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Five Announcements from the SCEC Community

Date: 10/13/2023

Dear SCEC Community,

See the following announcements:

  • Two Faculty Positions at Rice University: Energy Transition and Planetary 
  • Pan Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
  • Assistant Professor Faculty Position at USC
  • Two Assistant Research Professor positions at UTIG
  • CRESCENT Postdoctoral Positions

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On behalf of Julia K. Morgan, Rice University

Two Faculty Positions at Rice University: Energy Transition and Planetary 

(1) Open-Rank Faculty Position – Earth Science for the Energy Transition

The Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Rice University, in Houston, TX, is seeking applications to fill an open-rank tenure or tenure-track faculty position with active research broadly relevant to the energy transition. Potential areas of interest include, but are not limited to, geothermal energy, geologic carbon capture and sequestration, subsurface energy storage, critical mineral resources, subsurface fluid flow, and environmental impacts. 

Applicants using geochemistry, geophysics, geomechanics, basin and reservoir analysis, numerical and/or machine learning techniques are all welcome.

The successful candidate is expected to establish a vigorous, externally funded research program, teach core courses, and develop undergraduate and graduate courses within their area of expertise, and be involved in service to the department, university, and the broader scientific community. Contributions to the growing professional masters programs in energy geoscience and the energy transition are welcome. The successful candidate will be appointed at a rank commensurate with accomplishments and expertise.

Applications for this position must be submitted electronically by November 1, 2023 at http://apply.interfolio.com/130377

(2) Tenure-track assistant professor position in Planetary Science

The Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Rice University is seeking applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position in Planetary Science with expertise that complements current departmental research. Particular interests include but are not limited to studies of meteorites, returned samples, and other planetary and analog materials applied to fundamental questions on the formation and evolution of planetary systems and planetary habitability. Applicants who use one or more analytical and/or experimental tools on planetary samples are especially encouraged to apply.

Successful candidates are expected to establish a vigorous, externally funded research program, teach core courses and develop undergraduate and graduate courses within their area of expertise, and be involved in service to the department, university, and the broader scientific community.

Applications for this position must be submitted electronically at http://apply.interfolio.com/130235.

Requirements:

All candidates must have earned a Ph.D. degree in Earth, Environmental, or Planetary Science or a related field by the time of the appointment. Applicants will be required to submit the following: (1) cover letter; (2) curriculum vitae; (3) statement of research; (4) statement on teaching; (5) statement on diversity, mentoring, and outreach (see guidelines here: https://eeps.rice.edu/diversity-mentoring-and-outreach-statement-guidelines); and (6) the names, affiliations, and email addresses of at least three professional references. Details about the department and its facilities can be found at http://eeps.rice.edu. All required application materials submitted by November 1, 2023 are ensured full consideration. For questions, please contact eeps-search@rice.edu.

 

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On behalf of Julia K. Morgan, Rice University

Pan Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

The Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Rice University is seeking candidates with independent research interests that intersect with one or more faculty within our department and who contribute positively to the diversity of the department through outreach or other means. Both domestic and international applicants are welcome. By the time of their start date at Rice, candidates must have received their Ph.D. degree and be within the first three years of degree conferral.

The research fellowship will be supported for two years --- pending satisfactory progress during the first year --- and includes an annual stipend of $62,000 with a benefits package, an annual discretionary research allowance of $3,500, and an allowance for reasonable re-location expenses. Applicants are requested to develop a proposal of research to be undertaken during the fellowship period. The principal selection criteria are scientific excellence, the applicant’s record of research productivity, a clearly expressed research plan to address questions at the forefront of their field of study, research synergies with at least one faculty, and a commitment to fostering diversity. The proposed research should encompass independent research ideas and explore new directions beyond the applicant’s Ph.D. Preference will be given to applicants whose proposals demonstrate independence and originality, and also the potential for collaboration with one or more faculty in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences.

Requirements:

Applicants should submit: (1) A current CV, including a list of publications; (2) A brief synopsis of the applicant’s doctoral dissertation (no longer than one page); (3) A brief diversity statement that explains the applicants’ interest in, experience with, and/or planned commitment to addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (no longer than one page) (see guidelines here); (4) A concise research proposal (no longer than three pages, including figures, excluding references) describing the applicants research interests, specifically the research that the applicant would like to pursue at Rice; (5) The names of potential Rice faculty who could serve as postdoctoral mentors.

All five documents should be submitted as a single PDF file to the fellowship search committee (esci-postdoc@rice.edu) by  November 14, 2023. In addition, letters of reference should be submitted by two referees to the same email address and by the same deadline. The highest ranked applicants will be invited for an interview. Following acceptance, the appointment may begin anytime before 1 January, 2025. For further information or questions contact the search committee at esci-postdoc@rice.edu.

Applications for this position must be submitted electronically to the fellowship search committee (esci-postdoc@rice.edu) by November 14, 2023.

 

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On behalf of Sylvain D. Barbot, University of Southern California

Assistant Professor Faculty Position at USC

The Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California (USC), invites applications for a tenure track Assistant Professorship in Solid Earth Geoscience, with research interests in the dynamic evolution of the Earth’s crust and lithosphere. The successful candidate will form part of an emerging group of geoscientists focusing on a sustainable future, such as sources of critical minerals and geological reservoirs for carbon sequestration. Areas of research specialization may include but are not limited to, rock deformation at all scales, petrology, high-temperature geochemistry, or geochronology. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels in at least one of Mineralogy, Petrology, Geochemistry, and Field Geology. USC offers exciting opportunities for collaboration and interaction with researchers and teachers in the Department of Earth Sciences, the Environmental Studies Program, the adjacent Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and a world-leading group in Environmental Justice. The university hosts numerous world-class facilities including those for imaging and chemical analyses.

Applicants should have a Ph.D. (or equivalent) and the demonstrated ability to conduct compelling independent research and to attract external research funding. Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, a cover letter, the contact information for 3-5 references, and research, teaching, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) statements, each not exceeding 3 pages. Information on USC’s commitment to DEI in the STEM fields can be found at https://diversity.usc.edu/. In order to be considered for this position, applicants are required to submit an electronic USC application; follow this job link or paste in a browser: https://usccareers.usc.edu/job/los-angeles/assistant-professor-in-solid-earth-geoscience/1209/55032771728 . The review of applications will begin on October 31, 2023 and continue until the position is filled. For more information, please contact Professor John Platt (jplatt@usc.edu), chair of the search committee.
 

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On behalf of Thorsten W. Becker, University of Texas at Austin

Two Assistant Research Professor positions at UTIG

The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) seeks to hire two Research Assistant Professors in the broadly defined area of Natural Hazards, with emphases in (1) Active Crustal Deformation and (2) Coastal Processes. We seek colleagues who creatively use theoretical, computational, observational and/or experimental approaches to address fundamental problems and processes to investigate Natural Hazards and understand events (e.g., earthquakes, storms/extreme climate), as well as behaviors of natural systems. Successful candidates will contribute to a dynamic and diverse research community at UTIG and The University of Texas at Austin through the development of a vigorous, internationally recognized, and externally funded research program, and through engagement with colleagues, postdoctoral scholars, and students. Candidates must hold a Ph.D. or be near completion of this degree. We particularly welcome applications from candidates from nontraditional research backgrounds and from scientists who understand the experiences of those underrepresented in higher education and research. 

Assistant and Associate Research Professors at UTIG typically receive six months of institutional salary support, with the rest obtained from externally-funded research projects; institutional support typically increases to eight months upon promotion to Research Professor. Current research foci at UTIG include: climate dynamics in both the modern and past; ice sheet and ocean dynamics; marine geology and geophysics; solid earth geophysics and tectonics; and planetary geophysics and habitability.  

Applications should include: 1. Cover letter, 2. Curriculum vitae, 3. Brief (~2 page) research statement, 4. One page service/mentorship statement, 5. Copies of up to three recent peer-reviewed publications, and 6. Names and contact information of three references who can provide a letter upon request.   

For full consideration, applications should be submitted online at https://apply.interfolio.com/132225 by January 15, 2024. 

For additional information about the application process, please contact Rosalind Gamble (rgamble@ig.utexas.edu). For additional information about the position, please contact the search committee chair: Sean Gulick (sean@ig.utexas.edu).  

 

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On behalf of Jonathan Robert Delph, Purdue University

CRESCENT Postdoctoral Positions

Two of three 2-year postdoctoral positions as part of the newly funded Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT) are open for start dates in Fall 2023 to early Spring 2024. The postdocs will be part of a large and collaborative scientific community, will have opportunities to interact with each other, and will be expected to play a leading role in regular meetings, workshops and the development of products across the broader project community. Over the course of the five years, there will be an additional 6 postdoctoral scholars that would be expected to build on this work to complete the goals of the CRESCENT center. The positions will be offered at different institutions and applicants should see individual descriptions, application links, and instructions below. Salaries reflect the cost of living and individual mandates of their respective host institutions. 

(1) Cascadia Community Velocity Model Position 

Purdue University and the University of Oregon are looking for a 2-year Postdoctoral Research position to work on passive source velocity model creation and uncertainty analysis for the Cascadia margin. Specifically, this postdoc will work to synthesize pre-existing velocity models for the region and create a regional-scale seismic velocity model of the onshore and offshore structure of the Cascadia margin down to mantle depths (~200 km). Creating the model will involve 1) analyzing and compiling various passive datasets to constrain regional velocity structure, 2) applying innovative approaches to create a 3D shear-wave velocity model by jointly analyzing different datasets and their uncertainties, and 3) incorporating results from active source wide-angle reflection and refraction datasets into the final model. This model will be used to better understand the geologic and tectonic processes controlling the variable behavior of the Cascadia margin and will also be used by ground motion modelers interested in seismic wave propagation modeling and hazard analysis.    

A highly qualified candidate will be knowledgeable in:    

  • A variety of passive and active source imaging methodologies    
  • Bayesian techniques for uncertainty quantification    
  • Full-waveform modeling and inversion techniques 

This position will be split between Purdue University (Jonathan Delph) in Year 1 and University of Oregon (Emilie Hooft, Doug Toomey) in Year 2, and will be part of a larger working group focused on better understanding the structure and hazards of the Cascadia margin.   

Applicants require a Ph.D. and should submit a CV and a statement of research interest and experience relevant to this project for consideration to: https://careers.purdue.edu/job-invite/26973/. 2-3 letters of recommendation will be sought for qualified applicants, and letters should be emailed to (jdelph@purdue.edu).  The review of applications will begin immediately and the search will continue until filled. If you are interested in applying, you are encouraged to email Prof. Jonathan Delph (jdelph@purdue.edu) to express intent as you gather your material. Salary starts at $50,000 per year with potential for a raise in Year 2.  

(2) Cascadia Community Fault Model Position

The Geology Department at Western Washington University invites applications for a 2-year (24 month) Postdoctoral Research position. The successful applicant will join a larger multidisciplinary working group generating a Community Fault Model (CFM) for Cascadia. Specifically, the postdoc will play a central role developing a comprehensive topological and multi-earthquake cycle activity model of crustal faults in the upper plate of the Cascadia subduction system. The topological model will combine both on and offshore fault systems in the seismogenic crust and the subducting Juan de Fuca plate interface. The CFM will be used to characterize upper plate fault hazards, to evaluate fault interaction, and to understand the contribution of splay faults to deformation in the accretionary prism offshore. Creating the CFM will involve synthesizing and compiling fault system information from existing fault topological datasets with information about fault structure from marine and terrestrial seismic reflection and other geophysical data sets and paleoseismic records. 

  
Highly qualified applications will have experience with some or all of the following:

  • Fault characterization and imaging including fault geometry, kinematics, slip rate, historic earthquake size and timing, etc. 
  • 3D fault characterization using geological, geophysical and/or structural modeling approaches
  • Single or multi-cycle earthquake simulators and dynamic rupture modeling   

The successful applicant will work in close collaboration with supervisors at Western Washington University (Drs. Emily Roland and Colin Amos), other researchers involved in a working group focused on the CFM and Cascadia earthquake hazards, as well as researchers from the US Geological Survey, and other organizations. Salary starts at $60,000 in Year 1, and also includes support for travel to workshops and conferences.   

Application review begins October 23, 2023.
To Apply, submit a CV and a statement of research interest and experience relevant to this project for consideration, as well as contact information for at least three references.
 
For more details and to apply, please visit this link:   https://hr.wwu.edu/careers-faculty?job=501161 

Purdue University is an EOE/AA employer. All individuals, including minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and veterans, are encouraged to apply. 

 

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