Postdoctoral Research Associate- Silicon Isotope Specialist

About the role

Texas A&M's Oceanography Department is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join the research team of Dr. Justin Dodd.

Responsibilities

• Conducts and supports research projects within their field of expertise by applying specialized knowledge, analyzing data, and summarizing research findings.
• Collaborates with researchers, faculty, and students by contributing to research activities and providing guidance, mentoring, or supervision as needed.
• Prepares and communicates research outcomes through reports, presentations, publications, and other materials for sponsors, stakeholders, and professional audiences.
• Aids in the preparation, organization, and maintenance of research workspaces and project-related activities.

Requirements

• Appropriate PhD in a related field.
• Demonstrated experience developing or applying wet-chemical sample preparation methods for trace-element or stable-isotope analyses.
• Hands-on experience with ion-exchange column chromatography for the purification of Si or other elements from complex matrices.
• Experience extracting and cleaning biogenic silica from marine or lacustrine sediments, and/or processing seawater, pore-water, river-water, or groundwater samples for dissolved silicic acid analysis.
• Operating experience on a Thermo Scientific Neptune or Neptune Plus multi-collector ICP-MS, including tuning, cup configuration, and routine maintenance.
• Familiarity with medium- or high-mass-resolution MC-ICP-MS operation to resolve polyatomic interferences and calculate δ³⁰Si and δ²⁹Si and associated uncertainties.
• Working knowledge of clean-laboratory protocols, trace-metal-clean techniques, and blank/contamination control for low-level stable-isotope work.
• Demonstrated record of first-author peer-reviewed publications in geochemistry, paleoceanography, oceanography, or a related field, and a history of presenting research at national or international meetings.
• Prior experience mentoring, training, or supervising undergraduate or graduate student researchers in a laboratory, field, or classroom setting.
• Proficiency with scientific data-analysis and visualization tools for processing MC-ICP-MS data and preparing publication-quality figures.
• Excellent verbal and written skills.
• Presentation skills.
• Analytical skills.
• An attention to detail.

Qualifications

• PhD in a related field.
• Experience with wet-chemical sample preparation methods.
• Experience with ion-exchange column chromatography.
• Experience with Thermo Scientific Neptune or Neptune Plus multi-collector ICP-MS.
• Experience with MC-ICP-MS operation and data analysis.
• Experience with clean-laboratory protocols and trace-metal-clean techniques.
• First-author peer-reviewed publications in relevant fields.
• Mentoring experience with undergraduate or graduate students.
• Proficiency with scientific data-analysis and visualization tools.

Skills

• Advanced knowledge and skills in multi-proxy analyses of legacy Antarctic sediment cores.
• Experience with advanced analytical instruments like Thermo Scientific Neptune or Neptune Plus multi-collector ICP-MS.
• Experience with ion-exchange column chromatography for the purification of Si or other elements.
• Experience with Thermo Scientific Neptune or Neptune Plus multi-collector ICP-MS for resolving polyatomic interferences and calculating δ³⁰Si and δ²⁹Si.
• Experience with clean-laboratory protocols and trace-metal-clean techniques.
• Experience with scientific data-analysis and visualization tools.

Benefits

• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month.
• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas Health and Wellness.
• Free exercise programs and release time.
• Professional Development: Access to free LinkedIn Learning training, webinars, and limited financial support to attend conferences, workshops, and more.
• Tuition assistance for completing a degree while a Texas A&M employee.
• Living Well, a program at Texas A&M that has been built by employees, for employees.

Pay

Compensation will be commensurate based on the selected candidate's education and experience.

Schedule

The schedule for this position is not specified.