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Jobs: USGS, Purdue, and LSU!

Date: 11/16/2018

Dear SCEC Community,

Please see below for the following announcements:

1. Assistant Professor of Seismology, Purdue University
2. USGS Mendenhall Postdoc “Earthquake-related land-level changes and their cascading consequences in Cascadia and elsewhere”
3. USGS Mendenhall Postdoc "Determining deformation mechanisms at active geothermal fields in the western United States and their implications for seismic hazard”
4. Department Chair, Geology and Geophysics, LSU

Regards,

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1. Assistant Professor of Seismology, Purdue University:
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The Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS), within the College of Science at Purdue University, invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor in the area of seismology. As part of a large-scale interdisciplinary hiring effort across key strategic areas in the College of Science—Purdue’s second-largest college, comprising the physical, life, and computing sciences—this position comes at a time when the College is under new leadership and with multiple commitments of significant investment.

EAPS has strengths in exploration geophysics, seismic imaging, geophysical modeling, earth material properties, geodesy, and tectonics. We seek to add a quantitative seismologist interested in addressing questions on the solid earth at a range of scales. Areas of specialization could include earthquake geophysics, and/or natural/active source seismic imaging. Candidates are expected to develop a vigorous, externally funded, internationally recognized research program, that is complementary to existing research and teaching needs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The potential to develop interdisciplinary research that cuts across specialty areas within the department, the College of Science, and Purdue’s research community is desirable. Candidates must have completed their Ph.D. in the area of Geophysics or a related field by the time of employment. Within EAPS and Purdue, candidates will find supportive colleagues, a diverse and vibrant academic community, with ample opportunities for professional and personal growth.

Purdue University's Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences is committed to advancing diversity in all areas of faculty effort, including scholarship, instruction, and engagement. Candidates should address at least one of these areas in their cover letter, indicating their past experiences, current interests or activities, and/or future goals to promote a climate that values diversity and inclusion.

Interested applicants should visit https://hiring.science.purdue.edu, submit a curriculum vitae, a research statement, a teaching statement, and complete contact information for at least 3 references. Review of applications will begin December 20, 2018, and will continue until the position is filled. Questions related to this position should be sent to Douglas Schmitt (schmitt@purdue.edu) or Christopher Andronicos (candroni@purdue.edu). Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. A background check will be required for employment in this position. Purdue University is an ADVANCE institution.

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

2. USGS Mendenhall Postdoc “Earthquake-related land-level changes and their cascading consequences in Cascadia and elsewhere”
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USGS Mendenhall Post-doctoral Fellowship to study “Earthquake-related land-level changes and their cascading consequences in Cascadia and elsewhere”.

Within seconds to minutes, megathrust earthquakes may cause land-level changes along hundreds of kilometers of coastline and inundation equivalent to hundreds of years of sea level rise. These perturbed coastal lands will continue to evolve over many decades, while adjusting to coseismic slip, secondary faulting, shallow material responses, and mantle processes. The plate convergence and interface locking that lead to megathrust earthquakes also cause slowly evolving surface uplift and subsidence. These often-overlooked land-level changes will affect tidal and tsunami runup, stream and river gradients, surface and groundwater drainage, flooding potential, coastal ecosystems, sedimentation and erosion, and coastal and off-shore infrastructure. The USGS seeks a post-doctoral Fellow to conduct research needed to assess and prepare for the hazards and risks associated with earthquake-generated land-level changes and the cascade of phenomena they initiate.
This Fellow would be stationed at the USGS’s Earthquake Science Center field office at the University of Washington in Seattle. Info about Mendenhall Fellowships generally is athttps://geology.usgs.gov/postdoc/, about this opportunity is at https://geology.usgs.gov/postdoc/opps/2019/17-3%20Gomberg.htm, or contact Joan Gomberg, (206) 616-5581, gomberg@usgs.gov. Fellowship proposals are due January 18, 2019.

3. USGS Mendenhall Postdoc "Determining deformation mechanisms at active geothermal fields in the western United States and their implications for seismic hazard”
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17-1. Determining deformation mechanisms at active geothermal fields in the western United States and their implications for seismic hazard

Geothermal energy production has seen a steady increase across the western United States and worldwide. In the western U.S., geothermal resources are generally located in regions of high strain rates and, in many cases, regions of significant seismic hazard. This is particularly true for enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), in which low permeability rock is stimulated to generate sufficient reservoir performance. Several such EGS sites have been linked to significant seismic hazards (e.g. Basel, Switzerland, in 2009, possibly Pohang, Korea, in 2017). Induced earthquakes there caused significant damage, but no known fatalities. With the possibility of broader adoption of such EGS technologies, it is important to understand how geothermal energy production impacts seismic hazard and moment release in a region. Some of the known physical phenomena involved include slip on reservoir-bounding faults and distributed reservoir deformation, which may lead to measurable signals, including but not limited to surface subsidence and induced seismicity.

Indeed, seismicity is commonly observed at both traditional geothermal fields and EGS sites, but recent observations suggest that aseismic slip may be equally significant. Such aseismic slip may be due to slow, but steady slip on faults, thermoelastic deformation, and/or, in the case of EGS, on opening mode deformation of stimulated fractures that is seismically inefficient. These phenomena call into question the accuracy of hazard estimates at geothermal fields that are based on seismicity alone and suggest that geodetic data are critical to understanding deformation processes. Many of the largest geothermal fields in the western U.S. are located along plate boundary fault systems with high slip rates, or in other high strain-rate tectonic environments, making it especially challenging to isolate the contribution of subsurface industrial activities from natural processes and/or discern whether industrial practices might increase the likelihood of larger earthquakes. As advanced methods for detecting seismicity and measuring ground deformation become more prevalent, we stand poised to make profound discoveries related to the physical processes driving geothermal energy production and the related seismic hazard potential.

We seek a Mendenhall postdoctoral fellow to advance our capability to reconcile observed patterns in seismicity and ground deformation with physics-based models of geothermal field fluid and heat circulation, associated reservoir deformation and active stimulation. Ideally, this work would address the impact of real or idealized industrial geothermal activities. We invite proposals to improve our understanding of aseismic moment release, fault friction dynamics, permeability alteration, migration of fluids, and/or changes in the state of stress, pressure, and temperature. Additionally, we invite research to help determine the relative importance of these phenomena in geothermal environments using observations like seismicity patterns, surface deformation, pressure and temperature, borehole (or inferred) stress information, and injection and production volumes.

Research Advisor(s): Andy Barbour, (650) 329-4803, abarbour@usgs.gov; Ole Kaven, (650) 329-4675, okaven@usgs.gov; Nick Beeler, (360) 993-8987, nbeeler@usgs.gov; Josh Taron, (650) 329-4940, jmtaron@usgs.gov; David Shelly, (303) 273-8659, dshelly@usgs.gov

4. Department Chair, Geology and Geophysics, LSU
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The LSU Department of Geology and Geophysics is searching for a departmental chair. The Department is demographically and topically diverse with 19 tenured or tenure-track faculty members. The Department offers BS, MS and PhD degrees in Geology and is one of five departments in the College of Science. Faculty and students in the Department are actively involved in a range of disciplinary studies and also with university-wide initiatives such as Materials Science, High-Performance Computing, Energy Resources and Coastal Studies.

If you or a colleague are interested in this position, please refer to the link https://lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/LSU/job/LSU---Baton-Rouge/Department-C...

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