Reference Number: 2614
Location: Durham University, Durham, UK
Faculty/Division: Social Sciences and Health
Department: Geography
Grade: 7
Position Type: Full Time
Contract Type: Fixed Term
Salary (£) 30424 - 32267
Closing Date: 20 May 2013

Job Description

We would like to appoint a full-time postdoctoral research scientist to work with Professor Alexander Densmore, Professor David Petley, and a wider consortium team on a project entitled 'Earthquakes Without Frontiers', funded by the UK NERC-ESRC Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards Programme. The aim of the project is to increase resilience to continental earthquakes across the Alpine-Himalayan mountain chain, through a linked trans-disciplinary partnership of physical scientists, social scientists, policy specialists, and regional and national partner organisations. The overall project involves (i) characterisation of the physical earthquake hazard across the region, including better understanding of the locations of active faults and strain accumulation, as well as better assessment of the likely locations, extent, and long-term impacts of secondary hazards such as landsliding; (ii) assessment of pathways to resilience in the partner countries, including a full mapping of the societal, cultural, economic, and governance factors that enhance or erode resilience along with an understanding of existing efforts to build resilience and the ways in which that information has been used; and (iii) development of effective policy and strategies for intervention to increase resilience to future damaging earthquakes.

This post will contribute primarily to aspect (i), and will focus in particular on delivering a better scientific understanding of coseismic and post-seismic landsliding, as well as a set of new web-based forecasting tools for end-users. This work will comprise two separate strands:

• 1. Development of a process-based approach to the occurrence and forecasting of coseismic and post-seismic landslides that improves upon current empirical approaches; and
• 2. Construction of novel tools for tracking the temporal evolution of landslide material.

The work will be focused on three primary field areas: Nepal and Bihar (northern India); southern Kazakhstan; and central China. The successful applicant will be based in the Department of Geography, Durham University, but will be expected to work closely with team members at the other institutions within the consortium (Cambridge, Oxford, Leeds, Hull, Northumbria, the British Geological Survey, and the Overseas Development Institute), as well as with wider members of the partnership.

The anticipated start date is 1 October 2013, and the post will run for 24 months. Completion of the PhD is required by the start date.

Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in the University

For further details or to apply, please go to https://ig5.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_durham01.asp and enter 2614 under 'Reference Number'.