Career Center

The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) of Columbia University located in Palisades, New York, invites applications for up to two Postdoctoral Research Scientists to conduct research in the fields of climate & glacial geology and cosmogenic nuclide science. The successful candidate(s) would join the LDEO Cosmogenic Nuclide Laboratory (https://cosmo.ldeo.columbia.edu/) and apply novel cosmogenic isotope techniques (¹⁰Be and in situ ¹⁴C from new extraction line) within transdisciplinary multi-institution projects aimed at 1) evaluating the global response of mountain glaciers to past, modern and future climate, the contribution to sea-level rise and impacts on frontline communities down- stream, and 2) testing the (in)stability of the Greenland Ice Sheet in warmer climates and constraining the Holocene evolution of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The successful candidates would work with LDEO project teams lead by Joerg Schaefer and Nicolás Young.

Both projects are funded through the U.S. National Science Foundation and bring together a wide range of disciplines and a diverse team of junior and senior researchers.

EAR-Climate - Mountain Glacier Contribution to Sea Level CE 1900-2100 (MAGIC): The trans-disciplinary MAGIC project is designed to providing robust and accurate predictions of mountain glacier melt rates across the globe together with its contribution to sea-level rise on the global and local scale, and to evaluate the first order impacts of glacier change on societies. This project will combine geologic reconstructions of glacier change based on cosmogenic nuclide dating with satellite observations and novel Artificial Intelligence (AI) approaches, to establish a multi-decadal to centennial calibration framework for a new generation of glacier and solid earth models. The successful candidate will work on the cosmogenic nuclide aspect of this project, with the expectation to build synergy bridges to the glacier and solid earth model, AI and societal impact elements of MAGIC.

OPP-Arctic System Science - Response of the Greenland Ice Sheet to ocean and atmosphere forcing in a changing Arctic system – integrating data and modeling to quantify rates of change: This project brings together experts from the fields of ice-sheet modeling, glaciology, atmospheric science, data assimilation, ice-core studies, ice-sheet history, paleoclimate reconstruction, and public outreach to better understand the Holocene history of the GrIS and how the GrIS may evolve in the coming centuries. The successful candidate will primarily work with using cosmogenic nuclides to constrain ice-margin change.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A PhD in earth sciences or a closely related field.  
• Experience in publishing peer-reviewed publications and delivering talks at conferences.
• Experience working in a geochemical laboratory setting.
• Basic scientific computing (e.g., Matlab, Python, etc.).

Desirable Experience:

• Experience with cosmogenic nuclides including their extraction from geological samples and processing/interpretation of nuclide measurement datasets.
• Completion (or willingness) of remote fieldwork in Arctic settings for extended periods of time.

Appointment will be for 1-year with continuation for up to 3 years possible pending progress and funding.

The search will remain open for at least 30 days after the ad appears and will continue until the position is filled.

Columbia University benefits are offered with this Officer of Research appointment.

The Lamont campus values diversity and inclusion, and encourages applications from members of underrepresented minority groups.

Salary range: $66,000 - $66,000

We accept online applications only.  

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Pay Transparency Disclosure

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training.  The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

About Columbia University

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