PhD in Proxy Development and Application to Unravel Past Marine Carbon Cycle Dynamics (1.0 FTE)

Utrecht University, Netherlands

Updated: 3 months ago

PhD in Proxy Development and Application to Unravel Past Marine Carbon Cycle Dynamics (1.0 FTE)

Functie
The Department of Earth Sciences at Utrecht University (UU) is looking for an enthusiastic and motivated PhD candidate with a palaeoceanographic and/or geochemical background to work on past carbon cycling in the ocean.
Proxies based on the geochemical composition of marine microfossils developed over the past 15 years have been shown to deliver accurate reconstructions of past marine carbon cycling. Such reconstructions almost exclusively rely on the simultaneous analyses of numerous specimens from sediments to achieve the necessary analytical precision and accuracy. Although suitable for quantifying mean carbon cycle variability at the time scale of millennia and longer (depending on sediment accumulation rates and mixing) this approach cannot yield information on shorter-term variability. Individual microfossils in sediment samples, however, contain important information on seasonal and (multi-)decadal time scales and allow for unmixing of transient climate change. Such information is crucial to constrain past changes and rates of change and helps to avoid potential biases in mean values due to, e.g., seasonality. Linking true change with forcing is crucially important to understand the magnitude of the expected climate change due to anthropogenic CO2 emissions.
Past marine carbon cycle variability can currently rarely be reconstructed at time scales shorter than centuries or millennia. Consequently, although seasonal, annual, and decadal processes govern current change, they are unconstrained. This project aims to unlock short-term carbon cycle information stored in sedimentary populations of both organic and inorganic individual marine microfossils. We will:
  • document and comprehend the geochemical distribution of recent foraminifer (Element/Ca, δ11 B) and dinoflagellate cyst (δ13 C) populations using laser-based single specimen analyses, and
  • apply the new population approach to warm oceans in the geological past to elucidate past high-frequency marine carbon cycling.
    • The successful candidate will be employed at the Department of Earth Sciences at UU, and this is also where all dinoflagellate work will be done. Analyses on foraminifera will be carried out at both UU and at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) on the island of Texel. The candidate will analyse samples from todays ocean to calibrate proxy relationships and apply those to crucial time intervals in the past. Material is available but the project will likely also involve seagoing expeditions and fieldwork to collect samples, when opportunities arise.
    A personalised training programme will be set up, reflecting your training needs and career objectives. About 20% of your time will be dedicated to this training component, which includes training on the job in assisting in the BSc and MSc programmes of the Earth Sciences department at Utrecht University. We also expect the willingness to dedicate part of the work time to public engagement related to the project, such as public talks or writing for non-specialist audience. Training and support in public engagement is available at Utrecht University.

    Profiel
    Applicants should hold a MSc degree conferred in Earth Sciences, Marine Sciences or a related field, at the start of the project. In addition, we are looking for someone who brings the following:
    • a passion for independent research, a positive attitude and well-articulated enthusiasm for the topic;
    • good written and verbal English language skills (C1 level);
    • hands-on experience with geochemical analyses.

    Aanbod

    We offer:

    • a position (1.0 FTE) for one year, with extension to four years in total upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period;
    • a full-time gross salary between €2,770 in the first year and €3,539 in the fourth year of employment in scale P of the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities (CAO);
    • 8% holiday bonus and 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
    • a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions based on the CAO.

    In addition to the employment conditions from the CAO for Dutch Universities, Utrecht University has a number of its own arrangements. These include agreements on professional development , leave arrangements, sports and cultural schemes and you get discounts on software and other IT products. We also give you the opportunity to expand your terms of employment through the Employment Conditions Selection Model. This is how we encourage you to grow. For more information, please visit working at Utrecht University .

    Over de organisatie

    A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University , the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes . Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow .
    Utrecht University's Faculty of Geosciences studies the Earth: from the Earth's core to its surface, including man's spatial and material utilisation of the Earth - always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the Faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.
    The Department of Earth Sciences at UU conducts teaching and research across the full range of the solid Earth and environmental Earth sciences, with activities in almost all areas of geology, geochemistry, geophysics, biogeology and hydrogeology. The department hosts a highly international tenured staff of over 50 scientists and more than 110 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. Our research programme spans four intertwined themes: Climate & Life, Earth interior, Earth materials, and Environmental Earth Sciences. We house or have access to a wide variety of world-class laboratories.
    Researchers in the Department of Ocean Systems at Royal NIOZ study open-ocean processes from a variety of disciplines including physical and chemical oceanography, marine geology, paleoceanography and deep-sea ecology. We investigate the past and present ocean to assess its future role in the Earth system. We collect data during oceanographic research cruises and conduct experiments both at sea and in the laboratory at our home base on Texel. The department carries out work in diverse environments all around the globe, from the Antarctic to the Arctic, and from the Caribbean to the North Sea.

    Aanvullende informatie
    For more information about this position, please contact Professor Appy Sluijs (Professor of Paleoceanography) at [email protected] or Professor Gert-Jan Reichart (Professor of Marine Geology) at [email protected] .
    Please note that international candidates that need a visa/work permit for the Netherlands require at least four months processing time after selection and acceptance. Our International Service Desk (ISD) can answer your questions about living in the Netherlands as international staff . Finding appropriate housing in or near Utrecht is your own responsibility, but the ISD may be able to advise you therewith. In case of general questions about working and living in The Netherlands, please consult the Dutch Mobility Portal .

    Solliciteren

    As Utrecht University, we want to be a home for everyone. We value staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including cultural, religious or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and contribute.

    To apply, please send your application via the 'apply now' button. Please include:
    • your curriculum vitae;
    • your motivation letter;
    • the names and e-mail addresses of two referees.
    We aim for a quick process of evaluations and interviews in February. The intended starting date is 1 April 2024 or a.s.a.p. thereafter, preferably before the summer season.

    Reageren uiterlijk
    22/01/2024

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