Student, postdoc and technician opportunities

PhD opportunity in landscape evolution and landslide processes

Employer: University of Michigan, Dept of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Salary: Tuition, stipend, and benefits. The Dept of Earth and Environmental Sciences guarantees 12 month/ year funding to PhD student contingent on good standing and progress toward degree for four or five years.

Required education: Bachelors or MS degree in geological sciences, hydrology, civil engineering or similar field.

Position description: The geomorphology research group at the University of Michigan invites applications for a PhD student opportunity in Earth and Environmental Sciences. Preference will be given to candidates with background in geological sciences, hydrology, civil engineering or similar field. A successful candidate will have an emerging record of scholarly independence and previous work or research experience.

The PhD student will integrate into a growing group at UM focused on the intersection of surface processes and societally relevant changes to natural landscapes. Specific project work involves participation in a collaborative NSF-funded effort in the Nepalese Himalaya investigating how tectonics, erosion and weathering contribute to formation of the “critical zone” and how the critical zone is linked to generating damaging natural hazards such as landslides. A major focus of the project is to develop models of landscape evolution that account for the interconnected processes that regulate landsliding, which is a primary mechanism for hillslope erosion and lowering in tectonically-active mountain belts. The PhD student role will be on the integration of theory with field data. Specific activities include working with landslide modules within community-based landscape evolution models and evaluating field data to test various theories relating geomorphic processes to tectonics. We seek to understand how erosion rates and processes (e.g. transition to landslide-dominated erosion) relates to fracturing and weathering of the underlying rock mass and how these processes are derived from the larger tectonic system. The larger collaborative project involves a lively group of team members from other universities in the US, UK and Nepal including faculty, research scientists, postdocs and graduate students with expertise in geotechnical engineering, remote sensing, geophysics, geochemistry and hydrology.

Individuals interested in applying to graduate school at the University of Michigan to pursue this research project should first contact Dr. Marin Clark (marinkc@umich.edu) with a short description of research interests and relevant experience, and PHD APPLICATION in the subject line. Admission to the graduate program is prioritized for students who have established a faculty connection prior to the graduate admissions deadline in early January. The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences is a top-ranked, energetic community committed to advancing scientific knowledge with substantial student engagement and training opportunities. The University of Michigan is a major public research institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a vibrant college community in the southeastern portion of the state. The state lies within the Great Lakes region of the US, a place of substantial history and natural beauty, with many recreational activities indoor and out.

The University of Michigan is strongly committed to diversity within its community and actively recruits applications from identity groups that broaden participation in the Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Employer: University of Michigan, Dept of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Required education: PhD in geological sciences, hydrology, civil engineering or similar field.

Position description: The geomorphology research group at the University of Michigan invites applications for two postdoctoral research positions. Appointment start date is flexible between November 1, 2021 and May 1, 2022. Initial appointment for 1 year with potential for renewal for an additional 6 months to 1 year. Preference will be given to candidates with a PhD in geological sciences, hydrology, civil engineering or similar field. A successful candidate will have an emerging record of scholarly excellence and will be expected to work independently on internationally-based research objectives. Remote or flexible working arrangements will be considered to the extent that university policy allows.

The postdocs will integrate into a growing group at UM focused on the intersection of surface processes and societally relevant changes to natural landscapes. Specific project work involves participation in two externally funded proposals. The first project involves a collaborative NASA-funded effort aimed at predicting, mitigating and rapid response work related to large landslide events. The postdoc role will be focused on data integration from past events, model validation using event data, and development of regional scale rainfall triggered landslide models. c A second proposal involves a collaborative NSF-funded effort in the Nepalese Himalaya investigating how tectonics, erosion and weathering contribute to formation of the “critical zone” and how the critical zone is linked to generating damaging natural hazards such as landslides. A major focus of the project is to develop models of landscape evolution that account for the interconnected processes that regulate landsliding, which is a primary mechanism for hillslope erosion and lowering in tectonically-active mountain belts.

Priority will be given to applicants with any one of the following skills-sets: modeling surface processes, integration of geospatial data, modeling slope stability, or field-based geophysical data collection and processing. Specific experience may include but is not limited to: familiarity with GIS programs and management of large geospatial datasets, commercial limit equilibrium or finite element slope stability programs (such as GeoStudio, Slide, Plaxis); programming experience in Matlab, Python; implementation or development of landscape evolution models; satellite image interpretation, hydrologic modeling, shallow seismic and resistivity data collection and processing, and field work experience in international settings.

How to apply: Please contact Dr. Marin Clark (marinkc@umich.edu) with a cover letter, CV, research statement with POSTDOC APPLICATION in the subject line. Applicants should arrange for at least two letters of reference to be sent to the email address above. Applications will be reviewed on rolling basis until the position is filled.

The University of Michigan is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially encourages applications from identity groups that broaden participation in the Earth and Environmental Sciences.