PhD Organic Geochemistry of Arctic Marine Sediments

The Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is a member of the Helmholtz Association (HGF) and funded by federal and state government. AWI focuses on polar and marine research in a variety of disciplines such as biology, oceanography, geology, geochemistry and geophysics thus allowing multidisciplinary approaches to scientific goals.

PhD Position "Organic Geochemistry of Arctic Marine Sediments" (m/f/d)

Background

The Arctic is warming much more rapidly than any other region of the world. As a consequence, large amounts of previously freeze-locked organic matter is being delivered to the Arctic Ocean and degraded. This process creates a potential positive climate feedback.

This PhD project will aim at quantifying the strength of this so-called permafrost carbon feedback, which needs to be included in model scenarios. This requires determining whether and at which rates the terrigenous organic matter is remineralized in the Arctic Ocean, and which fraction of it is buried in sediments and thus removed from active carbon cycling for multi-millennial time scales.

The position is part of our recruiting initiative AWI INSPIRES - INternational Science Program for Integrative Research in Earth Systems. AWI INSPIRES aims at strengthening our new research program “Changing Earth, Sustaining our Future”. Details about all open positions and the general application requirements can be found at

.

Tasks

You will

• determine the composition and reactivity of terrigenous organic matter released to the Arctic Ocean in key study regions affected by Arctic climate change;
• trace the fate of terrigenous organic matter by using radiocarbon and stable isotope techniques, including compound-specific isotope analyses;
• characterize the lipidome of the benthic microbial communities at key sites; and
• experimentally determine the response of the benthic marine microbiological community to increasing supply of terrigenous organic matter.

Requirements

• A degree (Master’s, Diplom) in geochemistry, biogeochemistry or a related field.
• Practical knowledge in organic geochemical laboratory methods and analytical instrumentation.
• Experience with the radiocarbon method is advantageous.
• Excellent English language skills, both written and spoken.
• Readiness to participate in seagoing and land expeditions to the Arctic.

Further Information

For further information please contact
Prof. Dr. Gesine Mollenhauer
(Gesine.Mollenhauer@awi.de, +49(471) 4831-2456)
This position is limited to 3 years. The salary will be paid in accordance with the German “Collective Agreement for the Public Service of the Federation” (Tarifvertrag des öffentlichen Dienstes, TVöD Bund), up to salary level

13 (66%)
. The place of employment will be
Bremerhaven.
All doctoral candidates will be members of AWI’s postgraduate program
and thus benefit from a comprehensive training program and extensive support measures.

This characterizes us

• our scientific success - excellent research.
• collaboration and cooperation - intra-institute, national and international, interdisciplinary.
• opportunities to develop – on the job, aiming at other positions and beyond AWI.
• a culture of reconciling work and family – audited, and even more than that.
• our outstanding research infrastructure – ships, stations, aircraft, laboratories and more.
• an international environment – everyday contacts with people from all over the world.
• having an influence – fundamental research with social and political relevance
• flat hierarchies – freedom and responsibility.
• exciting topics – also in technology, administration and infrastructure.

Equal opportunities are an integral part of our personnel policy and we encourage women to apply.
Disabled applicants will be given preference when equal qualifications are present. The AWI fosters the compatibility of work and family through various means. Because of our engagement in the area of work-life compatibility we have been awarded the certificate “Career and Family”.

We look forward to your application!

Please forward your application with letter of motivation explaining why you want to join one of our research areas, two letters of recommendation and a list of publications by

February 16
th
, 2020
exclusively online.
Selected candidates will be invited to present their research ideas and motivation during the “Annual recruitment days”, planned from 16 to 24 March 2020 in Bremerhaven, Germany.

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