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SCIENCE FOUNDATION IRELAND PhD OPPORTUNITY
PhD Studentship - apply now.
Job Posted: 28th February 2019
Closing Date for Applications: 15th March 2019
Department: Department of Geography and the Centre for Marine Renewable Energy MaREI
Contract Type: Fixed Term Whole-Time
Job Type: Research
Salary: 18,500 plus payment of EU fees only – see below.
SCIENCE FOUNDATION IRELAND PhD OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking to recruit 1 PhD student to work on, “Present and Past Coastal and Marine Processes Functioning for Dublin Bay”. It is desirable that the successful applicant should have a strong interest in coastal environments and will need to be a dynamic, highly motivated researcher.
This work is to be part of a Science Foundation Ireland project entitled, “Integrating multidisciplinary geoscientific data into forecasting models to monitor and predict coastal change: proof of concept in Dublin Bay”. The successful student will be part of a multi-institute research cluster (Dublin City University, University of Maynooth, University College Cork and University College Dublin). The PhD position will commence as soon as possible and will be based in the Department of Geography and the Centre for Marine Renewable Energy (MaREI), University College Cork.
Background
Coastal zones are threatened by forces such as climate change and sea-level rise that combine to drive increasingly intense storms, flooding, and erosion. Assessment and prediction of coastal vulnerability can only be achieved by systematic and sustained monitoring of physical, chemical and biological processes that occur in coastal zones. The object of the SFI project is a coordinated program of coastal observations that will be used to validate, calibrate and extract as much information as possible from satellite and other environmental data. Overall, project work will integrate these data to generate forecasting models that can be used to predict environmental change and inform future planning.
This PhD is intended to establish an integrated understanding of the coastal processes and systems’ functioning of the Dublin Bay region under climate warming. Knowledge of the impacts of future climate changes on these heavily populated and urbanised coasts of Dublin is of great regional and national significance and some urgency. The research will contribute to the establishment of the critical techniques to be used in the development of coastal management practice in Ireland.
There are two main aims of the PhD work. Firstly, the development of high quality,
Homogeneous and long-term coastal data for the Dublin Bay region (e.g., wave, wind, tide, sea-level, sediments and hydrodynamics data). The region has been the subject of many research studies since the 1970s, e.g. of former sea-level changes, marsh, beach and dune environments, coastal sediments and hydrodynamics. This PhD will build on these earlier studies, through the acquisition of new high resolution (<0.5km2) data, using approaches of direct coastal to offshore monitoring, airborne reconnaissance (e.g. LiDAR) and satellite information. Secondly, the development and validation (using the established data sets) of numerical model projections of the coastal process and wider environmental changes for the Bay region, primarily for detailing present to future wave, sea-level, storminess and sedimentary changes.
Requirements
Applicants should have a good primary degree (First or Upper Second Class Honours), and preferably an M.Sc., in an appropriate discipline (Coastal, Marine, Earth, Environmental Sciences background or cognate). The successful candidate should be highly self-motivated, a good communicator in both oral and written format and with an understanding of environmental modelling and basic programming.
Stipend and Fees
The studentship is for 42 months and includes a stipend of €18,500 p.a. and the payment of EU fees. Non-EU candidates may apply but they will have to cover extra fees themselves.
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Contact
To discuss this opportunity contact Dr. Kieran Hickey (PI UCC) email Kieran.hickey@ucc.ie or phone (021) 4902274
To apply
Interested applicants should email their CV, including the names of 2-3 referees to
Ms. Agnes O’Leary (Department of Geography, UCC at agnes.oleary@ucc.ie on or before the closing date of 15th March 2019.