UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
Department of Earth Sciences

Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Water and Gas Geochemistry

Grade 7 £32,236 - £39,609 per annum with a discretionary range to £42,036
Fixed term until 14 July 2021

The department seeks to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Assistant to work with Professor Chris Ballentine. The research conducted will contribute to and be integrated in a substantial research program coordinated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The project goal is to understand the impact of historical hydrocarbon production in California on the near and far field groundwater system. This project requires a postdoctoral scientist to collect oil, gas and water samples from the field in California, analyse these samples in Oxford and develop models to account for the observations. From the interpretation of the noble gas isotopes, and data gathered by USGS partners, this project will contribute to our understanding of the processes controlling the noble gas signatures in oil and gas deposits. We will use this to detail how the signatures change during production and identify whether and how the noble gas tracers can be used to distinguish between different sources or models of hydrocarbon origin in shallow groundwater. The PDRA will also be responsible for liaising with the USGS partners to gain and document full compositional information, such as major gas composition, stable isotop water DIC. They will also be responsible for contributing to the running of the Oxford Noble laboratory by helping calibrate, troubleshoot and repair equipment when needed.

The successful candidate will have a PhD or equivalent in geochemistry or a related subject at the time of starting the post, an excellent publication track record, be proactive and independent, experience in a gas or wet geochemistry laboratory environment, and experience working as part of a team. Reporting will be through project team meetings, presentations at international conferences and publication of scientific papers.

The deadline for applications is midday on Friday 2 November 2018. Interviews will be held in mid November 2018