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Multiple Announcements: PhD, Postdoc, Staff, and Faculty Positions (Various Organizations)

Date: 10/29/2021

Dear SCEC Community,

Please see below for the following announcements:

1. PhD Position on Mechanics of Fault Damage Zones, Univ. Wisconsin-Madison
2. Seismologist-Postdoctoral Research Staff Member, LLNL
3. Assistant Professor in Structural Geology: The University of Texas at Austin
4. Mendenhall Opportunity 20-17: Optimizing the characterization of small earthquakes for seismic forecasting

Regards,

SCEC Information

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1. PhD Position on Mechanics of Fault Damage Zones, Univ. Wisconsin-Madison:
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Dear Colleagues,

We are seeking applications for a funded PhD position in the Rock Mechanics Group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The student will be working for an NSF-funded project on the mechanics of viscous damage zone which involves field work mapping damage around faults, laboratory characterization of the viscous properties of fault damage zone rocks, modeling of interseismic stress in fault damage zones, and validation against geophysical observations. The student will conduct research on two or more of these topics. A strong background in experimental, field, and/or numerical studies is preferred. The student will work with internal and external collaborators, and will be supported to attend relevant conferences and workshops.

Students interested in the position are encouraged to contact Hiroki Sone (hsone@wisc.edu) with any questions about the project or the graduate position. The position is open to international and domestic applicants. Applications for a Master's student position are also considered for students with relevant experiences and background.

Admission is for Fall 2022. Review of applications will start in mid-December of 2021, and will continue until the position is filled. Applications are accepted through the graduate school website (https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/).

2. Seismologist-Postdoctoral Research Staff Member, LLNL:
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Posting #:REF1692Y
Posting Title: Seismologist-Postdoctoral Research Staff Member
Classification: PDS.1 (Post-Dr Research Staff 1)
Group: Atmospheric Earth and Energy Division
Technical Point of Contact: Michael Pasyanos
Funding Project/Task: SPE Phase III – RV/DC

Job Description
The Seismology Group at LLNL has an opening for a postdoctoral staff member to do original and independent research to support the Source Physics Experiment (SPE) and other Geophysical Monitoring Programs (GMP). We are seeking an individual with quantitative skills and experience in analyzing and modeling geophysical data from various types of seismic sources. The applicant will work on all aspects of the Source Physics Experiment (SPE) Phase III, also known as the Rock Valley Direct Comparison (RV/DC) Experiment. An aspect of RV/DC includes plans to detonate a small chemical explosion at the hypocenter of a prior shallow earthquake and record the data on common stations. This will also allow for investigation of in situ earthquake properties of a less mature fault than prior fault drilling efforts. A focus of RV/DC is to improve our understanding of the physics underlying signature differences between explosions and shallow earthquakes. The applicant will also work with the broader GMP team and its extensive seismic research and software databases. This position will report to the Seismology group leader and the RV/DC and GMP Program Leaders. This position is in the Seismology Group within the Atmospheric, Earth, and Energy Division (AEED) in the Physical and Life Sciences (PLS) Directorate.

Essential Duties
• Conduct original and independent research, in collaboration with other LLNL researchers into improving our understanding of earthquakes and explosions, with the goal of improving capabilities to discriminate between seismic source types.
• Assist in the development, validation, and application of physics-based seismic source models of explosions and earthquakes, and their use in analyzing data as well as predicting signatures from future events.
• Assist in the sensor network design, signature collection and analysis of seismic and geophysical data from the RV/DC experiment and other relevant explosion and earthquake experiments, including legacy nuclear explosion data.
• Explore new technologies and data analysis techniques that may improve the ability to detect, locate, identify, and characterize explosions in a background of natural earthquakes and other seismic sources.
• Present research at meetings, as well as write, illustrate, and publish results in peer reviewed journals.
• Work as part of a scientific team and interact with GMP and other researchers to design and implement research projects, while coordinating program requirements and deliverables for sponsors, including program reviews and technical reports.
• Interact with sponsors, customers, partners, and data providers including universities, U.S. government agencies, national laboratories, foreign data providers, consortia, and international organizations (e.g. CTBTO).
• Travel to assist with experiment execution, data collection, to interact with collaborators, sponsors and research customers and to present results at scientific meetings.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications
• Recent Ph.D. in seismology, geophysics or associated field.
• Demonstrated creativity, ability and knowledge in quantitative seismology.
• Experience in collecting, processing and analyzing local/regional seismic data, including forward or inverse modeling.
• Proficiency in organizing and analyzing large databases of waveforms, events, amplitudes, and arrivals for performing quantitative analyses.
• Familiarity with seismological and geophysical methods for characterizing the subsurface.
• Demonstrated programming skills (e.g. Java, C/C++, and/or Python), and experience with heterogeneous computing environments (Mac or PC, UNIX or LINUX platforms).
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with a team of interdisciplinary scientists having different backgrounds.
• Proficient verbal and written communication skills necessary to effectively collaborate in a team environment and present, explain and publish technical information.

Desired Qualifications
• Research experience in technologies for monitoring explosions or earthquakes or other seismic sources.
• Experience in deploying geophysics sensors and systems in the field, and processing the data collected, or analyzing geophysical field data.
• Experience in utilizing fiber optic (DAS) and/or other borehole sensor data.

Anticipated Clearance:
Q (Position will be cleared to this level). Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information or matter. In addition, all L or Q cleared employees are subject to random drug testing. If you hold multiple citizenships (U.S. and another country), you may be required to renounce your non-U.S. citizenship before a DOE L or Q clearance will be processed/granted.

Apply by completing the application at :
https://www.llnl.gov/join-our-team/careers/find-your-job/all/seismology/...
Application review begins November 20, 2021 until the position is filled.

For more information about the position please contact Bill Walter (walter5@llnl.gov).

3. Assistant Professor in Structural Geology: The University of Texas at Austin:
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The Department of Geological Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin seeks to hire a faculty member in the field of structural geology at the Assistant Professor (tenure-track) level. Extraordinary candidates at the Associate Professor (tenured) level may also be considered. We seek a scholar with outstanding potential who will establish an innovative, world class, externally funded research program and will play an integral role in both undergraduate and graduate student teaching and supervision.
The successful applicant is expected to develop a robust research program that addresses compelling questions about Earth processes and contributes to the fundamental understanding of structural geology and tectonic processes. Expertise in field and/or other observational techniques is desired. The area of research specialization is unrestricted and could complement and/or expand existing expertise in topics including dynamics and timescales of crust and mantle deformation, fault and/or shear zone processes, thermomechanical structural modeling, magmatism, orogen and basin analysis, natural resources and the energy transition, active tectonics and geohazards.

The Department of Geological Sciences is part of the Jackson School of Geosciences (JSG), which includes two closely allied research units, the Institute for Geophysics and the Bureau of Economic Geology. The Jackson School of Geosciences has a community of over 190 research scientists and faculty with a broad range of specialties and access to outstanding research facilities and support. We seek a faculty member who will develop new and/or expand collaborations among faculty, researchers, and students within the JSG and other units on campus. The university is located in the thriving Austin metropolitan area with a vibrant community of over 2 million people.

A Ph.D. is required at the time of appointment. The University of Texas at Austin is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to diversity at all levels. The JSG is committed to expanding our culturally diverse intellectual community, and we strongly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups and from persons with a commitment to increasing diversity and inclusion in the geosciences.
Review of applications will begin December 1, 2021 and continue until the position is filled. Interested applicants should submit: a cover letter; CV; research statement; teaching statement; statement addressing past and/or potential contributions to diversity through research, teaching, and or service; and a list of at least three individuals who would be able to provide letters of reference. Submit copies of these materials through Interfolio's 'Apply Now' option: apply.interfolio.com/96933

Questions concerning the application process should be sent to Rosanna D’Souza dgs-front_desk@jsg.utexas.edu.

4. Mendenhall Opportunity 20-17: Optimizing the characterization of small earthquakes for seismic forecasting:
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Small earthquakes form an essential pillar of the methodology in use by the USGS and others for forecasting of larger earthquakes, whether on timescales of days to months (Operational Aftershock Forecasting - OAF) or years (National Seismic Hazard Model - NSHM). In addition to their spatial distribution, the seismicity rates (Gutenberg-Richter a-values) and associated occurrence rates as a function of magnitude (Gutenberg-Richter b-values) strongly influence forecasted rates at larger magnitudes. Although advances in seismic monitoring in recent decades have allowed consideration of increasingly small earthquakes in these forecasts, bringing increased spatial and temporal resolution, the magnitude characterizations themselves have not kept pace, introducing potentially large inconsistencies and biases.

The research envisioned in this Mendenhall Opportunity is to take a holistic view of the use of small earthquakes in seismic forecasting. We invite proposals to assess and address current issues, particularly related to earthquake magnitudes, in order to optimize our ability to forecast seismicity using small-magnitude earthquakes. We expect this work to encompass research into both theoretical and practical aspects of earthquake characterization and forecasting.

Full project details and contact information:
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/mendenhall/20-17-optimizing-characterizatio...

Proposed Duty Station: Golden, Colorado; Moffett Field, California
Research Advisors: David Shelly, Andrea Llenos, Allison Shumway, Morgan Moschetti, Andrew Michael, Jeanne Hardebeck, William Yeck, Paul Earle, Kevin Mayeda, and Jon Ake

Application deadline is January 6, 2022. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Research Advisors early and to work with them to develop a suitable proposal.

Please see https://www.usgs.gov/centers/mendenhall for more information on the Mendenhall program and how to apply.

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