely, and within Durham we work closely with both the Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience and the Durham Energy Institute.

The Department is committed to providing the highest level of education to its students, giving them the knowledge, skills and confidence to contribute positively to the world beyond Durham. We provide research-led teaching with a large proportion of practical classes and a deep commitment to field-based teaching. We regularly receive > 90% satisfaction scores on the annual National Student Survey and our students are highly sought after by a range of employers.

The Department of Earth Sciences holds a departmental Bronze Athena SWAN award in recognition of its efforts to promote gender equality and address challenges particular to the earth sciences. More information on the department, its research and its facilities can be found at https://www.dur.ac.uk/earth.sciences/

The Role

We invite applications for a Post-doctoral research associate (PDRA) to join the Department of Earth Sciences at Durham university. The role is to work with Prof Madeleine Humphreys (Durham) and Dr Kate Dobson (Strathclyde) on a project funded by the European Research Council, “Storage and Eruption of Mushy Magma Systems” (STEMMS). The position is fixed term for 12 months.

The aim of the overall project is to explore the links between crystal mush textures, magmatic volatiles and the mobility of stored magmas within the crust. This position will use 3D image processing of numerically simulated to examine how crystal shape changes during impingement and progressive overgrowth of a crystal mush. The results will be compared to natural examples of crystal mush textures and used to help interpret crystal shape and crystallisation environment in natural settings. The PDRA will be based at Durham University but will also spend periods of time at Strathclyde. The PDRA will work with the PI and wider partners to interpret the results and produce high-impact publications based on their findings. The PDRA will join the vibrant volcanology group at Durham University and will further benefit from the Department’s mentoring programme for early career researchers. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the general activities of the volcanology group and participate actively in the intellectual life of the department.