The Department of Earth Sciences is now looking for a highly motivated applicant to fill a postdoctoral research position to apply Micromagnetic Tomography (MMT) to paleomagnetic and rock-magnetic research questions.
MMT is a new technique that makes it possible to determine magnetic moments of individual particles or groups of particles in geological materials. The ability to assess magnetic moments of individual grains opens new avenues in paleomagnetic and rock-magnetic research. Signals of magnetically well-behaved grains that may be present in a sample are often obscured by the signals of grains with non-ideal recording properties. With MMT, the magnetic signals of the well-behaved grains can be identified and interpreted, even when vital paleomagnetic or rock-magnetic information is lost when measuring the bulk magnetization of such a sample.

MMT was developed over the past years by a team at Utrecht University and NTNU Trondheim. This included building a new Quantum Diamond Microscope in paleomagnetic lab Fort Hoofddijk, developing and optimizing computational inversion codes, and designing a statistical framework to interpret and scrutinize MMT results. The MMT workflow is currently being streamlined, and it is now possible to apply MMT to samples of volcanic origin and start answering paleomagnetic and rock-magnetic research questions.
This postdoc position aims at applying MMT to paleomagnetic and/or rock-magnetic problems; this can also include developing MMT further if necessary to answer your research questions. The exact questions to be addressed during this postdoc are to be discussed and can be aligned with the background and expertise of the candidate. We therefore ask you to include a short paragraph on your ideas and/or research questions that you would like to start answering using MMT in your motivation letter.

This position is for 2 years (24 months) and can start between January 1st and August 1st, 2023. More information about the MMT technique, the project, and the team can be found on www.mimatom.org. The position is funded through the ERC Starting Grant, awarded by the European Research Council to Dr Lennart de Groot.

We would like you to bring: 

• a PhD degree in Earth sciences, material sciences, physics, or a related field, when starting the position;
• A broad interest in (paleo)magnetism and developing experimental techniques
• the willingness and capacity to work and interact in a multidisciplinary team
• Experience in rock-magnetism or magnetic imaging (would be an advantage).

You must be fluent in spoken and written English.

You will be offered a temporary full-time postdoctoral position for a period of 2 years. The minimum gross salary is €3,413 and the maximum gross salary is €3,974 (scale 10.3-10.7 of the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities) per month, at a full-time employment. Besides that, you will receive a holiday allowance of 8 % and a year-end bonus of 8.3 %. 
In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive retirement scheme, (partly paid) parental leave and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). 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 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 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. The department hosts a highly international tenured staff of over 50 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.

This project is based within paleomagnetic laboratory Fort Hoofddijk, one of the oldest paleomagnetic labs in the world. The laboratories are housed in an old Fort of the Dutch Water Defense Line, situated in the middle of the botanical gardens at Utrecht University's campus. We perform fundamental and applied research on the Earth's magnetic field and its applications in Earth Sciences, e.g. magnetostratigraphy, rock magnetism, and tectonophysics. We actively collaborate with almost all other research groups in the department of Earth Sciences, branching out into geophysics, (bio)geology, and geochemistry.

About Utrecht
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 ancient city centre and its modern central station can easily be reached from the Utrecht 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.