We like to call our field of research 'Paleobiogeochemistry'. 'Palaeobio', because we are fascinated by things ancient and past, such as the origin of life, mysterious ecosystems that inhabited Earth's earliest oceans, and environmental cataclysms that caused major mass extinctions or spawned the emergence of complex life. To find clues to major events of the past, we study molecular fossils of biological lipids (biomarkers) that can be preserved in sedimentary rocks for billions of years. In our laboratory at the Research School of Earth Sciences, we specialize in the detection of traces of biogenic molecules using the most sensitive techniques available.

If you currently study geology, chemistry or biology and you are enthusiastic about questions about how early life, the atmosphere and oceans evolved together, this will be an exciting project for you.

The two available projects at the Research School of Earth Sciences (RSES), the Australian National University (ANU), will start between mid-2013 and early 2014. They involves the study of biomarkers and trace elements from billion to hundreds of million years old sedimentary rocks that will be collected in Australia and on other continents.

The ideal candidates have a background in sedimentary geology, organic geochemistry or analytical organic chemistry. However, students from other fields, such a microbial ecology, palaeontology and Earth Sciences are definitely most welcome to apply ... you will have to learn how to swing a hammer at a rock and do field work in the outback.

To apply and obtain an ANU scholarship, you need good marks. Once enrolled, all graduate students are provided financial support for living expenses, including research stipend, tuition and computer purchase/travel allowance. Funding is available for three years, which is the anticipated time to obtain a PhD at the ANU.

ANU's Research School of Earth Sciences has been rated as the top university program in Australia and in the top ten of its class in the world. The ANU is situated in the centre of the nation's capital, Canberra, yet with views from our offices to the mountains across a lake. Canberra is the cultural heart of Australia, with the National Gallery and National Museum of Australia, the High Court, and the Federal Parliament all a short distance from the city centre. The city is surrounded by National Parks. It is located about two hours drive from some of the most pristine beaches in the world, about two hours drive to the Snowy Mountains and ski fields, and about three hours drive to Sydney.

Information about graduate study at RSES can be found at: http://www.rses.anu.edu.au/students/index.php

Please send expressions of interest, extended CV and copies of academic transcripts to Prof Jochen Brocks, at Jochen.Brocks@anu.edu.au