Glacial Sedimentologist (SWAIS2C)

We are looking for an outstanding postdoctoral researcher (PDRA) to join our Palaeo-environments, Ice sheets and Climate Change (PICC) team. The successful candidate will work on the UK Sensitivity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to 2C Warming (SWAIS2C) project, involving scientists from Imperial College and the universities of Durham, Exeter, Leeds and UCL.

As a valued member of our team, you’ll be eligible for the following benefits:

• 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays and 2.5 privilege days
• Excellent civil service pension (with 26% or more employer contribution, depending on your band)
• 24 hours/365 days access to employee assistance programme (EAP – including support with physical, mental, social, health and financial issues)
• Flexible and family friendly working opportunities
• Cycle to work scheme
• Access to discounted shopping on a range of retail, leisure and lifestyle categories and much more.

The successful applicant will work with Dr. James Smith in collaboration with SWAIS2C colleagues to deliver important information about WAIS history, spanning recent changes to glacial-interglacial intervals and beyond.

Within the role, there will be an opportunity to develop grant writing, project/team management as well as technical courses i.e., ArcGIS, MATLAB, Python etc. BAS offer a variety of development opportunities both in house and across UKRI. There will also be opportunities to participate in fieldwork.

You’ll be joining a world-leading interdisciplinary research organisation, that is committed to recruiting dedicated people like you, progressing your career and giving you the support, you need to thrive at British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Lead analysis of a range of sub-ice-shelf sediments recovered from Antarctica and establish a new facies scheme.
• Integrate these interpretations with existing archives from the Ross Sea (e.g., KIS2 & KIS3) in order to help interpret the SWAIS2C drill core. Drilling will take place during 2024/25 (Kamb Ice Stream site) and 2025/26 (Crary Ice Rise site).
• Contribute to core sampling/facies analysis of SWAIS2C drill core at the University of Otago, NZ in early to mid-2025.
• Deliver research outputs, publish them in international peer-reviewed journals and present them at international conferences and internal meetings.
• Prepare and contribute to reports, conference presentations, scientific papers and research proposals for the SWAIS2C project.
• Maintain a high-profile for UKRI-NERC/BAS/PICC and SWAIS2C within the UK and international research community.

Current projects the team are working on include: 

ITGC (https://thwaitesglacier.org/)

IODP (https://iodp.tamu.edu/scienceops/expeditions/amundsen_sea_ice_sheet_history.html)

SCAR INSTANT (https://scar.org/science/research-programmes/instant)

KANG-GLAC (https://www.bas.ac.uk/project/kang-glac/)

For the role of Glacial Sedimentologist we are looking for somebody who will have a PhD in glacial sedimentology/geology or a related field, such as marine geology with a focus on ice sheet/shelf history. The post will commence on 1st of May 2024 or at an agreed later date.

If we’ve just described you, we’d love to hear from you! Apply now at bas.ac.uk/vacancies.

What experiences can we offer you?

At BAS we believe everyone plays a vital role, is unique and valued, therefore, we embrace diversity as well as equality of opportunity and are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming working environment where everyone’s unique perspectives are valued.

Different perspectives and collaborative working help us achieve our best work and come together to form a successful team which makes positive changes in the business. That’s the power of every individual. Our cultural values are built on mutual respect, inclusion, commitment and excellence.

If you are looking for an opportunity to work with world class and amazing people in one of the special places in the world, then British Antarctic Survey could be for you.

If you require the job information in an alternative format (i.e. email, audio or video), or would like any further information or support, please do not hesitate to get in touch at jobs@bas.ac.uk or alternatively you can call us on 01223 221508.