Research Associate in Mars Glaciology

The School of Geography and Planning seeks to appoint a Research Associate with a background in glaciology or Mars geomorphology to investigate the internal structure and flow histories of water-ice glaciers in the mid-latitudes of Mars, as recorded by abundant structures on the glacier surfaces. This 3-year role forms part of a Royal Society University Research Fellowship grant (2025-2033) led by Frances Butcher, entitled ‘Unlocking Martian Climate Archives: The Glaciological Groundwork for the First Ice Cores from Mars’.

Mars hosts thousands of buried water-ice glaciers in its mid-latitudes. They are thought to have formed under cyclical climate changes and are exciting targets in the search for life. The glaciers are key targets for next-generation missions including orbiters, landers, and eventually human missions, which could extract the first Martian ice cores.

You will combine GIS-based mapping and terrain analyses of glacier-surface morphologies on Mars using data from orbiters with:

(a) Numerical ice flow modelling experiments, for example using the Ice Sheet and Sea Level System Model (ISSM) or a similar model.
and/or
(b) The development of automated (e.g., deep learning) approaches to mapping and classification of glacier-surface morphologies and other ice-related terrains on Mars.

You will join a cutting-edge research project which is driving forward our understanding of Martian glaciology and climate history, in search of the best potential ice coring sites. The project harnesses high-resolution orbital data (including high-resolution imaging, digital terrain models, and ground-penetrating radar data) and numerical modelling to decode the ice flow and climate histories recorded by structures on the surfaces of glaciers on Mars. It will also investigate the possible configurations and ages of glacier-internal layers which could be accessed by ice borehole or coring missions.

You will be supported by the project PI, Dr Frances Butcher, to pursue those elements of the project which best fit your skills and interests. You will initially perform a global survey of orbital images of mid-latitude glaciers on Mars to familiarise yourself with their properties. In doing so, you will produce and analyse a database of natural incisions through the glaciers (e.g. impact craters, sublimation pits etc) which reveal glacier-internal layering and structure. You can then opt to focus on: (a) performing novel numerical modelling of glacier flow using the Ice Sheet and Sea Level System Model (ISSM) or a similar model; and/or (b) developing automated techniques for mapping glacier-surface structures and other ice-related morphologies (e.g., using deep learning tools in ESRI ArcGIS Pro, or alternative approaches as appropriate).

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