Postdoctoral Research Scientist in glaciology

Columbia University in the City of New York: Earth Institute: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO)

Location 04

Open Date Sep 06, 2023

Salary Range or Pay Grade $66,000-$66,000

Description

The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) of Columbia University invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Scientist to conduct research in glaciology.  The successful candidate would join a project aimed at observing and understanding the impact of surface meltwater on the flow of Antarctic Ice Sheet.  This three-year, NSF-funded project includes fieldwork on an Antarctic Peninsula outlet glacier to measure how ice flow varies during surface melting and a continent-wide remote sensing survey.  Our main objectives are to test the hypothesis that meltwater reaching the bed temporarily accelerates the flow of Antarctic outlet glaciers.  This project is a collaboration between LDEO, the University of Sheffield, UK, and Northumbria University, UK.

The successful candidate will be based at the LDEO in the Polar Geophysics Group, and will work most directly with Jonny Kingslake.  We envision their responsibilities including helping plan and execute two 4-6 week field seasons in Antarctica.  The team will deploy global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), weather stations, ice-pentrating radars, uncrewed aerial vehicles, and seismometers.  The specific responsibilities of the LDEO-based postdoctoral researcher will depend on their expertise, but could include the design and implementation of field surveys, leading field teams, analysis of field data, analysis of satellite data, and publishing results. 

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Geophysics, Glaciology, or other closely related fields.
• Experience with one more of the following:
  • Ice-penetrating radar
  • Global navigation satellite systems
  • Uncrewed aerial vehicles
  • Fieldwork in remote locations
  • Scientific computing (e.g., MATLAB, Python, etc.)
  • Publishing peer-reviewed publications

Desirable Expertise or Experience:

• Glacial hydrology
• Ice-flow dynamics
• Fieldwork in alpine or polar regions
• Analysis of glaciological data

Although the project includes fieldwork, if for any reason this is not an option for you, please still consider applying.  We will consider applicants who are unable to travel to Antarctica, but who can contribute to the project in other ways.

We hope to have the selected candidate start around January 2024, with fieldwork planned for November-December 2024 and November-December 2025. The initial appointment will be for one year.  There is currently funding in place for three years.  

The search will remain open for at least 30 days after the ad appears and will continue until the position is filled.

Columbia University benefits accompany this Officer of Research appointment.

The Lamont campus values diversity and inclusion, and encourages applications from members of underrepresented minority groups.  

Application Instructions

Salary range: $66,000-$66,000

We accept online applications only.