PhD position f/m
‘New 40Ar/39Ar constraints for the Paleogene Time Scale’
For 1,0 fte

Tasks
The PhD student is expected to:
•Participate actively in the GTSnext trainings programme;
•Perform 40Ar/39Ar experiments on Paleogene ash –layers;
•To contribute to tasks of the Isotope Geochemistry Group including for example assist in teaching and in some laboratory responsibilities;
•To have an excellent motivation, and social skills;
•To write a dissertation.

University Graduate
Requirements
The candidate must have an Msc degree obtained in Earth Sciences, an aptitude for instrumental analytical techniques, and less than 4 year research experience.

Additional information about the job:
The department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, has a vacancy for a PhD studentship. This position is part of the Marie Curie Initial Trainings Network GTSnext funded under the 7th Framework Programme. The goals of the network are to establish the next generation standard Geological Time Scale with substantially improved accuracy, precision, resolution and stability for the last 100 Myr through integration and intercalibration of state-of-the-art numerical dating techniques and to train young geochronologists as specialists in these techniques.

We offer a research and training program for in total 9 PhD’s and 3 post-docs to be appointed in 10 research groups in Europe and aimed to exploit the inherent strengths of three important chronometers (astronomical dating, 40Ar/39Ar, U/Pb) to address current inconsistencies in the Geological Time Scale. As these strengths are correlated with specific geological time intervals we have subdivided the research programme around three ‘time slices’ tasks. A fourth task has been designed to address more fundamental issues that underlie each of the techniques involved. The PhD student position is part of task II – calibrating the Paleogene Time scale. Collaborations will be established within each task: the team working on the Paleogene will consist of 3 PhD students and within each contributing technique: in this case the team of 3 PhD students and 1 post-doc working in 40Ar/39Ar geochronology (for further information on the organization of the network we refer to http://www.earthtime-eu.eu/Earthtime_Europe/Recruiting.html).

Contents of the research
The aim is to recalibrate the Paleogene time scale using 40Ar/39Ar dating to provide tight age constraints on the astronomical tuning of cyclic pre-Neogene successions. The new age data will be directly combined with the other project results in task II as well as with existing literature to construct a new astronomical time scale with an unprecedented accuracy and resolution for key stratigraphic intervals in the Paleogene. This new time scale can then directly be applied to assess fundamental aspects of Earth’s history such as seafloor spreading rate histories and the potential role of long-period orbital climate forcing. Several initial target intervals have been identified for this project: the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-T) boundary and early Paleocene, the Paleocene-Eocene (P-E) boundary and the Eocene-Oligocene (E-O) boundary. Bentonites in magnetostratigraphically well-constrained sections the Western Interior Basin (USA and Canada) spanning the K-T boundary and early Paleocene will be (re-)dated to confirm and/or improve existing astronomical tunings (e.g. in Zumaia, Spain, and from ODP leg 198 and 208 sites). Ash layers associated with the North Atlantic Igneous Province (the flood basalts provide a possible causative mechanism for climate change at the Paleoceone-Eocene transition), and in magnetostratigraphically well-constrained terrestrial successions in Wyoming and Nebraska (USA) and from the E-O boundary stratotype section at Massignano (Italy) will be targeted to constrain the astronomical tuning of the P-E and E-O boundary intervals and to intercalibrate the 40Ar/39Ar and U/Pb dating methods. Selected ash layers will be sampled by Task-2 team members during joint field-campaigns. Samples will be prepared at the VU University and distributed between GTSnext 40Ar/39Ar laboratories for interlaboratory bias assessment.

VU University Amsterdam Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences

Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, has been a renowned cultural, scientific and commercial centre for many centuries. It was here, in 1880, that the VU Amsterdam first opened its doors to students. Throughout the past century, the university has continued to expand. It now comprises twelve faculties (Arts, Earth- and Life Sciences, Dentistry, Human Movement Sciences, Economics and Business Administration, Law, Medicine, Philosophy, Psychology and Education, Sciences, Social-Cultural Sciences and Theology) and has teaching facilities for 15,000 students.



The university campus and university hospital are situated in the south part of Amsterdam, one of the most dynamic and fast-growing business districts in the Netherlands. The international airport of Schiphol-Amsterdam is 10 kilometres away, just 8 minutes by train.



With more than fifty undergraduate (or bachelor's) programmes and almost a hundred postgraduate (or master's) programmes, the VU Amsterdam offers a wide choice of study options. The programmes are of a high quality, the atmosphere is very conducive to study, and the teaching staff is easily accessible.

The Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences is the result of the merger between the former Faculty of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Biology and the Institute of Environmental Studies. The Faculty is offering education and doing research in the fields of:

Earth Sciences (physical geography and geology)
Biology
Biomedical Sciences
Geoarchaeology
Public Health
Environmental Studies

Employment basis: Temporary for specified period
Duration of the contract: temporary

Additional conditions of employment:
Further particulars
The position (Researcher) will be available at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Isotope Geochemistry Group. Additional eligibility rules concerning nationality and research experience apply, because the position is part of a Marie Curie Initial Trainings Network. The appointment will be available initially for 12 months and will be extended with 24 months based on a full-time employment. The appointment should result in submission of a dissertation at the end of year 3.

Salary
The salary is € 2.379,- gross per month in the first year to € 2.612,- in the third year (salary scale 10), based on a full-time employment. You can find information about our excellent fringe benefits of employment at www.vu.nl/nl/werken-bij-de-vu/vacatures/index.asp. In addition, EU regulated MC-ITN Network benefits apply.

 
Or additional information can be obtained through one of the following links.

You can apply for this job before 30-10-2008 by sending your application to:

Additional information
Further information on the project can be obtained from Dr. Jan Wijbrans, phone +31 (20)
59 87296, e-mail: , or Dr. Klaudia Kuiper, phone +31 (20) 59 83559,
e-mail: , and from the head of the Isotope Geochemistry Group,
Professor Dr. P.A.M. Andriessen, Phone +31(20) 59 87340, e-mail:

More information on:
•GTSnext can be found at:
http://www.earthtime-eu.eu/Earthtime_Europe/Recruiting.html
•the Marie Curie Programme can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/index.htm
•the Isotope Geochemistry Group can be found at: http://www.falw.vu.nl/Onderzoeksinstituten/index.cfm

Application
Written applications should include a curriculum vitae, names of two academics references, course transcripts and copy of the MSc diploma and certified translations of these documents in the English language where appropriate, and a motivation of interest in this specific position. Please mention the vacancy number in the e-mail header or at the top of your letter and on the envelope. Send your application before October 30, 2008 to the VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, attn. dr. J.M.R.M. Neutelings, Managing Director, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It is also possible to apply by e-mail to: .


Any other correspondence in response to this advertisement will not be dealt with.

When applying for this job always mention the vacancy number 1.2008.00292.