*** STUDENTSHIPS IN DINOCYST STUDIES ***
Funded Research Studentships in Plio-Pleistocene Dinocyst Ecology and Paleoceanography
Application Deadline MAY 15th!
Two funded research studentships (one PhD and one MSc) are available in dinocyst studies, starting this September. Dinocysts are now used frequently in quantitative reconstructions of later Quaternary marine environments, especially at higher latitudes where calcareous microfossil assemblages decline in diversity. However, using dinocysts to reconstruct many earlier Quaternary and Pliocene environments is hindered by the increasing presence of extinct species and unusual species associations. The challenge is to understand the environmental significance of these older assemblages, thereby extending backwards in time the utility of dinocysts for quantitative environmental analysis.
The research will examine the dinocyst record at very high stratigraphic resolution across several time intervals of critical paleoclimatic interest for the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Material will be examined from across the North Atlantic region, based on existing deep-sea core material. Assemblages will be uniquely calibrated throughout by obtaining stable isotopes and Mg/Ca ratios to serve as fully independent proxies for climate change, and allow precise tuning to an orbital timescale. Results will address the dynamics of late Cenozoic climate, especially at higher latitudes where dinocyst reconstructions of sea-ice cover and seasonality will provide new insights into the timing and causes of Northern Hemisphere glaciations.
The PhD student will be registered through the Department of Geology, University of Toronto. The two-year MSc research student will be registered through the Department of Earth Sciences, Brock University. Training will be given in dinocyst morphology and taxonomy, paleoceanography, geochemistry and statistical analyses. DEADLINE for completed applications is MAY 15th. Applications should be submitted online by this deadline. For further information please contact:
Prof. Martin J. Head
Department of Earth Sciences
Brock University
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
mjhead@brocku.ca
or
Prof. Jörg Bollmann
Department of Geology
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
bollmann@geology.utoronto.ca
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Martin J. Head
Professor
Department of Earth Sciences
BROCK UNIVERSITY
500 Glenridge Avenue
St. Catharines, Ontario L2S 3A1
CANADA
Tel 905-688-5550 ext. 5216
Fax 905-682-9020
Email mjhead@brocku.ca