The department of Ocean Systems (OCS: principal investigator prof. dr. Gert-Jan Reichart) at the Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research (NIOZ) is looking for a highly motivated PhD student with a background in (bio)geochemistry/chemical oceanography/ paleoceanography to investigate geochemical signatures in foraminiferal calcite to improve paleoceanographic reconstructions.
ROYAL NIOZ
NWO-NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research is the Dutch national oceanographic institute and principally performs academically excellent multidisciplinary, fundamental, and frontier applied marine research addressing important scientific and societal questions pertinent to the functioning of the ocean and seas. NIOZ includes the National Marine research Facilities (NMF) department that operates a fleet of research vessels and the national pool of large seagoing equipment, and supports excellence in multidisciplinary marine research, education, and policy development.
THE DEPARTMENT
The department of Ocean Systems (OCS) studies the role of the ocean in a changing climate, from equator to pole, from the continental shelf to the deep ocean and from the past to the present. The ocean is Earth’s largest reservoir of CO2 and heat; circulation, mixing, biogeochemistry and other marine processes strongly impact global climate. Advanced ocean observations allow us to decipher the current and future functioning of the ocean. Furthermore, seafloor sediments have recorded past changes in conditions on land and in the ocean, in the form of biological residues or physical and chemical signals, which allow us to reconstruct feedbacks between oceanic processes and climate in the (ancient) past. Today, the ocean is changing rapidly because of (human) stressors such as excess CO2, warming and eutrophication. This impacts on the strongly linked but poorly understood ocean processes that control marine ecosystem functioning and thereby climate. The OCS department investigates ocean functioning by means of sea-going expeditions, during which data and samples are collected from the water column and the seafloor. The samples are analyzed in on-board and on-shore laboratories and we have collected a large information and sample repository over past decades.
THE PROJECT
Within the EMBRACER research program we investigate the complex feedbacks in Earth’s climate system, triggered by ongoing CO2 emissions and warming. These feedbacks influence global warming now, but even more so they will determine the future of Earth’s climate far beyond 2100. In depth knowledge about these feedbacks is essential for informed policy making. Predicting rates of change, the effect of various forcing mechanisms and the role of feedback loops could benefit greatly from reconstructions of past climates and changes therein.
Understanding effects of increased levels of atmospheric CO2 on (global) temperatures, on different time scales, is at the core of current climate science. Past changes in both temperature and CO2 can be reconstructed using the chemical and isotopic composition of foraminiferal calcite. Their shells’ elemental and isotopic signature reflects the environment and also allow accurate dating. Existing calibrations have improved our understanding of past climate change, but are sometimes complicated by the multiple effects of environmental parameters all affecting the calcite chemical signature at the same time. Multi-element calibration and mechanistic modelling will be investigated for more reliable, robust and precise reconstructions.
YOUR ROLE
Within the larger context of EMBACER you will be connecting to more than 30 other PhD’s and Postdocs. You will focus on (a)biogenic calcite chemistry, including element composition and isotope ratios in relation to temperature and sea water carbon chemistry. Using the broad array of analytical equipment at NIOZ (e.g. laser ablation- and multi-collector-ICP-MS) we will investigate geochemical signatures in calcite as a function of environmental parameter. With the same techniques, we will investigate paleoclimate in down-core material by applying novel and refined reconstruction methods based on foraminiferal shell chemistry. This will also involve culturing living foraminifera under a range of conditions to accurately correlate seawater temperature, pH, etc. to the resulting elemental and isotopic signatures. The latter will relate to other research projects in our group focusing on biomineralization processes. Statistical analysis and mechanistic modeling of data is a key aspect of your project. Furthermore, you are expected to contribute pro-actively to open and effective exchange of ideas and results within our department and with other (inter)national colleagues. You present the data from experiments and from downcore material at (international) conferences and you prepare scientific articles for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Within OCS, you share your knowledge and expertise with your colleagues in an open, safe and inclusive environment.
THE CANDIDATE
We seek an enthusiastic and energetic student who has a keen interest in marine biogeochemistry and paleoceanography and who is eager to perform high-end research with an emphasis on high-resolution chemical characterization of biogenic carbonates. You are a team player, with:
An MSc degree in earth sciences, marine scienes or a related field
Experience and affinity with biogeochemistry and marine research
Passion for chemical laboratory work and data analysis
An open, communicative and collaborative attitude
Strong communication skills in English
We want to be a transparent institute with a healthy working climate and an inclusive culture, where people from diverse backgrounds and gender bring their talents and further develop these talents. We aim for inclusive decision-making processes and expect our leadership to show visible commitment, awareness of bias, and cultural intelligence.
CONDITIONS
Employment of this full-time position at Royal NIOZ is by NWO-I, for a total duration of 4 years. You start with an appointment for the duration of 1 year, that, after a positive evaluation in the 9th month (Go-No go), will be extended to the full period of 4 years.
Salary compliant with scales for PhD candidate (OIOs) CAO-WVOI (Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Research Institutes).
An appointment at NIOZ as a PhD candidate means working and learning simultaneously conform the NIOZ PhD policy.
338 annualized holiday hours for a full-time 40-hour work week.
Pension scheme via ABP, 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.33%.
2nd class public transportation travel is reimbursed 100%.
Employment benefits plan to exchange a portion of your salary for days off or vice versa, or can be used to purchase a bicycle with tax benefits.
We offer relocation expenses for employees coming from abroad and support with finding accommodation.
At EMBRACER we work at the very frontiers of knowledge on climate change, Earth’s climate system and climate feedbacks. Within its 10-year research programme, funded by NWO, 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. 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.
MORE INFORMATION
For additional information about this vacancy, please contact Gert-Jan Reichart or Lennart de Nooijer. For additional information about the procedure, please send an e-mail to [email protected]
Closing date for this vacancy is 30 June.
