PhD Fellow in Theoretical Seismology

The position

The Department of Geosciences at UiT The Arctic University of Norway (UiT) in Tromsø, Norway, is offering a PhD position in Theoretical Seismology. 

The position is for a period of four years. The nominal length of the PhD programme is three years. The fourth year is distributed as 25 % each year and will consist of teaching and other duties. The objective of the position is to complete research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to the PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the programme period starts on commencement of the position.

This PhD position is part of an ongoing research and teaching collaboration between UiT and NORSAR at Kjeller, Norway. The research aims to develop innovative representations of spatiotemporal random fields and propose new methods for analyzing and interpreting seismological array data. 

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø, but with regular research visits to NORSAR. Participation in fieldwork in mainland Norway and Svalbard may also be necessary. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.

About the research project

The objective of this PhD project is to establish a novel theoretical framework for extracting near-surface geophysical information from passive recordings of ambient seismic noise. A standard assumption is that the seismic noise wavefield is generated by uniformly distributed random sources, and hence, that the transfer function (Green's function) can be estimated by cross-correlating pairs of seismic sensors over extended time periods. Our aim is to challenge the standard assumptions of homogeneity and stationarity by tailoring state-of-the-art representations of spatiotemporal random fields to seismic waves in inhomogeneous random media.

The starting point will be to formulate seismic wave propagation in random media through the framework of harmonizable random fields. This will give the provision to model temporal non-stationarities in terms of dual-frequency correlations, and spatial inhomogeneities in terms of dual-wavenumber correlations. The PhD student shall be actively involved in formulating the necessary theoretical framework, developing and implementing practical estimators, and testing the methodology on real world data. 

Depending on the background and interests of the PhD student, it may be possible to extend the project to also include passive geoelectric self-potential methodology. A joint inversion of passive seismic and geoelectric array data may yield vastly improved tomographic imaging of the subsurface.

The proposed methodology will be evaluated and demonstrated by analyzing a range of pertinent ground motion data. This will include data from seismic arrays, optical fibers (Distributed Acoustic Sensing - DAS and Distributed Temperature Sensing - DTS), and ocean bottom sensors. The primary objective will be to provide high-precision estimates of relative velocity variations (dv/v) in the subsurface, with potential applications to imaging and characterization of key processes in the cryosphere (e.g., glacier and permafrost dynamics), subsurface hydrology, and geohazards. 

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact Professor Alfred Hanssen: 

• email: alfred.hanssen@uit.no

or Adj. Assoc. Prof. Andreas Köhler:

• email: andreas.kohler@norsar.no 

Qualifications

This position requires:

• MSc or equivalent in seismology, geophysics, physics, statistical signal processing, or applied mathematics
• Documented quantitative and theoretical skills, and experience with mathematical modelling
• Experience with scientific computing and programming (Python/Matlab/C/C++)
• Experience with signal processing and statistical data analysis 
• Fluency in English

The research results will be presented at national and international conferences/workshops, as well as published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals. The candidate must therefore document good command of English, both written and oral. Nordic applicants can document their English capabilities by attaching their high school diploma. 

You must be willing to engage in the ongoing development of your discipline and the university as a whole. In the assessment, the emphasis is on the applicant's potential to complete a research education based on the master's thesis or equivalent, the cover letter, and any other scientific work. In addition, we may consider work experience, teaching qualifications or other activities of significance for the PhD studies and other experience of significance for the completion of the doctoral programme may be given consideration.

We will also emphasize motivation and personal suitability for the position. The successful candidate has: 

• Good collaboration skills
• Good communication and interaction with colleagues and students
• A desire to contribute towards a good working environment 

As many people as possible should have the opportunity to undertake organized research training. If you already hold a PhD or have equivalent competence, we will not appoint you to this position.

Admission to the PhD programme 

For employment in the PhD position, you must be qualified for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Science and Technology and participate in organized doctoral studies within the employment period.

Admission normally requires:  

• A bachelor's degree of 180 ECTS and a master's degree, or an integrated master's degree. 

In order to gain admission to the programme, the candidate must document sufficient potential for research. The applicant must have a grade point average of C (strong 3.0) or better for the master’s degree, which must contain an independent work. A more detailed description of admission requirements can be found here.

If you are employed in the position, you will be provisionally admitted to the PhD programme. Application for final admission must be submitted no later than two months after taking up the position. 

Applicants with a foreign education will be subjected to an evaluation of whether the educational background is equal to Norwegian higher education, following national guidelines from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. Depending on which country the education is from, one or two additional years of university education may be required to fulfil admission requirements, e.g. a 4-year bachelor's degree and a 2-year master's degree. UiT normally accepts higher education from countries that are part of the Lisbon Recognition Convention.

Inclusion and diversity

UiT The Arctic University of Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment. We believe that inclusion and diversity are a strength, and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.

If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application. If there are qualified applicants, we invite at least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it. Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.

We offer

• Involvement in an interesting research project 
• Good career opportunities 
• A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues  
• Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement  
• Pension scheme through the state pension fund
• PhD Fellows are normally given a salary of 532 200 NOK/year with a 3% yearly increase
• If you have to relocate to Tromsø then the Faculty of Science and Technology may reimburse your moving costs. Further details regarding this matter will be made available if you receive an offer from us.

Norwegian health policy aims to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their personal finances and where they live, has access to good health and care services of equal standard. As an employee you will become member of the National Insurance Scheme which also include health care services.

More practical information about working and living in Norway can be found here: https://uit.no/staffmobility

Application

Your application must include: 

• Cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests
• CV
• Diploma for bachelor's and master's degree
• Transcript of grades/academic record for bachelor's and master's degree
• Explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available)
• Documentation of English proficiency
• 2-4 references with contact information
• Master’s thesis, and any other academic works

Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. If you are near completion of your master’s degree, you may still apply and submit a draft version of the thesis and a statement from your supervisor or institution indicating when the degree will be obtained. You must still submit your transcript of grades for the master’s degree with your application.

All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. Diplomas and transcripts must also be submitted in the original language, if not in English or Scandinavian. If English proficiency is not documented in the application, it must be documented before starting in the position. We only accept applications and documentation sent via Jobbnorge within the application deadline. 

Assessment 

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants' qualifications based on the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailed description draw up for the position. A copy of the assessment report will be sent to all applicants. 

The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview should among other things, aim to clarify the applicant’s motivation and personal suitability for the position. 

General information 

The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants. 

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment.

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

Remuneration for the position of PhD Fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1017. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted. You will become a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, which gives you many benefits in addition to a lifelong pension: You may be entitled to financial support if you become ill or disabled, your family may be entitled to financial support when you die, you become insured against occupational injury or occupational disease, and you can get good terms on a mortgage. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no.

A shorter period of appointment may be decided when the PhD Fellow has already completed parts of their research training programme or when the appointment is based on a previous qualifying position PhD Fellow, research assistant, or the like in such a way that the total time used for research training amounts to three years. 

We process personal data given in an application or CV in accordance with the Personal Data Act (Offentleglova). According to the Personal Data Act information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure. You will receive advance notification in the event of such publication, if you have requested non-disclosure.