"Geochronology & Thermochronology Laboratory Manager"

Please submit a cover letter, resume, and 2-3 references with e-mail address and phone. In your cover letter, please explain your lab and research experience and your interest in the position. If you are a new graduate, please also submit your academic transcripts.

For questions, please contact Robert Holder at roholder@umich.edu, Nathan Niemi at naniemi@umich.edu, or Eliel Anttila at eliel@umich.edu.

We, Drs. Robert Holder, Nathan Niemi, and Eliel Anttila, are seeking applicants for the position of Geochronology and Thermochronology Laboratory Manager in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The candidate will manage and operate laser-ablation U/Th-Pb and U/Th-He laboratories and accompanying mineral separation facilities.

Start date
This position has a preferred start date between June and August of 2026, but a later start date in the 2026 calendar year is possible.

• Laboratory analysis: independent operation and routine maintenance of the laboratory instruments for routine analysis, training and assisting users in established protocols, data processing.
  • ESI NWR193 laser-ablation system coupled with Agilent 7900 quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer used for U-Pb dating (e.g., zircon, monazite, apatite, titanite, rutile) as well as trace-element analysis and compositional imaging.
  • ESI NWR193 (or similar) laser-ablation system (to be installed, Fall '26) coupled with an Element2 sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer, focusing on the U-Pb dating of accessory minerals and carbonates.
  • ASI Alphachron Helium mass spectrometer used for U/Th-He thermochronology (e.g., zircon, monazite, titanite, apatite) and He diffusion experiments.
• Preparatory space management
  • Department mineral-separation and rock-preparation facilities (rock saws, jaw crusher, shatterbox, disc mill, sieve shaker, water table, Frantz magnetic separator, and "heavy liquids").
• Administrative responsibilities and scientific contributions
  • Purchasing laboratory materials, parts, and consumables for continued routine operation. Coordination with service engineers for instrument maintenance. Keeping users' training records. Maintaining laboratory safety standards in coordination with and as defined by the university EHS. Scheduling users.
  • At the Intermediate level, candidate is additionally expected to coordinate with the PI's on managing of the annual laboratory budget, independently develop new measurement protocols (different minerals, elements, isotopes) to meet the science needs of the laboratory spaces, and contribute to the writing of scientific publications (for example, compiled data tables and written details of methods in accordance with the "Methodology", "Investigation", and "Data Curation" roles defined by the CRediT system of scientific authorship).

This position is posted at the level of Research Laboratory Specialist Intermediate, with an underfill possible at the level of Research Laboratory Specialist Associate.

A degree in Earth Science is preferred, although other natural science or engineering degrees will be considered if the candidate has the requisite professional experience and meets the desired qualifications (below).

The required qualifications at the Intermediate level are:

• Master's Degree required.
• A minimum of 4 years of experience (including relevant graduate research) with high-level, independent operation, calibration, and routine maintenance of mass spectrometers for isotopic analysis.

The required qualifications at the Associate level are:

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• A minimum of 2 years of experience (including relevant graduate research) with high-level, independent operation, calibration, and routine maintenance of mass spectrometers for isotopic analysis.

Preference will be given to candidates with experience in:

• radio-isotope chronology and their accompanying laboratory methods
  • In particular: U-Pb and U/Th-He chronology (such as zircon, monazite, apatite, titanite, or rutile)
  • But also: Re-Os, K-Ar, Lu-Hf, Sm-Nd, U-series
• laser-ablation sampling/extraction lines
• standard mineral separation facilities
• mechanical and electrical repair
• vacuum pumps and vacuum systems
• Ph.D. preferred