Xinyuan Zheng’s group advertises PhD positions at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities for Fall 2024.

Available positions include:

  1. Cycling of REEs and Nd isotopes in the Amundsen Sea near the Antarctic ice shelf. Funded by NSF, this is part of US GEOTRACES GP-17 ANT cruise. The student will be analyzing REEs and Nd isotopes in seawater, marine particles, and sediment samples that will be returned in Spring next year from the cruise.

  2. Tracing global K cycle using stable K isotopes. This NSF-funded project intends to develop a better understanding of the K cycle in the modern ocean, using stable K isotopes, and also validate geological archives for reconstruction of seawater K isotopes in the past.

Topics on tracing marine Si cycle using Si isotopes, and application of in situ metal isotope analysis by femtosecond laser ablation to Earth surface processes are also possible. More information on possible opportunities can be found from: https://isotopes.esci.umn.edu/opportunities.

The positions are for motivated students with background on isotope geochemistry, chemical oceanography, or paleoceanography, ideally with hands-on experiences on sample preparation in clean lab or/and MC-ICP-MS.

If you know any good candidates who are looking for graduate positions, please ask them to reach out to Xinyan (zhengxy@umn.edu). Feel free to forward this message to any interested individuals or student groups.