PhD position in structural analysis and modelling of the Eger Rift (NW Czech Republic)
The Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences offers a PhD position as part of a funded 3-year research project (2022-2024) at the Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of Science, completed in conjunction with the Faculty of Science, Charles University, where the candidate will be enrolled in a PhD programme. (See https://www.natur.cuni.cz/eng/study/applicants/ph.d.-study for details.)
About the project: The Eger Rift is located in Northwestern Bohemia (Central Europe, Czech Republic) and developed as the easternmost branch of the European Cenozoic Rift System during Oligocene to Pliocene times. Our project aims to investigate the geodynamic causes for the initiation, interruption and demise of the rifting process by using geological modelling and laboratory analogue experiments. The project is funded by the Czech Science Foundation (GACR) by a grant 22-13980S to the Principal Investigator, Dr. David Ulicny.
PhD research: We seek an enthusiastic and skilled PhD candidate educated in structural geology and/or sedimentology or other discipline related to sedimentary basin research. The working task mainly combines the two research methods of 3D geological modelling of the subsurface structure of the Eger Rift and laboratory analog modelling. In the first approach, existing geological and geophysical data (mapping, well, seismic data etc.) should be integrated and processed in the modelling software Skua-Gocad or Move. The second approach is the development and conduction of analog experiments in order to test different tectonic conditions responsible for the present-day rift structure. The PhD student will closely collaborate with the research team of the project consisting of members of the GFU as well as from other external institutions. We provide an open-minded, international research environment, and the infrastructure of the GFU hosts a state-of-the-art analog laboratory (https://www.ig.cas.cz/en/observatories/tect-mod-lab/).
Tasks:
- Integration and analysis of geological and geophysical data (field, seismic, well and gravity data etc.) of the Eger Rift region into a 3D geological model using Paradigm Skua-Gocad and/or Move software
- Development, implementation and analysis of laboratory analog experiments to investigate the structural evolution of the Eger Rift
- Preparation of publications in close cooperation with other team members
Requirements:
- Knowledge of structural geology and tectonics
- Willingness to learn 3D geological modeling software (Skua-Gocad, Move)
- Basic communication skills in English (oral and written)
- Experience in GIS software (ArcGIS, QGIS), programming software (Matlab, Python), geological modelling and analog modeling is of advantage, but not compulsory
Administrative and financial aspects: The research is carried out at the Institute of Geophysics which, as part of the Czech Academy of Sciences, can provide research supervision but the PhD candidate must enroll for a PhD programme at a university. Therefore the successful applicant selected for the position at the Institute of Geophysics will need to pass an admission procedure at the Faculty of Science, Charles University, in May 2022. Different formats of study (full-time vs. part-time, respectively) make it possible to either combine a stipend provided at Charles University, approx. CZK 10, 000, with up to a 0.5 FTE at the Institute of Geophysics, or a 1.0 FTE at the Institute (approx. CZK 25,000), without the stipend. The salary level shown can be supplemented by bonuses based on the employee's performance.
Expected start of employment: Oct. 1, 2022
How to apply: Send your CV and motivation letter to Dr. Michael Warsitzka, Institute of Geophysics, the Czech Academy of Sciences; Bocní II/1401, 141 31 Praha 4, Czech Republic; warsitzka@ig.cas.cz, phone: +420 267 103 038; APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 25, 2022
