Naturalis offers a job opening for the position of Postdoctoral Fellow to study Pattern formation in hot spring silica sinters under early Earth conditions (36 hours a week).
Postdoctoral research position in project funded by European Research Council (ERC)
The position will focus on pattern formation in hot spring silica deposits. The successful candidate will study fabrics in silica sinters from hot springs and geysers, using high-resolution µ-CT scanners and electron microscopes available at Naturalis. An extensive sample set of silica sinters is already available for this purpose. The candidate will also build a sterile reaction chamber at Utrecht Geolab at Utrecht University in which evaporation-precipitation processes and repetitive silica deposition under early Earth conditions can be carried out. An array of microenvironmental conditions will be tested to study the variety of silica sinter fabrics and morphologies that will be generated. These experiments will be carried out under sterile conditions as well as in the presence of organic materials. This study will contribute to our general understand of biosignatures in geothermal settings on the early Earth.
The Postdoc project is part of ERC Synergy Grant ‘PROTOS: The role of silica in the dawn of life on our planet’, and the postdoc will be part of the research team of Dr. Mark van Zuilen in the Marine Biodiversity Group, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden. The candidate will also be integrated in the Petrology Group (led by Prof. Paul Mason) at the Faculty of Earth Sciences at Utrecht University.
The candidate is expected to work synergistically within project PROTOS, co-designing experimental conditions with other teams, and using research facilities and materials synthesized in laboratories in Bremen, Donostia-San Sebastian, Plouzané and Hannover.
The Postdoc project will be partly carried out at Naturalis in the Marine Biodiversity group (Leiden), and partly at the GeoLab at Utrecht University (Utrecht).
Postdoctoral Fellow to study Pattern formation in hot spring silica sinters under early Earth conditions
36 hours a week
Position
The position will focus on pattern formation in hot spring silica deposits. The successful candidate will study fabrics in silica sinters from hot springs and geysers, using high-resolution µ-CT scanners and electron microscopes available at Naturalis. An extensive sample set of silica sinters is already available for this purpose. The candidate will also build a sterile reaction chamber at Utrecht Geolab at Utrecht University in which evaporation-precipitation processes and repetitive silica deposition under early Earth conditions can be carried out. An array of microenvironmental conditions will be tested to study the variety of silica sinter fabrics and morphologies that will be generated. These experiments will be carried out under sterile conditions as well as in the presence of organic materials. This study will contribute to our general understand of biosignatures in geothermal settings on the early Earth.
The Postdoc project is part of ERC Synergy Grant ‘PROTOS: The role of silica in the dawn of life on our planet’, and the postdoc will be part of the research team of Dr. Mark van Zuilen in the Marine Biodiversity Group, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden. The candidate will also be integrated in the Petrology Group (led by Prof. Paul Mason) at the Faculty of Earth Sciences at Utrecht University.
The candidate is expected to work synergistically within project PROTOS, co-designing experimental conditions with other teams, and using research facilities and materials synthesized in laboratories in Bremen, Donostia-San Sebastian, Plouzané and Hannover.
The Postdoc project will be partly carried out at Naturalis in the Marine Biodiversity group (Leiden), and partly at the GeoLab at Utrecht University (Utrecht).
General requirements and skills
The candidate must have a PhD degree in a relevant field in Earth Sciences or Chemistry with a strong interest in early Earth processes, early life, hot springs, and pattern formation. The candidate should have experience with general (geo)chemical laboratory skills. Experience with analytical techniques such as micro-CT, SEM, TEM is an advantage, as well as experience with mineral nucleation/precipitation processes and sinter fabric description. We are looking for a candidate with excellent knowledge of the English language (written and verbal), as well as a scientific and critical attitude, outstanding time management and organisational skills, and the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within the project consortium and the Naturalis research group.
There will be the possibility of joining field excursions / fieldwork in geothermal terrains. The candidate should have good communication skills and be enthusiastic to contribute to knowledge dissemination and outreach activities within the project. Experience with supervising student projects is an advantage.
Naturalis offers
A contract (36 hours per week) for a period of one year, to be possibly extended two more years after, and a monthly starting salary between € 3,641.- and € 4,731.-, depending on relevant experience. You also get an allowance for travel expenses, holiday allowance (8%) and year-end bonus (3.4%). The starting date is between February and March 2025. Naturalis Biodiversity Center offers an inspiring working atmosphere with effective and efficient supervision of our PhD and Postdoc candidates. Our Research Coordination Office also provides ample support to our scientific staff. Our institute promotes gender equality and wants to enhance the diversity of staff members. Feel free to contact Dr. Mark van Zuilen (mark.vanzuilen@naturalis.nl) with questions about the position. For procedural questions related to the application please contact HR: sollicitaties@naturalis.nl.
Procedure
Applicants are invited to submit their application in one pdf, including a cover/motivation letter (max. 1 page) and CV (max. 2 pages) and the names and contact details of two referees.
Please use this form for your application no later than October 30th CET. Interviews are foreseen to take place in the last two weeks of November to first week of December.
Naturalis endorses the Cultural Diversity Code. In the case of equal suitability, preference is given to the candidate who reinforces diversity within the team.
The specific goal is to study the processes of silica nucleation and sinter precipitation under…
At Goldschmidt 2025 in Prague, PROTOS researchers will showcase groundbreaking insights into the geochemical pathways…
The Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) is currently accepting applications for a postdoctoral position to…
Naturalis has a job opening for a postdoc to study Preservation of organic compounds in…
In this video, Professor Juan Manuel García-Ruiz, one of the Principal Investigators of PROTOS, takes…
Seventy years ago, American scientist Stanley Miller designed his famous "primordial soup" experiment, successfully recreating…