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Sweden - Umeå University PhD Position in Isotopomer Studies of Plant-Climate Interactions

PhD position on isotopomer studies of plant-climate interactions
Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics
Umeå University, Sweden

Little is known on interactions between plants and atmospheric and climate change on time scales of centuries. The goal of the project is to deduce separate climate and physiological signals from tree rings, to be able to detect these interactions. We have developed an approach to measure isotopomer abundances (i.e. the intramolecular distributions of stable isotopes in metabolites), by NMR spectroscopy. Isotopomers turn isotope abundances into multiple information channels, as basis for parallel reconstruction of climate and physiological signals. The PhD project will focus on the deuterium isotope, applied to tree ring series and material from annual plants. The research environment includes chemists, earth scientists, and forest ecology.

Qualifications
Applicants must have a master’s degree in chemistry, earth sciences or a related field. We seek a person who is highly motivated to combine methodology from several fields. Key qualifications for this position include experience in handling environmental samples and familiarity with isotope concepts; experience in NMR spectroscopy is a merit.

Continue Reading November 19th, 2008

Ireland - National University of Ireland Postgraduate Research Opportunities in Earth, Ocean and Environmental Sciences

Funded post-graduate research opportunities at NUI Galway

The Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences (EOS) at NUI Galway supports 10 academic staff, 4 senior researchers, 6 post-doctoral researchers and about 30 post-graduate students who contribute to multi-disciplinary research across a wide range of topics in earth, ocean and environmental sciences. The Griffith Geoscience Research Awards (GGRA), established by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and managed by the Geological Survey of Ireland, seek to attract early stage researchers from abroad and to encourage Irish researchers to visit international centres of geoscience research. EOS has been awarded > €3m within the GGRA scheme to expand its research in coastal and marine science and is seeking applicants for 2 funded 4-year post-graduate research positions, one each in the following areas:

PhD 1: The ‘Understanding coastal aquifers in karst regions’ project is concerned with integrating aqueous chemistry, geophysics and hydrogeology to establish the chemical variability of groundwater and the pathways connecting coastal aquifers with coastal surface and transitional waters along the west coast of Ireland. We require a PhD student with demonstrable experience in physical hydrogeology to acquire data necessary for the development of conceptual and practical models of recharge, storage and flow in karst regions of the Burren in the west of Ireland. The student will focus on submarine groundwater storage and discharge using physico-chemical parameters, calculations of transit times of water in coastal karstic catchments using natural isotopes, calculations of the flow-time distribution, quantification of event water to the total runoff and identification of ‘hot-spots’ in eastern Galway Bay. Some experience in modelling of groundwater flow regimes would be an advantage. The outcomes of the research project are congruent with the aims of the EU Groundwater Directive.

Continue Reading September 23rd, 2008

United Kingdom - Durham University PhD Scholarship in Volcanic Health Hazards

The Institute of Hazard & Risk Research and the Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, seeks a highly motivated, high calibre student with aspirations to develop a career in volcanic hazards. You will join Dr Claire Horwell’s team which specialises in the health hazards of volcanic and other mineral dusts.

This fully-funded 3-year PhD scholarship is available to UK, EU and international students (subject to English language tests). We seek graduates with a BSc (2:1 or higher) or MSc in Earth Sciences or related subject, with a knowledge of volcanology, petrology and mineralogy. The project is trans-disciplinary, involving training in both mineralogical and toxicological techniques, thereby providing the student with the breadth of experience required in order to pursue a career in the field of Natural Dusts and Health.

The student will work on the research project:

Volcanic cristobalite formation: A global study for the assessment of health hazard Supervised by: Dr Claire Horwell (IHRR, Earth Sciences, Durham University); Prof. Ken Donaldson (Centre for Inflammation Research, Queens Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh University).

Continue Reading September 21st, 2008

Germany - IMPRS PhD Position on Earth System Modelling

The International Max Planck Research School on Earth System Modelling (IMPRS-ESM), in Hamburg, Germany, is a PhD program jointly offered by the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and the University of Hamburg. The School comprises institutions and scientists from the broad field of Earth sciences, as well as from the economics and social sciences. The IMPRS-ESM contributes to the development, application and evaluation of a spectrum of Earth system models at different complexity and spatial and temporal scales.

The IMPRS-ESM offers several doctoral positions to outstanding students interested in interdisciplinary studies in the comprehensive field of Earth system research. Detailed information is available on our internet site www.earthsystemschool.de .

The PhD program is open to applicants holding the equivalent of a German Diplom or a Master’s degree (with written thesis) in physics, geophysical sciences (incl. meteorology and oceanography), chemistry, ecology, mathematics, computer science, economics, or political science. Applicants need to register online ( www.earthsystemschool.de/application.html ) and e-mail to us the requested application documents.

Continue Reading July 21st, 2008

Canada - University of British Columbia PhD Studentship in Climate Downscaling

Ph.D. studentship in climate downscaling, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

A Canadian research network on climate downscaling has provided funding for a Ph.D./M.Sc. student in the Dept. of Earth and Ocean Sciences, at the Univ. of British Columbia. Research would involve using machine learning/statistical methods (e.g. neural networks, kernel methods) to downscale the coarse-resolution global climate/weather model outputs to finer, local scales. Applications include precipitation and extreme weather forecasts, and climate change scenarios.

Continue Reading November 27th, 2007

Germany - Earth System Sciences Research School PhD Positons in the area of Earth System Science and Biology

International PhD-Programme on Earth System Science in Germany

The Earth System Sciences Research School (ESSRES), funded by the German Helmholtz Association, offers 12 PhD-positions for outstanding young scientists in the topical field of earth system science.

The Alfred Wegener Institute of Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven, the Institute of Environmental Physics at the University of Bremen, and the Jacobs University Bremen, provide a unique research environment in Germany, bridging the gap between traditional disciplines. The ESSRES combines observations, modelling, and data analysis in order to understand and decipher the complex earth’s climate system and their interaction with the biosphere.

Continue Reading November 26th, 2007

Netherlands - Delft University of Technology PhD Position in e-Survey of Peat Deposits

The Dutch subsurface is notorious for its poor ground conditions and high water table. Its organic layers behave heterogeneously both in space and time, thus posing a huge challenge to ground engineers whose task it is to construct soil structures free of differential settlement or to guarantee the long-term stability of secondary dikes.

We propose to measure the electric conductivity and chargeability of peaty soils in a prototype impedance oedometer at low frequencies and to relate their electric properties to their index properties (organic content, degree of humification, for example) and their geomechanical properties (permeability, strength and deformability) at different stages of consolidation and under various degrees of humidity.

Our research will lead to the modelling of the electrokinetics taking place in organic soils due to the application and interruption of an electric current. It will open up the possibility to conduct multi-frequency electric and electromagnetic surveys to characterize the 3D distribution of peat deposits and their variability in terms of geomechanical parameters.

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August 20th, 2007

Italy - The 23rd Cycle University of Naples Federico II PhD Research Program in Various Fields

The Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II 23rd cycle of the Research Doctorate Programs

The Research Doctorate is the highest academic title that can be bestowed in Italy. It is equivalent to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Anglo-Saxon countries. The principal objective of a Research Doctorate Program is to educate graduate students on carrying out pure or applied scientific research, in the ambit of the chosen discipline.

The University of Naples Federico II is a large research university and the oldest state university in the world. Its Research Doctorate Programs aim to train a selected number of young people, endowed with a high quality preparation and having the enjoyment for the research, to a high level of scientific, technical and professional qualification.

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August 19th, 2007

Switzerland - ETH Zurich PhD Positions in Seismology and Geodynamics

The Geophysics Institute at ETH-Zurich invites applications for two Ph.D. student positions in seismology and geodynamics. The successful candidates will study regional-scale seismic tomography, including its implications for geodynamics, applied to Europe and the mediterranean basin. This research project emphasizes application of innovative techniques in seismology, including finite-frequency (”banana-doughnut”) tomography, and interferometric analysis of seismic ambient noise. Advisors will be Prof. Eduard Kissling and Dr. Lapo Boschi, in collaboration with Dr. Alberto Michelini (INGV Roma, Italy).

Our institute is a diverse environment emphasizing multidisciplinary interactions. A wide variety of graduate level courses in the Earth Sciences are offered. Please visit the Seismology and Geodynamics web page, at http://www.seg.ethz.ch/ or contact Dr. L. Boschi (larryboschi@gmail.com) for further information.

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August 12th, 2007

UK - PhD Research Studentships in Earth Sciences at The Open University

The Earth Sciences Department at the Open University campus in Milton Keynes accommodates up to 30 full time, campus-based post-graduate students at any one time working on a variety of topics in fields as diverse as volcanology, tectonics, igneous processes, oceanography, flood basalts, stratigraphy, geochemistry, biogeochemistry, palaeontology and environmental science.

Up to 2 projects will be funded from a variety of sources including the NERC. The three-year research studentships provide a maintenance grant of £12,300 per year and all academic fees are covered. There is an additional ~6 months of funding available by internal application during the third year. In addition to the projects listed, students are welcome to contact the Department if they have ideas for projects themselves.

The Department
The Department is exceptionally well equipped for geochemical analysis, (facilities include plasma, noble gas and solid source mass spectrometers, an electron microprobe, ICPMS, XRF, FTIR and an elemental analyser), biogeochemistry, remote sensing, and palaeontology. These laboratories are further supported by extensive rock preparation facilities, an inter-faculty electron microscope suite, and electronic and engineering workshops.

Continue Reading December 4th, 2006