Lund University, Faculty of Science, Department of Geology

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 47 000 students and more than 8 800 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

Long-term changes in solar activity inferred from ice core cosmogenic radionuclide records

The project ” Paleosun – the paleoperspective on the mechanisms behind the sun-climate link” aims to improve solar activity reconstructions using different geologic archives and to improve sun-climate studies with radionuclide and climate proxy measurements from the same archive.These studies will also enable us to obtain very accurate and precise time scales that are crucial for reliable paleoclimate studies. Another aspect will be novel solar activity reconstructions and investigations of the linkages to climate change. 

Assignment

The aim of the PhD project is to improve solar activity reconstructions into the past. The results will be important for solar and sun-climate studies as well as for a better understanding of past changes in the carbon cycle.

Cosmogenic radionuclide records reflect a combination of production and deposition processes (atmospheric circulation (10Be) and carbon cycle (14C)). Presently the different radionuclide records show disagreements regarding their long-term (millennial time scales) changes for reasons that are not understood. This leads to major uncertainties in reconstructions of past changes in solar activity.

This project will be based on 10Be measurements in ice samples from Antarctica covering the last 20000 years. The new record will be analysed in combination with existing 10Be data from ice cores and tree-ring 14C data. It will involve assessment of climate and geomagnetic field influences on radionuclide records and carbon cycle influences on 14C.

The PhD student will work in Lund but the project relies on a broad national and international collaboration within major ice coring projects. The project could also involve visits to different institutes to sample material for the intended studies and to support 10Be measurements with Accelerator Mass Spectrometry.

Qualifications

  • University degree (preferably MSc. or equivalent) in subjects like Earth Sciences, Physics, Environmental Physics, Meteorology or related areas.

Meriting

  • Documented experience in radionuclide studies, climate research, statistics, mathematics and programing or geochemistry is an advantage.
  • Experience of scientific publication in English is an asset.

Eligibility

Students with basic eligibility for third-cycle studies are those who- have completed a second-cycle degree- have completed courses of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are from second-cycle courses, or- have acquired largely equivalent knowledge in some other way, in Sweden or abroad.

The employment of doctoral students is regulated in the Swedish Code of Statues 1998: 80. Only those who are or have been admitted to PhD-studies may be appointed to doctoral studentships. When an appointment to a doctoral studentship is made, the ability of the student to benefit from PhD-studies shall primarily be taken into account. In addition to devoting themselves to their studies, those appointed to doctoral studentships may be required to work with educational tasks, research and administration, in accordance with specific regulations in the ordinance.

Type of employment

Limit of tenure, four years according to HF 5 kap 7§.

Type of employment Temporary position
First day of employment According to agreement for at least four years
Salary Monthly salary
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100 %
City Lund
County Skåne län
Country Sweden
Reference number PA2018/2228
Contact
  • Raimund Muscheler, Professor, +46 46 222 04 54, Raimund.Muscheler@geol.lu.se
  • My Geborek, HR Officer, +46 46 222 48 53, my.geborek@science.lu.se
Union representative
  • OFR/ST:Fackförbundet ST:s kansli, 046-222 93 62
  • SACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet, 046-222 93 64
Published 19.Jun.2018
Last application date 19.Aug.2018 11:59 PM CEST

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