[Coral-List] Post-doctoral fellowship available

[Aaron O'Dea]

The Department of Geology and Geophysics at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, are pleased to announce the availability of a postdoctoral fellowship funded through a National Science Foundation grant and private donations. 

The project, entitled 'Elements of an extinction: Exploring the delayed Caribbean extinction with stable isotopes and trace elements', will integrate biotic and geochemical data to explore the environmental and ecological causes of the Plio-Pleistocene Caribbean extinction, with particular focus on the purported 1-2 m.y. delay in extinction.  

The study combines O, C, and clumped isotope proxies, and P/Ca ratios with taxonomic and ecological data from the framework of the Panama Paleontology Project (PPP). 

More information is available at www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1325683&HistoricalAwards=false.

The initial appointment is for 18 months, with possible support for an additional 12 months. Outstanding young scholars, eager to bridge disciplines and embark upon novel research are invited to apply. Applicants must have attained their Ph.D. prior to the 1st of August, 2014.

The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in macroevolution and/or paleoecology, good quantitative and analytical skills and a solid understanding of stable isotopes. The successful candidate will perform stable isotope and trace element analyses (with assistance from lab personnel) and use the results to resolve the drivers of ecological change and evolutionary turnover in the Caribbean.  

The successful researcher will be a joint fellow at Texas A&M University and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, and will be expected to spend time at both institutions.

Review of applications will begin on the 10th February, 2014, and continue until position is filled. Interviews will take place either via Skype or at the North American Paleontological Convention in Florida (February, 2014).

Applicants of any nationality may apply. Applications should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, brief statement of research interests, and the names and addresses of three referees.

Please submit materials to Ethan L. Grossman (e-grossman at tamu.edu). Applicants should contact Ethan Grossman or Aaron O’Dea (odeaa at si.edu) for further information.

Texas A&M University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer committed to diversity. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.

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Dr. Aaron O'Dea
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
http://aaronodea.wordpress.com
http://marinehistoricalecology.wordpress.com
odeaa at si.edu
Tel: +507 212 8065 (Panama)