PhD student position

Umeå University, in northern Sweden, is a dynamic university with ca.3,700 employees and more than 23,000 students, of which 1,300 are in PhD programs.Umeå University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Umeå, which are situated at the same campus area, have a strong focus in environmental sciences.This position will strengthen and develop research in environmental science within the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science at Umeå University, Sweden.Currently, the department has about 55 PhD researchers and 60 PhD students (for more information see the department's homepage: www.emg.umu.se/forskning/index_eng.html.The department invites applications to PhD student position in environmental science with emphasis on paleolimnology The objective of this PhD project is to contribute to a better understanding of the long-term variations and trends in the atmospheric deposition and accumulation of mercury in Sweden over the past 10,000 years (Holocene) in relation to natural and anthropogenic related environmental changes.The project will utilize the natural archives preserved in lake sediments and ombrotrophic bogs, some of which have been collected for previous or on-going projects.Specific aims are to assess changes in mercury accumulation in relation to natural and human impacts, such as climate change, landscape development, land-use changes and pollution emissions, as well as an assessment of in situ factors that might affect preservation of the deposition record.To be eligible, the applicant must have at least 120 points (equivalent to a BSc (or MSc)) within physical geography or another relevant field of geoscience.The successful candidate must have demonstrated experience working in the field (sediment coring, limnological sampling) and in the laboratory (geochemical analyses - e.g., mercury, lead, carbon, flyash).Previous experience conducting sediment-based studies is merited.The procedure for recruitment for the PhD position is in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance (Högskoleförordningen kap. 5 and 9).The position is available for a four-year period (48 months); the first half as "utbildningsbidrag" and the second half as "doktorandtjänst".See also the department's homepage: www.emg.umu.se.Applications should include a letter of application, a curriculum vitae with a list of publications and the names of references. Your complete application, marked with reference number 313-4506-05 should be sent to the Registrar, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden to arrive February 20, 2006 at the latest.