PhD: Oceanographic Effects of Iceberg Discharge During Past Deglaciations

The Utrecht University Department of Earth Sciences is looking for a highly motivated and versatile PhD candidate with a MSc background in Earth Sciences, Environmental sciences, Biology, Climate physics, Oceanography or other appropriate fields. You will work on the project “Change in the subantarctic ocean during past strong deglaciations induced by icebergs”.

Your job
The subantarctic ocean is one of the three main sinks of atmospheric carbon, and as such it acts as a profound mitigation mechanism of antropogenically induced climate change. This ocean zone faces strong oceanographic changes over the past decade –warming, stratification and freshening– all of which impact the carbon sink efficiency. Questions arise regarding the long-term role of the subantarctic carbon sink as negative climate feedback. In this project, you will combine proxy-based oceanographic reconstructions in the subantarctic zone with numerical lagrangian model simulations of iceberg melt to investigate how iceberg discharge affected the subantarctic zone as carbon sink in the past. In the first half of the project, you will generate dinoflagellate cyst, bulk carbonate geochemistry and biomarker records that document in high resolution the oceanographic changes in two existing sediment cores. In the latter half of the project, you will create lagrangian iceberg tracking simulations with the goal to quantify and map freshwater input from iceberg discharge during deglaciation phases. The ultimate goal is to infer paleoceanographic changes in the subantarctic zone during past deglaciation phases.

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 following workshops and/or courses, as well as training on the job in assisting in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes of the department at Utrecht University.

The position is part of a Dutch National consortium centre called EMBRACER, with the aim to investigate feedbacks within carbon and water cycles in the climate system. EMBRACER includes 23 PIS from 6 institutions and with a wide variety of disciplines, from physics, environmental, earth and social sciences. The EMBRACER community of students and staff will have regular cross-disciplinary meetings, events and lots of opportunities to get in contact with the wide spectrum of climate science. (See also about the organisation.)

We welcome a motivated team-player who recognises themselves in the following description:

The project requires generating numerical simulations and proxy data. You must have completed your MSc degree in Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Biology, Climate Physics, Oceanography or a related discipline by the time the position starts. In terms of skills we require:

• experience or strong interest in paleoclimate/paleoceanography;
• skills in micropaleontology or affinity with microscope work;
• experience in working in a laboratory;
• experience with coding and programming in python;
• demonstrated writing skills;
• versatility and flexibility, keenness to learn new techniques and skillsets;
• capability to independently plan and organize your work, with interest in taking a leading role in its direction;
• adequate social/verbal/communication skills.

Due to the international character of our research, good command of spoken and written English is essential. We highly encourage applicants from all members of our community and of diverse backgrounds to join us.

We offer:

• a full-time position for four years;
• a working week of 38 hours and a gross monthly salary between €2,901 and €3,707 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

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 strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

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 in 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, from the mountains to the sea, and the interaction in between. This knowledge is essential for the sustainable management of our planet and to guarantee the availability of resources for the next generations. The departments host a highly international tenured staff of over 50 scientists and more than 110 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. We house or have access to a wide variety of world-class laboratories, among which are UU’s Electron Microscopy Centre, the Geolab, and the Earth Simulation Lab. We also have excellent High-Performance Computing facilities and organise a warm welcome for every new member.

The position is embedded in the Marine Palynology & Paleoceanography group in the department. The group focuses with four permanent staff members on paleoceanographic and paleoenvironmental reconstructions in the entire Phanerozoic, specifically by looking at organic microfossils, usually in close collaboration with additional disciplines in the department and abroad.

There is a close link between this project and the paleoclimate research within the virtual Netherlands Earth System Science Centre (NESSC), which focuses on tipping points within the climate system, and its successor, the Earth System Feedback Research Centre (EMBRACER), which will run at least until 2035. At EMBRACER, we work at the very frontiers of knowledge on climate change, Earth’s climate system and climate feedbacks (link in Dutch). EMBRACER brings together a wide range of world-leading climate experts with the aim to address existing uncertainties about climate feedbacks at the boundaries between oceans, land, ice, and atmosphere. It also brings together a large cohort of PhD students in a national highly interdisciplinary and strongly collaborative (paleo-)climate community. Our interdisciplinary approach and state-of-the-art infrastructure will bring us forward in our understanding of the impact of climate feedbacks emerging over the next decades to centuries.

The departments and their facilities are located at Utrecht Science Park. Utrecht is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands with a population of nearly 360,000 and forms a hub in the middle of the country. Its historical city centre and its modern central station can easily be reached from the Science Park by public transport or by a 15-minute bicycle ride. Utrecht boasts beautiful canals with extraordinary wharf cellars housing cafés and terraces by the water, as well as a broad variety of shops and boutiques.

As Utrecht University, we want to be a home for everyone. We value staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including cultural, religious or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and contribute.

You can only apply via our online procedure using the 'apply now' button. E-mail applications cannot be accepted. Include the following information in your application:

• your curriculum vitae, including any courses taken that are relevant for the position;
• academic credentials (grade lists and degree statements);
• your letter of motivation.

No reference letters need to be submitted in your initial application. If you are short-listed, we will contact you for referees. We aim for a quick selection procedure after the application deadline. The preferable starting date is summer 2025 or a.s.a.p. thereafter.

Online screening may be part of the selection. Commercial response to this ad is not appreciated.