Applications are invited for a PhD Student position for 48 months to be funded by the European Research Council (ERC) Project “PASSAGE: Provenance And transport PathwayS of mArine proxy-bearinG particlEs”, starting in November 2022 and supervised by Dr. Blanca Ausín. Aims and Scope PASSAGE investigates the long journey that marine sedimentary components experiment in the ocean since their formation until their final deposition and its impact on climate reconstructions. Sedimentary components encapsule information about the time and environmental conditions in which they were formed and constitute a paramount material to reconstruct past climates. However, their secondary transport to distant locations introduces allochthonous climate signals in our records, raising questions about the robustness and fidelity of corresponding climate interpretations. PASSAGE aims to fill in the knowledge gap on particle transport modes, to generate a new proxy to identify distorted climate signals, and to provide an accessible approach to correct them. Full information about the project can be found here: https://passage.usal.es/

Description The PhD researcher will contribute to the goals of PASSAGE using a combination of biogeochemical and micropaleontological techniques, such as radiocarbon dating, stable isotopes, biomarker quantification and isolation, geochemical characterization of sedimentary particles, hydrographic data process and implementation of isotope mixing models and correction of existing records. The PhD researcher will conduct original primary research that will conclude with the production of a PhD thesis. The PhD researcher will be based at University of Salamanca and enrol the Oceanic Geosciences research group (https://oceano.usal.es/en/bienvenidos/), which holds extensive expertise in both Oceanography (water-column, sediment traps, and surface sediments) and Paleoclimate studies (climate variability at different time scales). The PhD researcher will benefit from further continuing education, which includes experience and laboratory skills in sampling and both well-established and novel methods in the (paleo)oceanographic field(s), research stays at other field-leading European institutions (e.g., MARUM (Germany) and ETH (Zurich)), and active participation in oceanographic cruises, workshops, and conferences. The PhD researcher is also given the opportunity to gain teaching experience if language and academic background allow.

Tasks

  • Assist in instrument setup and testing
  • Participate in fieldwork: oceanographic cruises to sample material
  • Conduct geochemical laboratory experiments and measurements
  • Analyse and interpret data
  • Formulate additional hypotheses and research questions
  • Collaborate, discuss data, and exchange ideas with mentors and international partners
  • Write high quality research manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals
  • Disseminate results at international conferences
  • Mentor undergraduate students

https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/791802