Research takes place within the German-French bilateral project "PALAVAS – Present and pAst weathering fLuxes from tropicAl Volcanic islAndS" in which the interaction between weathering and erosion in tropical volcanic islands will be evaluated. Within this framework, two doctoral projects on the German side (at GFZ Potsdam and FU Berlin, respectively) and two positions on the French side (IPGP Paris and EDYTEM Chambéry, respectively) will collectively test the hypothesis that the degree and rates of weathering and erosion depend on age of the underlying bedrock. Back through time, however, centennial to millennial-scale variations in climate may modify weathering and erosion rates, and these trends may be preserved in offshore sediment archives. We will use classical elemental geochemistry and state-of-the-art novel Beryllium and Lithium isotopes as tracers of modern and past weathering and erosion rates, in conjunction with biomarker analysis and numerical modelling.

Within PALAVAS the here advertised doctoral project will focus on identifying modern weathering and erosion processes by geochemically characterizing soils and modern river sediments and will be led by Dr. Hella Wittmann-Oelze. The project will be based in GFZ´s section 3.3. The second German project focusing on changes over Quaternary timescales will be led by Prof. Anne Bernhardt at the Freie Universitaet Berlin and will be advertised separately. The French projects will be led by Dr. Julien Bouchez (IPGP Paris) and Dr. Fabien Arnaud (EDYTEM Chambéry) and will be advertised separately. All successful applicants will be working closely together and will carry out research visits among the different research facilities.

Your responsibilities:

• Field work in tropical islands like Guadeloupe and Réunion for sampling sediment, water and soil
• Close collaboration within a German-French project of both leading scientists and other doctoral students
• Dynamic and interdisciplinary supervisor team (2 female and 2 male scientists) with backgrounds in inorganic and organic geochemistry, sedimentology and paleoclimatology
• Reconstruction of changes in earth surface processes and in paleohydrology as well as vegetation through a diverse geochemical characterization of samples: Cosmogenic nuclides (meteoric 10Be/9Be ratios), elemental geochemistry, biomarker isotope analyses (δD & δ13C), and lithium isotope analyses

Your qualifications:

• University degree (master / diploma) in Geosciences, Geochemistry or related 
• Good (English) communication skills; willingness for exchange with colleagues and travel within the bilateral project
• Experience in geological field work
• Knowledge of French is of advantage
• MSc thesis including either geochemical, sedimentological, and/ or isotope work
• Work experience in geochemical laboratories with acid digestions is beneficial