Post Doctoral Research Associate in Geochemical Palaeoclimatology

The Department of Natural Sciences is recruiting a Post Doctoral Research Associate to join on a fixed term contract for 3 years.

About the role:

As the PDRA, you will support the UKRI NERC research grant “Identifying orbital- and sub-orbital-scale controls on the Asian summer monsoon: a 500,000 year hydroclimate record from Nam Co, Tibet [NamCore-UK]”. You will be working closely with the PI Dr Leon Clarke from the Manchester Metroploitan University and the Co-I Prof Andrew Henderson from Newcastle University.

About the project:

This PDRA role is a very exciting opportunity to work on the ICDP-funded project “The Nam Co Drilling Project, Tibet: A one million year sedimentary record from the third pole”, alongside researchers primarily based in China, Germany and Switzerland. During summer 2024 the international project team completed, from a bespoke floating drilling platform, coring of a ca. 500 metre below lake floor sediment record from Nam Co (Co=lake) atop the Tibetan Plateau, at ca. 4720 metres above sea level.

Core opening and description commenced in February 2025, with sub-sampling of cores for subsequent laboratory analyses initiated in May 2025. The focus of the UK NERC research project is generation of carbonate geochemistry proxy records of past hydroclimate variability, in order to reconstruct and advance understanding of the Tibetan Late Quaternary high-altitude palaeoenvironment, including temporal variability of the Indian Summer Monsoon system, over the last ca. 500 kyr. The NERC-funded project also includes meteoric ¹⁰Be and ostracod valve amino acid racemisation (AAR) dating approaches. Other members of the international NamCore project team will be generating complementary palaeoenvironmental datasets (for example: organic geochemical proxies, palynology, ostracod assemblages and morphometrics, sedaDNA and the deep microbiological biosphere), as well as applying other dating techniques including radiocarbon, OSL and palaeomagnetics.

In addition to having the opportunity to work alongside a multi-disciplinary international research team, the PDRA will also be able to visit the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research Chinese Academy of Sciences (ITP-CAS) in Beijing, to discuss NamCore project results with international consortium project members, as well as to participate in future follow-up sub-sampling of the collected Nam Co sediment cores.

About the candidate:

• We seek a skilled laboratory researcher with expertise in palaeoclimatology, specifically measurement and application of carbonate geochemical proxy techniques to the reconstruction of past climate variability.
• The PDRA will be expected to present project outcomes to the NamCore research consortium members at project workshops (in person and/or online) and to the wider international community at major international conferences, as well as to prepare high-quality scientific journal publications.
• There may be opportunities for the PDRA to undertake some undergraduate teaching activities, in order to develop further their CV and future employability prospects.
• Ideally you will have previous experience working with terrestrial palaeoclimate archive materials, specifically lake sediments, otherwise prior use of marine sediment archives. An ability to complete accurate and precise geochemical proxy measurements, using CF-IRMS and ICP-OES/MS instrumentation, is advantageous (all necessary training also will be provided). Some knowledge of XRD mineralogy techniques would be advantageous.

To learn more about role and requirements, please read the Job Description.  

If you would like to join our people and share our ambition, we would love to hear from you! 

Application Process: 

• To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter detailing your suitability, on the application portal.
• Please email Dr Clarke (l.clarke@mmu.ac.uk) for informal discussions and/or questions regarding the ICDP (International Continental Drilling Program) NamCore project and the available NERC-funded PDRA position. 

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Manchester Metropolitan University fosters an inclusive culture of belonging that promotes equity and celebrates diversity. We value a diverse workforce for the innovation and diversity of thought it brings and welcome applications from local and international communities, particularly those from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

We support a range of flexible working arrangements, including hybrid and tailored schedules, which can be discussed with your line manager. If you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process or in your role, please let us know so we can provide appropriate support.

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Manchester Met is a Disability Confident Leader and, under this scheme, aims to offer an interview to disabled people who apply for the role and meet the essential criteria as listed in the attached Job Description for that vacancy. This vacancy is expected to attract a high volume of applications. Therefore, under the Disability Confident Scheme, only disabled people who apply under the scheme and best meet the essential criteria will be offered an interview.

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