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Montana State University
Department of Earth Sciences, Bozeman MT
United States
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US
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Wednesday, November 13, 2024 - 12:30
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MSc position in Stream Incision and Soil Carbon Interactions
The DirtLab at Montana State University seeks a prospective Master’s student for a funded project studying the timing and controls of arroyo formation and carbon storage in watersheds of New Mexico. The MSc student will work directly with Dr. Jean Dixon in the Department of Earth Sciences and collaborate with other students and researchers.
Project Description: Stream incision can rapidly alter watershed morphology in semi-arid regions and degrade wetlands and upland meadows that represent important sites of water and carbon storage. Constraining geomorphic controls on these arroyo processes requires understanding the timing of change and the geologic and climatic contexts under which watersheds evolve. The MSc student will combine field, geochemical, and geospatial analyses at field sites in northern New Mexico to quantify the magnitude and timescales of burial and erosion of sediment and carbon. Multiple geochemical tools will be used to date sediments and measure erosion rates and may include optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), cosmogenic 10Be, and fallout radionuclides (137Cs, 210Pb). The two-year position begins summer of 2025 and will be funded by Teaching and Research Assistantships and a summer stipend.
Qualifications: This project requires interest/experience in outdoor field work, geospatial/GIS methods, and geochemical analyses. The ideal candidate will have an undergraduate degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geology, Physical Geography, or related field, with past coursework in geomorphology and chemistry.
To Apply: Interested students should email Dr. Dixon at jean.dixon@montana.edu to discuss research interests. The email should include the subject line “Arroyo MSc applicant” and contain a CV/resume and a description of your research/academic background and interest in the project. In addition to emailing Dr. Dixon, formal applications must be submitted to MSU by January 15th.
Landscapes are diverse and DirtLab is dedicated to bringing together scientists with diverse backgrounds, identities, and perspectives to study them.
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