Professional Development Opportunity for Early Career Investigators at the 2014 IRIS Workshop, 6/8 Sunriver, Oregon

The IRIS Early Career Investigators (ECI) Working Group invites all those interested, particularly late-stage graduate students through postdoctoral scholars, to attend a symposium on Sunday, June 8 in Sunriver, Oregon, the morning before the start of the 2014 IRIS Consortium Workshop. http://www.iris.edu/hq/meetings/2014/06/iris_workshop_sunriver_oregon/

Titled “Jumping on the Employment Express – How to be Part of the Geosciences Employment Boom”, the symposium will be led by Dr. Christopher Keane (Director of Communications and Technology, American Geosciences Institute). He will lead exercises to show how attendees can identify their interests and skills within the realm of geoscience-related career opportunities, frame their expertise to a job search outside of academia, and develop a practical outlook regarding employment opportunities and location constraints.

The IRIS ECI community is uniquely positioned within the geosciences to have a wide range of employment opportunities, given its strong science and math skills that are highly sought after and in short supply. Please join us to discover how talented you are with your geoscience degree, and how to present your skill set in the best way possible to maximize your employment opportunities!

This free symposium is scheduled for 8:30-11:30 AM. Attendees should plan to arrive Saturday night. A complete agenda for the symposium will be updated here soon:
http://www.iris.edu/hq/meetings/2014/06/iris_workshop_sunriver_oregon/preworkshop

If you plan to attend, please register by contacting Danielle Sumy (danielle.sumy@gmail.com) and Andy Frassetto (andyf@iris.edu) via email. The ECI Working Group also plans to hold a SIG session during the main workshop. The deadline for general scholarship applications for the IRIS workshop is this Friday 28th March: https://ssl.iris.edu/meetings/2014/06/iris_workshop_sunriver_oregon/registration/scholarship

BGS Urban Geoscience Team Internship

Internship Opportunity
The British Geological Survey (BGS), is part of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and is the world’s longest established national geological survey and the UK’s premier centre for earth science information and expertise.
An 8 week internship within the Urban Geoscience Team to produce illustrations and animations for a new interactive webpage which is being developed to highlight the importance of the sustainable use of the ground beneath cities will be available in June based at the Keyworth site near Nottingham.
For more info see:
www.bgs.ac.uk/news/docs/Illustrations_RD.pdf

Unique Opportunity - Following the Cruise of the Betsey, September 2014

The Geological Societies of Glasgow and Edinburgh are offering a unique opportunity for young Earth scientists to follow the journey of Hugh Miller in "The Cruise of the Betsey". On 6 September 2014 Leader, a wonderful old Brixham Trawler built in 1892 (www.trinitysailing.org/vessels/leader/), will set sail from Oban heading north for the Small Isles in a one-week voyage in homage to Hugh Miller and his Hebridean tours, described in his classic book "The Cruise of the Betsey". The boat sleeps 19 people including 4 crew members, and will be filled with an inter-generational mix of geologists, geographers, artists, writers, ecologists, storytellers and historians (including a Gaelic speaker).

The voyage will take the form of a mobile conference during which each participant will apply their own talents and interests in celebration of the achievements of Hugh Miller, and the landscapes, seascapes and cultural history of the Hebrides. The reward for the successful applicants will be to broaden and deepen their appreciation of Hebridean geodiversity, but also to gain new and probably unexpected perspectives on the geology, landscape and people of this beautiful sea-bound realm. The Geological Societies of Glasgow and Edinburgh will fund up to four berths on the boat for young people (aged 16-30) studying Earth science, who have a research interest in the area or in a subject related to Hugh Miller, and a passion for sharing and communicating geology, landscape and/or Hebridean culture to a diverse audience.

Applications need to be submitted by email by 31 March.

For full details please see the description and application form.

Free risk and uncertainty course for NERC-funded PhD students

Cranfield University is running a three day course on Understanding and Communicating Risk and Uncertainty from 11th - 13th February 2014. The course is open to all PhD students within the Environment and Natural Sciences and Engineering. Funded by NERC, the course (including course fee, accommodation and reasonable travel costs) is free of charge for NERC-funded PhD students. 

Upon completion, attendees will be able to:

·         Understand the concept of risk and uncertainty across the environmental domain

·         Use a number of quantitative and qualitative tools to measure risk

·         Identify and apply the appropriate tool to any given risk; measure uncertainty

·         Communicate risk and uncertainty

·         Understand the role of risk-based evidence in policy making

·         Identify evidence appropriate for supporting environmental policy

·         Develop effective strategies for communicating risk and uncertainty

For more details, including the timetable, details of speakers and information on how to register, please click here

PhD Applications for 2014

The first funded PhD studentships are now being advertised for the 2014 intake.

A new system?
You may have noticed that the way in which Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) PhD studentships are organised has changed this year. From now on any NERC-funded studentship will belong to one of 15 Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) institutes or consortia.
Read more on the NERC website
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/available/postgrad/documents/dtp-awards.pdf

What has changed?

• The supervisors for each studentship will come from two or more institutes within each DTP although most studentships are likely to be based at a single institute / university for the majority of the time.
• Some of the studentships will be based at NERC's Research Institutes which include: British Antarctic Survey, British Geological Survey, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, National Oceanography Centre and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science.
• Multi-disciplinary approaches to tackle research problems are emminent and the relevance of research to business, policy and society is a high priority.
• Studentships within DTPs will come together as a community for training, research presentations and shared resources.
• Students will gain from a structured training program alongside their research.

Finding a PhD studenship
The studentships will be advertised on principal host websites as well as individual websites and are starting to appear now. Check out the website for each DTP to see the range of projects with funding and application procedures:
The Oxford DTP in Environmental Research
SCENARIO. Postgraduate centre in the SCience of the Environmnet: Natural and Anthropogenic pRocesses, Impacts and Opportunities
ENVISION: Developing next generation leaders in environmental science
The London NERC Doctoral Training Partnership
NERC Science @ Leeds and York - Site for PhD Training in Evnironmental Research (SPHERES)
Central England NERC Training Alliance (CENTA)
Training the next generation of environmental scientists
IAPETUS: Postgraduate Environmental Training NexUS: transforming doctoral students into the next generation leaders in science, industry and policy
Environment East (EnvEast) Doctoral Trainin Partnership
The Cambridge Earth System Science DTP: Multi-disciplinary studies of the solid Earth, its atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere and biosphere
GW4+ - a consortium of excellence in innovative research training
Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet
E3 - Edinburgh Earth and Environment - Doctoral Training Partnership
SPITFIRE - the Southampton Partnership for Innovative Training of Future Investigators Researching the Environment
Adapting to the Challenges of a Changing Environment (ACCE)

Good luck to all those applying for a 2014 PhD from the UK YES Network

New funded PhD studentships - Application DEADLINE 6th December 2013

Oxford University Earth Sciences Department PhD studenships

STFC and EPSRC Studentships

The Department has two STFC-funded studentships for 2013-14 entry. These are open to home applicants, or EU applicants who have lived in the UK for three years or longer.
The following projects are available:
Project EARTH-13-AH2: Planetary core formation – new isotopic constraints
Project EARTH-13-AH4: The Origin of the Moon: a stable vanadium isotope perspective
Project EARTH-13-BW1: Volatile loss from planets and asteroids
Project EARTH-13-BW2: An experimental study of the chemistry of planetary core formation
The Department has one EPSRC-funded studentship for 2013-14 entry. This is also open to home applicants, or EU applicants who have lived in the UK for three years or longer.
The following project is available:
Project EARTH-13-BW3: Provenance of non-metallic inclusions in steel using trace elements

How to Apply

You may apply online, or request a hard copy of the application pack, on the University Graduate Admissions website.
Applications should be submitted by Friday 6 December 2013.

http://www.earth.ox.ac.uk/graduate_admissions/stfc_studentships

Field Geologist Job Advert - British Antarctic Survey

Field Geologist

The British Antarctic Survey (BAS), part of the Natural Environment Research Council, aims to undertake a world-class programme of scientific research, and to sustain for the UK an active and influential regional presence and a leadership role in Antarctic affairs.

The geology of British Antarctic Territory has been investigated for the last 50 years, initially at a survey level, followed by more targeted field campaigns to address specific problems. BAS is currently remapping large areas of the Antarctic Peninsula combining new field data with archive resources. There is a requirement for a field geologist to strengthen the existing team of geologists and geophysicists.

The Antarctic Peninsula preserves the geology of a continental margin arc and strong evidence of links to South America at least as far back as the Ordovician. The geology is dominated by arc-related granitoids, volcanic rocks and thick sedimentary sequences.

The ideal candidate would have expertise in undertaking field geology campaigns in challenging environments. They should be confident to work in a range of geological settings, familiar with mapping volcanic, plutonic, metamorphic and sedimentary sequences, and be able to make interpretations on the tectonic and environmental setting.

They will be responsible for producing geological maps at a variety of scales based on new fieldwork, combined with archive field data; they will also develop and prepare their own field campaigns. Further duties will include conducting petrographical, geochemical and geochronological analysis to support the fieldwork. It would also be advantageous to have an understanding of remote sensing methods to support the fieldwork, e.g. aeromagnetic data, spectral mapping. The ability to write scientific papers, forge new collaboration and contribute to future grant proposals is an essential component of the post.

Qualifications: PhD and Degree in Geology

Duration: Open - Ended Appointment

Salary: Salary will be in the range of £26,450 to £29,710 per annum. We offer a generous benefits package including a pension scheme, free car parking, flexible working hours and 30 days annual leave per annum.

On-line application forms and further information are available on our website at www.antarctica.ac.uk/employment

These are also available from the Personnel Section, British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET. Tel: (01223) 221508.

Please quote reference: BAS 103/13

Closing date for receipt of application forms is 15th September 2013

Interviews are scheduled to be held on.w/c 23rd September 2013

http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/employment/vacancies/job.php?JobID=870