PhD position on the completeness of the fossil record (1.0 FTE)

We are looking for a prospective PhD student in the project “MindTheGap: Quantifying the completeness of the stratigraphic record and its role in reconstructing the tempo and mode of evolution” at the Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University. This project will bridge the divide between modern understanding of sedimentology and quantitative stratigraphy and evolutionary reconstructions based on the fossil record. Although we have numerous evidence that the structure of geological strata overprints our reconstructions heavily by determining which time intervals and environments become selectively preserved, evolutionary biology has not, until now, exploited our knowledge of this structure. The project team will combine models of stochastic sedimentation, astronomical forcing, and sedimentary and diagenetic self-organization to create 3D models of carbonate platforms. The role of the PhD student will be to simulate evolutionary processes and quantify the impact of stratigraphic architectures on the preservation of trait evolution and on phylogenetic inference based on fossils.

This project aims to answer questions asked already by Darwin: What part of diversity do we miss owing to the missing rock record? Are the preserved intervals exceptional or representative? Is there a systematic part of biodiversity and environmental records which will always fall into gaps?

The position is funded by the ERC Starting Grant project awarded to Emilia Jarochowska, including research, travel and publication expenses to support the PhD project. The project team includes international collaborators David De Vleeschouwer (Münster University), Rachel Warnock (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg) and Peter Burgess (University of Liverpool) and includes a postdoctoral researcher and a software engineer based at the Department of Earth Sciences. You will be based at Utrecht University, while the project foresees travel for training, research collaboration, and meeting with project partners. A personalised training programme will be set up, reflecting your training needs and career objectives. About 20% of your time will be dedicated to this training component, which includes training on the job in assisting in the BSc and MSc teaching programmes of the Earth Sciences department at Utrecht University.
We also expect the willingness to dedicate part of the work time to public engagement related to the project, such as public talks or writing for non-specialist audience. Training and support in public engagement is available at Utrecht University.

Required qualifications are:

1. a MSc degree in Palaeobiology, Palaeontology, Biology, Earth Sciences or an equivalent degree;
2. documented experience in independent use of R Software;
3. proficiency in spoken and written English;
4. familiarity with quantitative methods in stratigraphy or taphonomy.

1. experience with independent use of Matlab or Octave;
2. familiarity with phylogenetic methods;
3. familiarity with carbonate sedimentology and stratigraphic palaeobiology.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

Utrecht University's Faculty of Geosciences studies the Earth: from the Earth's core to its surface, including man's spatial and material utilisation of the Earth - always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the Faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised into four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.

The Department of Earth Sciences conducts teaching and research across the full range of the solid earth and environmental earth sciences, with activities in almost all areas of geology, geochemistry, geophysics, biogeology and hydrogeology. The department hosts a highly international tenured staff of over 45 scientists and more than 110 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. Our research programme spans four intertwined themes: Climate & Life, Earth interior, Earth materials, and Environmental Earth Sciences. We house or have access to a wide variety of world-class laboratories.