Date

Multiple Positions Available

  1. Postdoctoral Fellowships Available
    University of Alberta
    Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

  2. Masters Project Available
    Microorganisms in Permafrost Environments in Svalbard
    Denmark or Norway

  3. University of Alaska Fairbanks seeks PhD Applicants
    Volcanic Ash Modeling
    Fairbanks, Alaska

  4. Northern Arizona University seeks Postdoctoral Scholar
    Arctic Holocene Climate
    Flagstaff, Arizona

  1. Postdoctoral Fellowships Available
    University of Alberta
    Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

The Government of Canada has a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship
program (Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships;
http://banting.fellowships-bourses.gc.ca/) that is open to both Canadian
and international applicants. The Cryospheric Sciences Group at the
University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, seeks applicants to
this program in the areas of glaciology, sea ice science, permafrost
science, and microbiology of the cryosphere; or in areas of overlap
between these specializations.

The University of Alberta has an internal deadline of 12 September for
initial screening of potential applicants. Therefore, applicants are
encouraged to express their interest no later than Friday, 2 September
2011. Initial enquiries (indicating the candidate's area of expertise
and research interests) should be sent to Martin Sharp
(martin.sharp [at] ualberta.ca) to discuss opportunities, after which they
will be directed to the most suitable supervisor.

For further information, please go to:
http://easweb.eas.ualberta.ca/
http://arctic.eas.ualberta.ca/

  1. Masters Project Available
    Microorganisms in Permafrost Environments in Svalbard
    Denmark or Norway

In a collaborative project between the University of Copenhagen, the
University of Aarhus (both Denmark), and the University Centre in
Svalbard (Norway, UNIS), permafrost soils from the European high-arctic
area (The Advent Valley in Spitsbergen) will be characterized regarding
composition and activity of the indigenous microbial communities. The
project is looking for one or two MSc students interested in microbial
ecology and/or biological chemistry.

The project focuses on understanding the influence of seasonal
temperature and freeze-thaw patterns on microbial community shifts, and
carbon and nutrient availability in the active layer and the permafrost
soil. Permafrost cores have been collected on a monthly basis from June
2010 to June 2011 to a depth of 2 meters in The Advent Valley,
Spitsbergen. In the project, microbial communities in these cores will
be characterized using molecular, ecological, and classical methods
within microbiology; chemical approaches such as membrane fatty acid
profiling (fingerprinting for bacteria and fungi); and metabolite
production. The final project theme is developed together with the
student.

The student(s) will be enrolled at Copenhagen or Aarhus University and
will be member(s) of an ongoing team. Laboratory work will be carried
out in Copenhagen at Section of Genetics and Microbiology (Copenhagen
University) and in Roskilde at the Institute of Environmental Research
Institute (Aarhus University).

Candidates should have a completed Bachelor's degree or similar in
biology, microbiology, or ecology, and have strong interest in pursuing
a laboratory-based thesis. A publication is expected to result from the
project. Sound knowledge of written and spoken English is expected.

The positions are open until suitable candidates are found.

For further information, please contact:
Niels Jorgensen (Copenhagen University)
Email: nogj [at] life.ku.dk

Bo Elberling (Copenhagen University)
Email: be [at] geo.life.ku

Anne Winding (Aarhus University)
Email: aw [at] dmu.dk

Anders Johansen (Aarhus University)
Email: ajo [at] dmu.dk

Philipp Semenchuk (UNIS)
Email: philipp.semenchuk [at] uit.no

  1. University of Alaska Fairbanks seeks PhD Applicants
    Volcanic Ash Modeling
    Fairbanks, Alaska

The University of Alaska Fairbanks invites applications to a funded PhD
position starting in fall 2011 as part of their volcanic ash modeling
efforts. The position is based in Fairbanks, Alaska.

The project aims at investigating the dispersion of volcanic ash in the
atmosphere using the Weather Research and Forecast Model with inline
Chemistry (WRF/Chem). A variety of volcanic eruption models are used to
initialize WRF/Chem. The models will be verified using case studies
worldwide with the specific purpose of providing improvements for the
modeling basis of volcanic ash concentration calculations. Methods will
include model inter-comparison and testing of satellite remote sensing
algorithms; operational tools are developed to support volcanic ash
advisory centers.

The successful candidate will have a strong background in geophysics
with emphasis in atmospheric sciences and fluid dynamics. Excellent
programming skills are required.

Interested applicants should contact:
Martin Stuefer
Email: stuefer [at] gi.alaska.edu

Peter Webley
Email: pwebley [at] gi.alaska.edu

  1. Northern Arizona University seeks Postdoctoral Scholar
    Arctic Holocene Climate
    Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University seeks a postdoctoral scholar to advance the
understanding of Holocene climate variability in the Arctic and its
relation to climate change globally. The position will be based in
Flagstaff, Arizona.

The successful candidate will evaluate the full breadth of available
proxy climate indicators for the Arctic, including new records from lake
sediments that are currently being developed by the U.S. NSF Arctic
System Science "ARCSS 8k" project (http://www.arcus.org/synthesis8k/).
The proxy synthesis will be used to investigate the spatial-temporal
pattern of paleoclimate changes, including the transition from the
warmer early Holocene to the cooler late Holocene. Assessing the
regional coherency of rapid climate changes across the Arctic will
provide information on how ocean-atmospheric circulation changed with
the mean state of climate. The goal is to understand centennial-scale
variability in the arctic system and the feedbacks that lead to
pronounced changes. The candidate will compare the climate
reconstruction with the output of climate model simulations as part of
on-going collaborative studies at the U.S. National Center for
Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The climate reconstruction will also be
integrated into similar syntheses from across the globe being led by the
IGBP-Past Global Changes (PAGES) program.

The position will join an international, interdisciplinary team of
climate scientists focusing on Holocene climate variability, and will
have the opportunity to work at the PAGES International Project Office
in Bern Switzerland, and with climate modelers at NCAR in Boulder,
Colorado. The position will also be invited to participate in ongoing
research involving fieldwork in the Arctic, and will be a regular member
of the research staff of the School of Earth Sciences and Environmental
Sustainability at Northern Arizona University. The initial appointment
is for one year, extendable to two, and is funded by U.S. NSF Arctic
System Science program.

Applicants must have a PhD in earth science or related field, and be a
relatively recent graduate or graduate by the time of appointment.
Experience analyzing proxy records of past climate change, strong
quantitative and statistical skills (including spatial and multivariate
statistics, Matlab, and error analysis) and experience with
collaborative interdisciplinary research is preferred. Candidates would
preferably be available by 1 October 2011.

Application deadline: Thursday, 15 September 2011.

To apply, please send a letter of interest and curriculum vitae to
Darrell Kaufman (Darrell.Kaufman [at] nau.edu).