Open position @UNIS: Ph.D. in Arctic Geology; combining seismic and field data to understand carbonate deposition and preservation in tectonically active settings.

The Department of Arctic Geology at UNIS has a vacancy for a Ph.D. positon combining seismic and field based studies of Upper Paleozoic carbonates to understand links between tectonic evolution, carbonate deposition and preservation.

  • Organisation: The Department of Arctic Geology of the University Centre in Svalbard
  • Location: Two of three years in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. First year at University in Oslo, GEUS in Copenhagen and in one of the sponsoring companies
  • Duration: 3 years temporary position
  • Application deadline: 27 September 2019

About the position:

The study is financed by the Suprabasin research project sponsored by Norwegian Research Council and the industry. The project is scientifically led by the University of Oslo, with active partners from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, University of Aberdeen, University in Tromsø, University of Nebraska Omaha, GEUS in Copenhagen and UNIS. 

The project seeks to improve our understanding of sedimentary basins controlled by large – magnitude normal faults in rifts and rift margins. Focus of the studies will be sedimentary facies, architecture, footwall rebound controlling sedimentary fairways, landscape denudation as temporal sediment source and burial history of basins.

The Ph.D. position focusses on improved understanding of the Late Paleozoic evolution of the Loppa High, Barents Sea and includes detailed studies of the onshore analogue in the Sørkapp-Hornsund area of southern Spitsbergen.

The project aims to use field based investigations of carbonate facies and architecture in outcrops to better understand subsurface data from the Loppa High. The onshore component is based on classical field techniques supported by drone-supported photogrammetry and petrographic analysis. The offshore study is based on Barents Sea seismic and well data including core and wireline logs and will be carried out in cooperation with a post doc at GEUS in Copenhagen.

Required qualifications:

  • Master degree or equivalent in an appropriate field (sedimentology/basin fill studies, carbonate sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy, tectonics and seismic interpretation).

Desired qualifications:

  • Physical fitness for fieldwork
  • Experience from remote mountain areas, subarctic or Arctic areas
  • Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
  • Strong problem-solving and communication skills
  • Excellent English written and oral communication skills
  • Valid driving license
  • Experience with use of geological work stations and relevant software

For more information and how to apply, please refer to the full announcement