Post Doctoral Research Assistant

Department of Geography
£22,445 pa inclusive
(2 years fixed term)
Applications are invited for a Post Doctoral Research Assistant funded by the award of a NERC Connect B Grant for 2 years. The project will investigate the potential use of geochemically labelled sediments as tracers for measuring transport pathways of the fine sediment fraction in estuarine environments. Your role in the project will be to investigate the behaviour of Rare Earth Elements in the estuarine environment and to develop a geochemically labelled sediment whose signature can be identified in estuarine sediment once the tracer has been released, dispersed and diluted. REEs will be used to label the sediments. You will join the Hydrological, Hydrochemical and Fluvial Processes Research Group at the Department of Geography, Queen Mary, University of London.

You will be employed full time on the project and will work closely with Dr Kate Spencer (grant holder), HR Wallingford and Harwich Haven Port Authority. You will be responsible for sample preparation, analysis of sediments using ICP techniques and for investigating the behaviour of REEs elements under a range of physicochemical conditions. Additionally, you will work with the project team to collect samples during a one week field campaign on the Stour Estuary in the summer of 2005. You will work with the project team to analyse and interpret data, write research papers for publication in peer reviewed journals and present the research findings at national and international conferences.

You will have a PhD in chemistry, geochemistry, environmental science or a related discipline and should have expertise in the analysis of environmental samples by ICP AES and a knowledge of estuarine or aquatic chemistry. Experience of working in an estuarine environment and an understanding of sediment dynamics would also be an advantage.
Further details of the project can also be found at http://www.geog.qmul.ac.uk
For further information please contact Dr Kate Spencer (020 7882 7814, email k.spencer@qmul.ac.uk). Application forms, a covering letter and a CV with the names of two referees should be sent to Dr Kate Spencer, Department of Geography, Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Road, E1 4NS by June 1st, 2004. Please use reference number 04131/AB. Interviews will be held on June 10th 2004.