Germany: 14 PhD scholarships in Earth System Science. Research on global biogeochemical cycles

13 décembre 2011 admin Scholarship / Bourses

The key elements to life such as carbon, oxygen and nitrogen are continuously exchanged among land, ocean and atmosphere through processes known as global biogeochemical cycles. Research activities in the International Max Planck Research School for Global Biogeochemical Cycles aim at a fundamental understanding of these cycles, how they are interconnected, and how they can change with an altering climate and with human activities. Students participate in ongoing research comprising field observations, method development, experiments, and modeling. The school is thus an excellent starting platform for a successful career in a field related to global biogeochemical cycles and Earth System Science.

Individual PhD projects deal with various aspects of global biogeochemical cycles. These projects are currently open for application:
Atmosphere
The carbon cycle of northern Eurasia studied at the Zotino Tall Tower Observatory, central Siberia

Biosphere & Ecosystems
– One million years of carbonate alteration and mobilisation, modified by microbial activities
– Isotopes as tracers of the terrestrial carbon cycle
– Data-driven modeling of global carbon and water cycles
– Carbon and water relations from ecosystem to global scale
– Global functional classification of biogeochemical and biophysical ecosystem behavior
– Combining remote sensing and in situ data for biosphere model improvement
– Evaluating the feasibility and consequences of desert greening to meet future food and energy needs
– Data-based models to understand biogeochemical cycles: Accounting for temporal autocorrelation

Soils, soil microbiology & soil hydrology
– Role of geogenic CO2-exhausts for the formation and stability of soil organic matter
– Interactions between polysaccharides and mineral surfaces
– High-latitude soil carbon dynamics modelling

Paleoclimate
– Transfer of environmental and climatic signals into volcanically influenced lake sediments
– Timing of long-term carbonate mobilisation in a limestone aquifer, subproject ´Hydrogeochemistry´

The Working language is English and the language of the Doctoral Thesis is English too.

Applications for the program are open to well-motivated and highly- qualified students from all countries. A prerequisite is a diploma or master of science degree in geophysical sciences, environmental sciences, biological sciences, physics, chemistry, computer sciences or related fields, including a corresponding thesis. Proficiency in English is required since English is the official language of the program. Requirements for the individual PhD projects can be derived from the individual project descriptions.

Compulsory Attachments

• Curriculum vitae
• Diploma
• Letter of motivation
• reference letters

For details:

Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry

Postfach 10 01 64
Hans-Knöll-Str. 10
07745 Jena
ph:             + 49 3641 576301
fax: + 49 3641 577300
email: office.bgc-systems@bgc-jena.mpg.de

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