Research Associate in Planetary Surface Processes

Salary range £25,310 - £28,140 p.a.
Fixed-term appointment for up to 3 years

Imperial College is ranked the fifth best university in the world (Times Higher QS World University Rankings 2007)

Applications are invited for a Research Associate to work within a research programme on the geomorphology and geology of the Martian outflow channels, funded by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council, under the direction of Dr Sanjeev Gupta (Department of Earth Science and Engineering) and Dr Neil McIntyre (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering). The position is a fixed-term appointment available for up to 3 years and is available to start on 1st October 2008. The project is:

Origin, evolution and palaeohydrology of the outflow channels on Mars using HRSC 3-D imaging.

The successful candidate will have a background in planetary or earth surface processes, planetary geology, fluvial sedimentology/hydrology, quantitative geomorphology or related subject areas. Quantitative and computational skills are prerequisite. You will join a collaborative project with University College London, concerned with reconstructing the geological evolution of the Martian outflow channels and the processes responsible for their formation. The project will use new regional-scale Digital Terrain Models of outflow channels, built primarily using stereo imagery from the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) onboard the ESA Mars Express mission.

You will work in the Earth & Planets Section of the Department of Earth Science and Engineering. The Department of Earth Science and Engineering received the highest possible rating, 5*(A), in the most recent (2001) Research Assessment Exercise.

The work will be carried out in association with Professor Jan-Peter Muller (UCL-MSSL) and Jeremy Morley (Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, UCL), together with a Research Associate at UCL-MSSL who is responsible for building Digital Terrain Models of Martian outflow channels.

Further information can be obtained from Sanjeev Gupta, s.gupta@imperial.ac.uk.

Application forms can be downloaded from http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/employment/research

A completed application form, a Curriculum vitae, brief statements of research with the names and contact details of at least two referees, should be sent to Darakshan Khan, email: d.khan@imperial.ac.uk Please quote PDRA/SG/Mars in all correspondence.

Closing date: 25 July 2008

Interviews will be held on: 11 August 2008