[Aqualist] PhD opportunity at University of Auckland and NIWA

[Georgina Maja Falster]

*Message from Andrew Lorrey (NIWA)*


Kia ora koutou,



Please find the details of a PhD project based in New Zealand below.

Interested parties should contact me directly. Appreciate if you would pass this onward to other colleagues too.



Cheers

Drew





PhD OPPORTUNITY:

PAST CLIMATE PROXIES IN KAURI TREE-RING ANATOMY AND CHEMISTRY



There is new support for a 3-year PhD project based at The University of Auckland (UoA) and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in Auckland, New Zealand focused on kauri (Agathis australis) tree-ring climate proxies. The PhD candidate will be under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Lorrey (NIWA), Assoc. Professor Anthony Fowler and Dr. Gretel Boswijk (UoA).



The PhD candidate will explore how sub-annual kauri anatomy and/or trace element geochemistry can be used to reconstruct past climate, including periods with abrupt climate events. They will apply new analytical approaches to kauri tree rings covering the New Zealand instrumental record era, parts of the last millennium associated with changes in multi-decadal variability, and late Holocene decades when solar particle bombardment from coronal mass ejections occurred. They will develop climate-proxy calibrations, including quantifying errors for anatomy- and/or chemistry-based estimates for local surface climate, and determine whether New Zealand experienced impacts from known extreme solar weather episodes. There is also latitude for the student to explore peripheral topics that will give improved context for kauri-climate reconstructions (i.e. development of secondary palaeoclimate proxy archives from a different resource).



The PhD candidate’s work is nested within a Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund project (running through 2022) that is developing Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS3; 60,000-27,000 years BP) radiocarbon series and climate reconstructions from sub-fossil kauri. We expect the PhD project findings will inform and assist MIS3 kauri tree-ring research by providing guidance on climate reconstruction techniques via close collaborations with MIS3 kauri researchers.



Three-year funding that has been secured will see the PhD candidate begin their study on or within 3 months from 15 July 2019. It includes a tax-free stipend of NZ$27,900 per year plus support for some annual fees. There is also a dedicated budget for analyses and travel to present research findings at national and international conferences. The University of Auckland also has Doctoral Scholarships for high calibre international students. Additional part-time employment opportunities may be possible at NIWA (laboratory and data analysis) and UOA (including tutoring).



Applicants should have a tertiary degree in earth/environmental science, physical geography, chemistry, forestry or botany and also an advanced post-graduate qualification (honours or MSc). Experience with wood anatomy and/or trace element geochemistry analyses would be considered a bonus. Interested parties should contact Andrew Lorrey (a.lorrey at niwa.co.nz)<mailto:a.lorrey at niwa.co.nz)> for more information, and applicants are encouraged to lodge a cover letter and CV by 7 June 2019.