[Coral-List] PhD Project available

[John Pandolfi]

PhD Project available ­ 2010 (Immediate opening)
 
Indo-Pacific coral evolution: Neogene reefs from Sarawak, Malaysia
 
Based in the Marine Palaeoecology Group, Centre for Marine Studies, School
of Biological Sciences, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef
Studies, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
 
We have recently been funded by PETRONAS Carigali, the national petroleum
company of Malaysia, to pursue a major new research programme to understand
the evolution of tropical marine biodiversity in a rigorous temporal and
environmental framework, from around 28 to 18 million years ago, during
climatic, oceanographic, and tectonic change in the South China Sea. The
project will enable a broad understanding of the role of environmental
change on the biological origins of modern Indo-Pacific marine ecosystems
through discovery of marine biotic evolution and carbonate platform
development. We are now seeking a PhD student to contribute to this fully
funded project by investigating the Neogene evolution of corals in the
Indo-Pacific, specifically Malaysia, with potential for expansion into The
Philippines. The PhD student will use paleoecological and stratigraphic
approaches to document coral species turnover in relation to geotectonic,
climatic, and oceanographic changes from Oligocene and Miocene sections in
Sarawak, Malaysia. 
Outcomes of this research will provide fresh insights about the
environmental correlates of regional biodiversity patterns on Indo-Pacific
coral reefs through time, providing important clues for the rise of modern
Indo-Pacific reefs and their potential response to predicted global change.
PETRONAS is funding the project because it will yield a sharper
understanding of the role of biogenic carbonate rocks in the subsurface
geology of SE Asia, enhancing hydrocarbon exploration. Fieldwork is
scheduled to commence in November 2010.
 
Applicants should have a strong academic record with an Honours (First Class
­ Australian/New Zealand applicants) or Master¹s degree or equivalent
(international applicants) in a relevant discipline such as paleontology,
ecology, invertebrate biology or marine science. They must be able to work
within a team and should have a high level of written and oral communication
skills. Experience in stratigraphic field techniques and quantitative
sampling is desirable (but not essential), as is experience and interest in
the paleobiology of corals or other marine invertebrates. Domestic and
international applicants will be considered.
Prospective Australian and New Zealand students would apply for an
Australian Post-graduate Award (APA).  Applicants who are not Australian or
New Zealand citizens or permanent residents would apply for International
Post-graduate Research Scholarships (IPRS) because tuition fees are
prohibitively expensive (up to $30,000/yr) for international students.
These IPRS scholarships are highly competitive, and successful recipients
will have completed a Masters degree including a significant research
component, have several publications in international peer-reviewed
scientific journals indexed by Web of Science, and relevant work and
research experience.
 
Interested and qualified applicants should, in the first instance, submit a
cover letter detailing relevant experience, a CV and an unofficial academic
transcript to the principal supervisor, Prof John Pandolfi, e-mail:
j.pandolfi at uq.edu.au, telephone: +61 7 3365 3050.
Details concerning the APA and IPRS application process and requirements for
a PhD can be found by visiting the University of Queensland Graduate School
Office website (http://www.uq.edu.au/grad-school/).



*************************************
Prof John M. Pandolfi
Centre for Marine Sciences
   and School of Biological Sciences
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
University of Queensland
Brisbane, QLD 4072
AUSTRALIA
PH: + 61 (0)7 3365 3050
FAX: + 61 (0)7 3365 4755
E-mail: j.pandolfi at uq.edu.au
*************************************

President - Australian Coral Reef Society -
http://www.australiancoralreefsociety.org/
VISIT THE ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR CORAL REEF STUDIES at
http://www.coralcoe.org.au/
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