[Aqualist] PhD position in Kimberly landscape evolution and rock art dating

[Duanne.White]

Hi Aqualisters,

Please find below the details of a fully funded PhD position at the University of Wollongong and ANSTO.

PhD position:
Landscape evolution and rock art dating of the Kimberley region,
Australia, using in-situ cosmogenic nuclides 10Be, 26Al and 14C

A PhD scholarship is available within an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project grant: Dating the Aboriginal rock art of the Kimberley region, WA - landscape geochemistry, surface processes and complementary dating techniques coordinated by the Universities of Melbourne, Wollongong (UOW) and Western Australia, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) and the Kimberley Foundation of Australia. Member institutions are well positioned to provide world-class expertise and facilities in a variety of isotopic, radionuclide and biogeochemical methods of analyses to study the archaeological history, climate, and environmental and geomorphic evolution of the region.

Project
The Kimberley region of northwest Australia contains an extraordinarily rich record of rock art of various styles, providing an important window into the culture, beliefs and everyday life of the first Australians. Dating the rock art is complex and difficult to integrate with the emerging Late Quaternary and Holocene archaeological records. Even when dates are obtained, there often are inherent, technique-dependent ambiguities about their relationship to the art. This ARC project aims to produce a well-calibrated time scale for rock art sequences by undertaking a comprehensive study of the dynamic processes operating on the host rock surfaces, and then applying a battery of advanced dating techniques. This PhD project will focus on using in-situ cosmogenic radionuclides (10Be, 26Al, 14C) to quantify rates of landscape evolution (i.e., bedrock weathering, slab falls associated with rock paintings, rock wall preservation, basin-wide denudation). These data will be integrated with information obtained from optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of associated materials and with concurrent archaeological studies of rock art styles to provide a more robust evaluation of rock art evolution with time.

Location and funding
The PhD position is supported by the Institute of Environmental Research at ANSTO in Sydney (www.ansto.gov.au/ResearchHub/IER/<http://www.ansto.gov.au/ResearchHub/IER/>) and the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES) at UOW (smah.uow.edu.au/sees/), under the supervision of Dr David Fink, Dr Alexandru T. Codilean and Prof Richard G. Roberts. In 2013, UOW was ranked in the top 2% of research universities in the world in the highly respected Times Higher Education and QS World University Rankings. SEES excels in Quaternary science, geomorphology and archaeological science research in Australia and is equipped with cosmogenic sample preparation and OSL dating laboratories. ANSTO is a world leader in Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS), with emphasis on climate change and environmental applications using 14C, 10Be, 26Al, 36Cl, and actinides. ANSTO hosts 3 AMS accelerators operating at 1MV, 6 MV and 9MV and recently commissioned a multi-isotope cosmogenic chemistry laboratory building which includes plans for a new in-situ 14C laboratory. Funding is available for fieldwork, analyses, and attendance at international and national conferences during the course of the PhD.

Qualifications
Applicants must have a BSc (Hons) or MSc, or equivalent qualifications in (isotope) geochemistry, geology, hydrology and/or geomorphology. Knowledge of quantitative geomorphology in Quaternary studies and application of cosmogenic radionuclides in the Earth sciences would be a distinct advantage. We prefer candidates with demonstrated proficiency and experience in basic inorganic chemistry laboratory procedures and who are comfortable with remote fieldwork for sample collection. International students are encouraged to apply; the PhD scholarship includes tuition fees and offers a living allowance for the 3-year duration of the project. Salary will be equivalent to the standard Australian Postgraduate Award stipend: AU$25,849 tax-free, per annum.

Application
Your application will include a cover letter, a brief description of your research objectives in the Earth sciences aligned with the thematic direction of the PhD research topic, a CV,  publication list (if applicable) and contact details for at most 3 referees combined into  one PDF file. Applications should be sent to Dr David Fink (fink at ansto.gov.au<mailto:fink at ansto.gov.au>) no later than Friday 16th January 2015. Candidates should feel free to contact both Dr David Fink and Dr Alexandru T. Codilean (codilean at uow.edu.au<mailto:codilean at uow.edu.au>) for more details about the position. A starting date in March  2015 is preferred.

Dr David Fink
Principal Research Scientist
Associate Editor, Quaternary Research
AMS-ANTARES
INSTITUTE for ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH,
ANSTO,  PMB1, Menai, 2234, AUSTRALIA
Tel : 61-2-9717- 3048  (office)
                      - 3840  (tandem)
                      - 3257  (fax)
     +61-2-9300-8083   (home)