A three-year term position as Research Associate in computational mineral physics is available at the Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics (CEED), University of Oslo. Applicants should have a doctoral degree and extensive experience in First Principles Molecular Dynamics (FPMD) computations, preferably applied to Earth and planetary materials.

The successful candidate will employ First Principles Molecular Dynamics (FPMD) computations in the pursuit of phase relations, thermodynamic parameters and p-V-T equations-of-state for minerals and melts relevant to Earth and planetary interiors. Our mineral physics group will provide background information and numerical input into the geodynamic modeling of convective motions in a heterogeneous mantle with lateral and radial density contrasts. The computational mineral physicist will interact with geodynamicists, seismologists and experimentally oriented mineralogists, within and outside CEED.

We offer a broad interdisciplinary computation and numerical simulation environment. Access to local and national supercomputer facilities will be available, and the application for supplementary European and Norwegian funding will be encouraged and expected. Other Oslo-based FPMD research is performed in the departments of Chemistry and Physics and in the Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology. In addition, the Research Council of Norway is currently funding the Centre for Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, shared by the universities of Oslo and Tromsø.

Informal enquiries are welcome and can be made to Professor Reidar G. Trønnes (team leader, Deep Earth materials and dynamics), r.g.tronnes@nhm.uio.no.