BEMÆRK: Ansøgningsfristen er overskredet
Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Ecoscience programme. The position is available from 01 June 2024 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.
Title:
Legacy pollution from mines in Greenland (LacyGreen)
Research area and project description:
Introduction:
Mineral extraction in Greenland has led to legacy mine pollution of both the terrestrial and marine environment in Ivituut, Maarmorilik and Mestersvig. At Ivittuut in South Greenland, mining of cryolite dates back to the 1850’s and has caused pollution with mainly lead and zinc in the Arsuk Fjord. The main source of pollution is related to deposition of waste rock exposed to seawater leaching in the tidal zone, which continues to release lead and zinc to the fjord. At Maarmorilik in West Greenland, the Black Angel lead-zinc-silver mine operated between 1973-1991. During this period, mine tailings and waste rocks were deposited on mountain sides and at the bottom of the Affarlikassaa Fjord, causing widespread pollution of lead, zinc and other pollutants via ocean currents and dispersal of dust. At Mestersvig in East Greenland, mining of lead and Zn took place at the Blyklippen mine between 1956-1963. During this period, the mining caused substantial pollution with lead, zinc and other heavy metals such as cadmium, barium and copper, which can be measured in biota, soils and sediment even today. At Mestersvig, parts of the deposited waste rock and tailings have been stabilized due to the presence of permafrost. However, due to a changing climate and regional hydrology, these permafrozen mine waste deposits may now be susceptible to increased physical and chemical erosion with an increased potential remobilization and dispersal of heavy metals to the environment.
The project
In the PhD project, the candidate will investigate the spatial distribution of pollutants in the environment at one or more legacy mine sites in Greenland combined with detailed studies on environmental conditions potentially influencing water and wind transport. The project will improve the knowledge on drivers of present and future mobilization and redistribution of pollutants from legacy mine sites and the basis for future regulation of dust dispersion from mine sites in Greenland. Moreover, the project will investigate techniques to stabilize waste rock and tailings at both legacy and new mine sites to reduce or mitigate pollution from these sources. Conceptually, the PhD project will be structured around the following three themes:
Theme 1: Method development for mapping of spatial distribution of legacy mine waste, including Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) spectroscopy mapping of potential contaminants of concern (PCOC) combined with 3D modelling and mass balance calculations.
Theme 2: Investigations of current redistribution potential of legacy mine waste: quantification of environmental drivers of PCOC in dust and water.
Theme 3: Quantification of physical and chemical stability of legacy mine waste: investigating the resilience to physical and thermal erosion and changes in temperature and surface hydrology.
Project description (1-2 pages):
This document should describe your ideas and research plans for this specific project. If you wish to, you can indicate an URL where further information can be found.
Qualifications and specific competences:
The PhD position requires:
- A bachelor's degree (180 ECTS) and a Master's degree (120 ECTS) in Geology, Physical geography, environmental engineering or similar.
- A Master's thesis (see specifications below)
- Fluency in English
It is considered an advantage if you have:
- Experience with Arctic fieldwork
- Experience with environmental laboratory work
- Working knowledge with pXRF or similar analytical techniques
- Initiated the development of a research network
- Publications and/or reports
- Working knowledge of Danish or another Scandinavian language
Your application shall include:
- Cover letter explaining your motivation, research interests, skills you bring to the position (max. 2 pages)
- Project description including your ideas for the development of this PhD project (1-2 pages)
- CV
- Diploma for bachelor's and master's degree
- Transcript of grades/academic record for bachelor's and master's degree
- Explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available)
- Documentation of English proficiency
- Documentation of proficiency in Danish or a Scandinavian language (if applicable)
- Contact information for 2-3 references
- Master’s thesis, and any other relevant academic works
Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position.
All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. Diplomas and transcripts must also be submitted in the original language, if not in English or Scandinavian. If English proficiency is not documented in the application, it must be documented before starting in the position.
Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Ecoscience, Arctic Environment, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:
- Senior researcher Christian Juncher Jørgensen, cjj@ecos.au.dk (main supervisor)
- Senior Researcher Jens Søndergaard, js@ecos.au.dk (co-supervisor)
How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.
Application deadline is 10 March 2024 at 23:59.
Preferred starting date is 01 June 2024.
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.
Please note:
- Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be taken into account.
- The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
- Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.
Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.
INFORMATIONER OM STILLINGEN:
- Arbejdspladsen ligger i:
Aarhus Kommune
-Virksomheden tilbyder:
-Arbejdsgiver:
Aarhus Universitet, Nordre Ringgade, 8000 Aarhus C
-Ansøgning:
Ansøgningsfrist: 10-03-2024; - ansøgningsfristen er overskredet
Se mere her: https://job.jobnet.dk/CV/FindWork/Details/6001350