There is a vacancy for a PhD Research Fellow in Quaternary geology and paleoclimate at the Department of Earth Science. The position is for a fixed-term period of 3 years with the possibility of a fourth year with compulsory other work (e.g. teaching duties in the department). The position is part of the Norwegian Research Council SOUTHSPHERE project, and also supported by the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research DYNASOR project.
The PhD Research Fellow is a part of the project “Past behavior of the Southern Ocean`s atmosphere and cryosphere (SOUTHSPHERE). The project seeks to deepen our understanding of the natural range of atmospheric climate variability in the Southern Ocean. We are particularly interested in the past behavior of the Southern hemisphere westerlies: powerful winds that regulate Earth`s climate by spurring ocean circulation, storing anthropogenic carbon, and exchanging heat. The southerly westerly winds play a very important role in the global climate system. Observations show that they also play an important role in today’s global warming. To reconstruct the climate system, the project will use glaciers as a climate indicator through studies of lakes. To make continuousreconstructions of the glaciers, one will use various proxy methods that include CT scanning and cryptotephra analysis to ensure the most robust reconstructions possible. All sediment samples were collected during the field season of 2019. For the DYNASOR project, the successful candidate will contribute with lake sediment analyses from Iceland using the same methods as in the Kerguelen Islands but with focus on reconstructing past mega floods from the glacier Vatnajökull. This includes field work in Iceland to collect sediment cores in the first part of the PhD project.
Work tasks:
The PhD Research Fellow will primarily focus on the reconstruction of Holocene glacier-climate change on the Kerguelen archipelago, but also on glacial megaflood deposits from Iceland. To attribute the signature of past variations to specific forcings, the candidate will work together with other project partners that reconstruct temperature and hydroclimate change from the same archives using palynological and biomarker approaches. The candidate will be affiliated with the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research as well as the national research school on Changing Climates in the Coupled Earth System (CHESS).
Qualifications and personal qualities:
- Applicants must hold a master’s degree or equivalent education in in earth science, physical geography or related disciplines, or have submitted their master`s thesis for assessment before the application deadline. It is a condition of employment that the master’s degree has been awarded.
- Demonstrated experience generating paleoenvironmental data, notably using lake sediment proxy approaches (for example XRF and CT core scanning, as well as grain size analysis) is a requirement.
- Applicants must have experience with (geostatistical) data analysis approaches (at least Excel and ArcGIS, but preferably also R and Grapher or similar).
- Applicants must be able to work independently and in a structured manner and demonstrate good collaborative skills.
- Applicants must be proficient in both written and oral English.
Personal and relational qualities will be emphasized. Ambitions and potential will also count when evaluating the candidates.
The applicants must be prepared to work in an international group and spend extended periods at collaborating institutions.
About the PhD position (applies to university PhD positions):
About the PhD Research Fellow:
The fellowship will be for a period of 3 years, with the possibility for a 4th year, consisting of 25 % compulsory work (for example teaching responsibilities at the department) distributed across the employment period. The 4th year is contingent on the qualifications of the candidate and the teaching needs of the department and will be decided by the head of department upon appointment.
The employment period may be reduced if you have previously been employed in a qualifying post (for example research fellow, research assistant).
About the research training:
As a PhD Research Fellow, you must participate in an approved educational programme for a PhD degree within a period of 3 years. The deadline for applying for admission to the PhD programme at The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences is 2 months after you start your position or after the start of the research project that will lead to the PhD degree. It is a condition that you satisfy the enrolment requirements for the PhD programme at the University of Bergen.
We can offer:
- a good and professionally stimulating working environment.
- salary at pay grade 54 (Code 1017/LR20, alternative 10) in the state salary scale (a gross annual salary of NOK 491 200. Further promotions are made according to length of service in the position.
- enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
- good welfare benefits
Your application must include:
- a brief account of the applicant’s research interests and motivation for applying for the position.
- the names and contact information for two referees. One of these should be the main advisor for the master’s thesis or equivalent thesis.
- CV
- transcripts and diplomas showing completion of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. If you have not yet completed your master’s degree, please submit a statement from your institution confirming that the master’s thesis has been submitted.
- relevant certificates/references.
- approved documentation of proficiency in English (if required, cf. English language requirements for PhD admission).
- a list of any works of a scientific nature (publication list).
- any publications in your name including a copy of your master thesis.
The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at Jobbnorge.
General information:
For further details about the position, please contact Professor Jostein Bakke, Department of Earth Science, tel. +47 55 58 35 03, email: Jostein.Bakke@uib.no , or Dr. Willem van der Bilt, Department of Earth Science, tel. +47 55 58 81 08, email: Willemvanderbilt@uib.no.
The state labor force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. Age and gender balance among employees is therefore a goal. It is also a goal to recruit people with immigrant backgrounds. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.
We encourage women to apply. If multiple applicants have approximately equivalent qualifications, the rules pertaining to moderate gender quotas shall apply.
The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.
Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.
For further information about the recruitment process, click here.
Life as a PhD candidate at UiB
Marion Claireaux tells about life and work as a PhD candidate at UiB.https://www.youtube.com/embed/nrtp6VxMeJ4?autoplay=0&modestbranding=1&playsinline=0&rel=0&start=0&enablejsapi=1&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jobbnorge.no&widgetid=2
About UiB
The University of Bergen is a renowned educational and research institution, organised into seven faculties and approximately 54 institutes and academic centres. Campus is located in the centre of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien and Årstad.
There are seven departments and several centres at Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Read more about the faculty and departments.