PhD position examining temporal development of distributed volcanic fields

About the Project

We seek candidates for a PhD position examining the temporal evolution of volcanic fields. Working as a member of a multi-institutional project within the Determining Volcanic Risk in Auckland (DEVORA) Research Programme, the student will perform geochronological and paleomagnetic analyses to precisely pinpoint the timing of individual eruptions in the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand, to build a model of the temporal evolution of this potentially active volcanic system.

The candidate will be expected to conduct the following activities over the course of their research:

1. Field work in the Auckland Volcanic Field, examining the development of select volcanic centres and collecting rock samples for geochronologic, paleomagnetic and petrographic analyses of volcanic deposits
2. Paleomagnetic laboratory analyses at the University of Otago (Dunedin, New Zealand)
3. 40Ar/39Ar analyses at the USGS Argon Geochronology Laboratory (USA)

Candidates will ideally hold a Masters degree and have a background in volcanology, igneous petrology, and/or rock magnetism, and their acceptance will be contingent on receiving a University of Auckland doctoral scholarship.

All applicants will need to send (1) a CV, (2) a brief letter explaining your relevant previous experiences and research interests (one page maximum), and (3) contact details of two referees, all compiled into a single PDF document. Please email these to James Muirhead (j.muirhead@auckland.ac.nz) and title your email with your surname and "Volcanic Fields PhD application". We will review applications as they are received until the position is filled.