News

Deadline 23.12.2024

The new working group ‘Geomorphology and Geohazards’ at the Institute for Geology, Mineralogy and Geophysics (IGMG) at the Ruhr University Bochum focuses on the evolution of Earth's surface during the Quaternary. We use a combination of field, laboratory, and numerical methods to understand the interplay between transport, weathering, and erosion processes and their climatic and tectonic drivers at the Earth's surface as well as human-landscape-interactions. The methodological focus of our group is on the developmental and application aspects of geo- and thermochronological techniques, namely electron spin resonance (ESR) and luminescence dating, to get insights into the timing and pace of landscape evolution and related geohazards (e.g., mass wasting, floods). In addition to the use of geochronological techniques, we use an interdisciplinary approach (e.g., sedimentology, geochemistry) to understand Earth surface processes and how their interactions affect landscapes. Our working group is involved in the teaching of B.Sc. and M.Sc. degree programs.
 

We seek for a talented candidate (m,f,x) that will work on the development and application of novel ESR dating approaches to quantify short- and long-term landscape changes such as mountain denudation, fluvial morphodynamics, or sea-level changes. Further scientific qualification of suitable candidates is desired and actively encouraged.

Please find all necessary details here: https://jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/jobposting/6490a70f3a02d0f4b514be32aadb05ca17758f3d0?ref=homepage

Derzeit sind einige spannende Stellen für verschiedene Karrierestufen ausgeschrieben. Details zu den Stellen sind in den Dokumenten zum Download unter diesem Beitrag, bzw. unter den jeweils angegebenen Links zu finden:

• Professorship (f/m/x) Anthropocene Coast salary scale W2 at the Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM) of the University of Oldenburg with facilities in Oldenburg and Wilhelmshaven. Please apply by August 31st 2024 via the application web portal for professorships of the Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg. Details: https://uol.de/stellen?stelle=70410
• W2-Professorship in Paleoecology and Environmental History at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Kiel University. Applications with the usual documents are requested to be submitted by 22.09.2024. https://www.berufungen.uni-kiel.de/de/dateien/oeffentl.-dateien/w2/palaeooekologie-und-umweltgeschichte/
• 2-year position as Research Assistant (PostDoc) (m/f/d) at University of Bayreuth in the third-party funded research project X-Archive. Please apply online with meaningful application documents by 30 September 2024 via the application portal of the University of Bayreuth. https://www.uni-bayreuth.de/job-vacancy-keyword-x-active-3afd2281ce2ced1c
• 3-year position as Research Assistant at the University of Greifswald's Institute of Geography and Geology, Chair of Paleontology in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Position within the framework of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP). Applications comprising all usual documents by 18 August 2024. https://www.uni-greifswald.de/en/university/information/jobs/job/n/research-assistant-institute-of-geography-and-geology-24-sa24-199695/
• 2 Postgraduate Research Associates / PhD positions for the project: Flow behavior of debris flows at different scales at the Institute of Mountain Risk Engineering, BOKU University, Vienna. Duration of employment: 36 months, starting in December 2024. Applications can be submitted until: August 31, 2024. https://boku.ac.at/en/baunat/ian

Wir wünschen viel Erfolg bei der Bewerbung!

Call for papers now open!

The interplay of environment, social relations, material culture, population dynamics, and human perception are the key factors of socio-environmental changes. The exploration of processes and parameters of societal change enable further exploration of transformations of human-environmental interactions. These processes and parameters are detectable in the development of, for example, settlement systems, material culture, or ritual sites, which link different socio-environmental components. Humans and environments deeply shaped each other, creating diverse social, environmental, and cultural constellations. On the one hand, examining the roots of social, environmental, and cultural phenomena and processes, which substantially marked past human development, can lead to a deeper understanding of the development of societies. On the other hand, a focus on transformation patterns within momentous developments of past societies opens up the possibility of identifying substantial and enduring re-organisation of socio-environmental interaction patterns.

The scientific programme of this conference aims to promote discussion by merging themes that explore the roots of social, environmental, and cultural phenomena and processes, well as different scales of transformations in prehistoric and archaic societies. Therefore, the sessions intend to explore wide diachronic and interdisciplinary spectra: From Late glacial societies to communities of pre-modern cites, from topics on human adaptation and coping strategies, to those on burial rites, residential behaviour, the formation of complex networks, and past health, as well as different theoretical and methodological approaches covering social, physical, life, and formal sciences.

Please see the announcement poster for download below and visit the conference website for details: https://www.kielconference.uni-kiel.de/

A multiple in-situ cosmogenic nuclides approach to dating erratics within the southern fringe of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (DatErr 2.0)

The Department of Geomorphology and Quaternary Geology at the University of Gdańsk is looking for a motivated person for a PhD position within the National Science Centre SONATA BIS project.

The PhD candidate will be responsible for the analysis of glacial erratics located in the area of the maximum extent of the last ice sheet, as well as the collection and preparation of samples for  cosmogenic nuclides 10Be and 14C analysis.

The project is led by Dr. Karol Tylmann from the Geomorphological Reconstructions Laboratory,
Department of Geomorphology and Quaternary Geology. Candidates are requested to send their CV,  motivation letter, references from the supervisor of their master's thesis or immediate superior, and consent to the processing of personal data to the following email address: k.tylmann@ug.edu.pl. The final deadline for submissions is August 15st at 15:00, and the competition results will be announced by August 31st, 2024.

All details are available from the PDF below.

Erstes Plenartreffen zur Erforschung der historischen Entwicklung von Auen und Flussgesellschaften an der Universität Leipzig

Auf dem ersten internationalen Plenartreffen des Schwerpunktprogramms „Auf dem Weg zur Fluvialen Anthroposphäre“, das vom 17.-19. Januar an der Universität Leipzig stattfand, kamen 70 Forschende aus Großbritannien, der Slowakei, Kroatien, Österreich, der Schweiz und Deutschland zusammen, um sich über die Überformung und Zerstörung der Auen Mitteleuropas ein Bild zu machen und sich über die laufenden Studien auszutauschen.

Auen sind globale Brennpunkte früher menschlicher Eingriffe und hochsensibler sozio-ökologischer Wirkungsmechanismen. Sie sind besonders dynamische Landschaften und Kernzonen des Kultur- und Naturerbes Europas. Sogenannte „fluviale Gesellschaften“ haben die mitteleuropäischen Auen wegen ihrer hohen Nutzungsvielfalt und -kapazitäten und den damit einhergehenden Maßnahmen der Landgewinnung und Risikominimierung radikal verändert. Diese menschengemachte Überprägung kann teils so stark sein, dass ehemalige Auenräume nicht mehr als solche zu erkennen sind. Die acht Teilprojekte des DFG-Schwerpunktprogramms analysieren innerhalb des Förderzeitraums dieses Zusammenwirken von Gesellschaften und vorindustriellen Auen Mitteleuropas aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven und in ausgewählten Regionen Mitteleuropas.

Auf dem Plenartreffen stand der wissenschaftliche Austausch im Vordergrund. Schwerpunktthemen waren auch die methodische Weiterentwicklung wie DNA-Analysen aus Fluss- und Seesedimenten oder die Rekonstruktion der historischen Biodiversität von Auen. In das internationale Plenartreffen waren auch Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler des interdisziplinären LeipzigLabs der Universität Leipzig eingebunden, welche insbesondere auch an den Forschungsfragen zur historischen Biodiversität beteiligt sind.

Für den Koordinator des Schwerpunktprogramms, Prof. Dr. Christoph Zielhofer, Physischer Geograph an der Universität Leipzig, ist die Frage besonders spannend, ob und seit wann die Auen und in den Auen agierende Gesellschaften als „Fluviale Anthroposphäre“ verstanden werden müssen und welche ökologischen und gesellschaftlichen Prozesse zu ihrer Entstehung führten. „Bisherige Forschungsarbeiten weisen darauf hin, dass vom Menschen verursachte Veränderungen der Auen sowie die Herausbildung spezifischer fluvialer Gesellschaften bereits lange vor der Industrialisierung begannen“, so Privatdozent Dr. Lukas Werther vom Deutschen Archäologischen Institut in Frankfurt, der als Mitglied des Forschungskomitees an der Ausrichtung des Schwerpunktprogramms federführend beteiligt ist.

(International CNRS – UoM joint PhD)

PhD Thesis Project: DesertLakes-4D - Numerical modelling perspective on hydro-sedimentary dynamics in drylands lakes: what does it take for wind-driven hydro-sedimentary processes to shape the shorelines of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre?

Summary: We are looking for a PhD student to work on a fully funded project on investigating climatic and hydro-dynamic controls on littoral landforms around dryland lakes through a combined numerical modelling and field-based approach is available. The project is part of a joint PhD project between University of Melbourne and CNRS. It will be primarily based at the University of Melbourne (Australia) with a minimum 12-month stay at the Université de Strasbourg (France).

Skills required: The successful candidate for this PhD project will have good skills in numerical modelling of lake or coastal processes (e.g. DELFT3D) and affinity to field work, ideally with a sedimentological and/or geomorphological focus in coastal environments. All candidates are expected to show interest in dryland landscapes and should be open to acquiring new methodological skills through their PhD. As study sites are located in Central Australia, a good level of experience and/or willingness to organize and conduct field work in remote areas will be of additional advantage.

Further details:

• The successful candidate will be based at University of Melbourne with a minimum twelve-month stay at the Université de Strasbourg. 
• Applications close: 15 May 2024
  Please note that applications will close once a suitable candidate is identified. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit their application as early as possible. 
• Anticipated start date: 1 December 2024
• Contact Details:  Dr Jan-Hendrik May, School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne (https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/795469-jan-hendrik-may)
   

All details are also available from the PDF available for download below.