PhD position on the completeness of the fossil record (1.0 FTE)

Would you like to work on a project which aims to answer questions already asked by Darwin? Then our PhD position might be just what you are looking for.

Job description

We are looking for a prospective PhD student in the project “MindTheGap: Quantifying the completeness of the stratigraphic record and its role in reconstructing the tempo and mode of evolution” at the Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University. This project will bridge the divide between modern understanding of sedimentology and quantitative stratigraphy and evolutionary reconstructions based on the fossil record. Although we have numerous evidence that the structure of geological strata overprints our reconstructions heavily by determining which time intervals and environments become selectively preserved, evolutionary biology has not, until now, exploited our knowledge of this structure. The project team will combine models of stochastic sedimentation, astronomical forcing, and sedimentary and diagenetic self-organization to create 3D models of carbonate platforms. The role of the PhD student will be to simulate evolutionary processes and quantify the impact of stratigraphic architectures on the preservation of trait evolution and on phylogenetic inference based on fossils.

This project aims to answer questions asked already by Darwin: What part of diversity do we miss owing to the missing rock record? Are the preserved intervals exceptional or representative? Is there a systematic part of biodiversity and environmental records which will always fall into gaps?
The position is funded by the ERC Starting Grant project awarded to Emilia Jarochowska, including research, travel and publication expenses to support the PhD project. The project team includes international collaborators David De Vleeschouwer (Münster University), Rachel Warnock (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg) and Peter Burgess (University of Liverpool) and will include a postdoctoral researcher and a software engineer based at the Department of Earth Sciences. You will be based at Utrecht University. The project is planned to involve travel for training and meeting with project partners, but this can be adjusted to your individual situation. You will not be involved in teaching regular courses, but we expect involvement in building a scientific team, which will include engaging BSc, MSc and internship students in the research carried out within the project through individual and group feedback rounds and through contributing into designing their projects and supporting them in interpretations. We also expect the willingness to dedicate part of the work time to public engagement related to the project, such as public talks or writing for non-specialist audience. Training and support in public engagement is available at Utrecht University.

Specifications

• 36—40 hours per week
• €2541—€3247 per month
• Utrecht View on Google Maps

Utrecht University

Requirements

Required qualifications are:

Desired qualifications are:

Conditions of employment
You will be offered a temporary position (1.0 FTE), initially for one year with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period. The gross salary ranges between €2,541 in the first year and €3,247 in the fourth year of employment (scale P according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year. As a PhD student you will benefit from a broad offer of voluntary seminars and support programmes offered at Utrecht University
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 .
Employer

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 into 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 45 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.

Additional information

For more information about this position, please contact Dr Emilia Jarochowska via [email protected].
Visa
Note that international candidates needing a visa/work permit for the Netherlands require at least four months processing time after selection and acceptance. This will be arranged with help of the International Service Desk (ISD) of our university. Finding appropriate housing in or near Utrecht is your own responsibility, but the ISD may be able to advise you therewith. For general questions that you might have about working and living in The Netherlands, please consult the Dutch Mobility Portal where much information can be found.

Working at Utrecht University

At Utrecht University, we work together towards a better future for all of us. You are invited to contribute to a better world.

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Application procedure

Everyone deserves to feel at home at our university. We welcome employees with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. 
To apply, please send your curriculum vitae (max 2 pages) and a letter of motivation (max 1 page), in which you address how you fit the profile of the candidate, via the ‘apply’ button.
Evaluations and online interviews are planned in the first half (5-16) of December.
The intended starting date is February 1, 2023 or asap thereafter.