Jobs & Scholarships

Origin of Metazoan Benthic Ecosystems: Mutual Modification between Ediacaran to Early Phanerozoic Faunas and their Sedimentary Environments

Applicants are invited for a graduate research assistantship (Ph.D.-student) to participate in the recently funded DFG research group FOR 736 “The Precambrian-Cambrian Biosphere (R)evolution: Insights from Chinese Microcontinents”. This interdisciplinary group of European researchers will study root causes and interactions between the multiple changes that occurred in biosphere, geosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere at that time and will cooperate closely with a complementary Chinese research group.

The position is funded for 24 months with a 12-month extension. Starting date should be February 1, 2008. Salary level will be according to German public employee pay scale 50% BAT IIa. Above-average English communication skills are advantageous. We particularly encourage applications from women and disabled persons.

The project:

The goal of this project is to investigate the consequences of the gradually increasing bioturbation, recorded in the shallow-water facies of the Yangtze Platform and beginning in the late Ediacaran, for sedimentology, sedimentary chemistry, permeability, nutrient availability etc. Project work includes significant field work with Chinese colleagues at selected locations of central China, extended stays at research institutions at Nanjing and Xian, and close interdisciplinary collaborations with the other members of the research group, in particular Dr. Bernd Weber (bweber@zedat.fu-berlin.de)

A completed Master’s, Diplom or equivalent degree in geosciences is required. The successful candidate should demonstrate advanced knowledge in paleontology and sedimentary geology. Capacity for field work and above-average English will be an advantage. A willingness to learn German within a reasonable time span is expected.

The sedimentary geology group at the Freie Universität Berlin studies sedimentary basins and processes on a variety of scales, with particular focus on Earth system evolution.

Please send your application, including CV, copies of degree certificates, and the names of two references by mail or e-mail to:

Prof. Dr. Christoph Heubeck
Freie Universität Berlin
Institut für Geologische Wissenschaften
Malteserstr. 74 – 100
12249 Berlin, Germany
e-mail: cheubeck@zedat.fu-berlin.de.
Applications will be accepted until October 20, 2007.

Institut für Geologische Wissenschaften: http://www.geo.fu-berlin.de/
and
Christoph Heubeck: http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~cheubeck/

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The scholarships will have their base at Aarhus and Aalborg Universities, within the frame of a major new research project funded by the Danish Research Council for Technology and Production Sciences: “Soil Infrastructure, Interfaces & Translocation Processes in Inner Space” (“Soil-it-is”):

The upper few meters of the soil (the vadose zone) sustain our life and society, but we only have an empirical knowledge of how soil behaves. In the “Soil-it-is” project, a group of internationally recognized soil scientists at University of Aarhus (AU) and Aalborg University (AAU), Denmark, join forces with partner universities in the USA, UK and Japan to explore how soil architecture and infrastructure (pore and particle networks) control and are controlled by newly recognized soil-physical phenomena. Our project vision is a holistic understanding of architecture and processes in soil inner space that will provide the basis for solutions to protect groundwater resources, improve clean-up technologies at polluted sites, enhance the health and productivity of cultivated soil, and improve the understanding of the soil vadose zone and its role in climate change. For more information on the project please visit our web-site: http://www.agrsci.dk/soil-it-is/

The project currently has two openings for Ph.D. scholarships with start by February 1, 2008. The scholarships are open to both Danish and international applicants. The subject areas of the two studies are briefly described:

Ph.D. 1: Soil Architecture: “Degraded soil architecture reduces soil functionality”

Inadequate management of urban and cultivated land violently challenges the self-organized system of biotic and abiotic soil constituents. This creates poor soil quality in terms of reduced productivity and buffering of environmental impact Understanding the controlling mechanisms for soil self-organization at the cluster-, aggregate-, and bulk soil scale will allow us to influence soil architecture in a positive way with respect to soil functionality and health. As an integral part of this, the interactive links between soil architecture and mobility and transport of colloidal particles, water, and gases need to be revealed. The Ph.D. work will be in close cooperation with the SIMBIOS center at University of Abertay Dundee, Scotland. The successful candidate will be employed and enrolled as a Ph.D. student at University of Aarhus, Department of Agroecology and Environment, with work place at Research Centre Foulum.

Ph.D. 2: Water-Solids Interfaces: “Water transport in soil is often erratic, causing poor water distribution and accelerated chemical transport”

A major reason for this problem is the recognition of interface processes that affect water flow throughout the soil profile. Both surface and sub-critical water repellency due to hydrophobic coatings (films) on soil particles and aggregates occur and both phenomena need to be quantified and incorporated in existing models for water and chemical transport. The Ph.D. work will be in close cooperation with Saitama University, Tokyo, Japan. The successful candidate will be employed and enrolled as a Ph.D. student at Aalborg University, Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Environmental Engineering.

Should a candidate apply for more than one position, then each application must be submitted separately. Closing date for applications is November 1, 2007 at 12:00 noon.

More detailed information and specifics on the application procedure is given on our homepage http://www.agrsci.dk/soil-it-is/ , please note that the requirements vary between Ph.D. 1 and Ph.D. 2.

For further information please contact:

Senior scientist Lis Wollesen de Jonge, University of Aarhus, Department of Agroecology and Environment, Research Centre Foulum, 8830 Tjele, Denmark. Lis.W.de.Jonge@agrsci.dk Phone: +45 89991752
or
Professor Per Moldrup, Aalborg University, Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Environmental Engineering, Sohngaardsholmsvej 57, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark. pm@bio.aau.dk Phone: +45 96358460,

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Texas State University offers a comprehensive doctoral program in Aquatic Resources in the Department of Biology, with the objective of graduating exceptionally-trained professionals. This multi-disciplinary program seeks highly-motivated individuals to conduct research aimed at understanding, describing, and managing aquatic systems in an holistic manner, ranging from the landscape (drainage basin, groundwater aquifer) to the population, organismal and microbial scales. In addition, the program provides graduates with the background and skills in aquatic systems and related socioeconomic issues to enable them to work skillfully within the management and policy arenas. Because complex issues involving aquatic resources require solutions from a broad range of fields, this research-emphasis program also integrates the diverse expertise residing in other departments at Texas State, including Agriculture, Chemistry, English, Finance and Business, Geography, Health Sciences, Philosophy, and Political Science. Further information on the doctoral program is available on the aquatic resources web site: www.aquaticresources.bio.txstate.edu.

QUALIFICATIONS: (i) M.S. degree or equivalent from an accredited university in a field of natural or earth sciences relevant to the goal of sustainable aquatic resources; (ii) an overall GPA of 3.25 or higher in graduate course work; and (iii) a preferred GRE score of 1150 or higher (verbal & quantitative combined). Applicants with backgrounds in other relevant fields also will be considered. Exceptional students with a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Additional qualifications are listed on the above-noted aquatic resources web site.

BENEFITS: Competitive Instructional and Research Assistantships, with associated benefits, are available. Resident tuition rates apply for all assistantships.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Screening of candidates for the Fall 2008 semester will begin January 15, 2008.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION: Official transcripts and GRE scores, three letters of recommendation, Curriculum Vitae, Statement of Goals as a Ph.D. student, and an Intent to Mentor letter from potential research supervisor. An official TOEFL score also is required for foreign applicants. Application forms and identification of other required documentation can be downloaded from the university website:
http://www.gradcollege.txstate.edu/Prospect_Students/Pgms_Apps/Doctoral/Aqua_Resources.html