We are looking to appoint an analytical chemist / geochemist to be responsible for conducting amino acid research from modern and ancient marine shells and corals under the direction of Professor Kirsty Penkman. This position could be undertaken full-time or part-time (≥50% FTE) and is fixed term for 18 months. If this is offered on a part time basis the contract length may be offered for more than 18 months.
The role is funded by the European Research Council under the project “SEACHANGE: Quantifying the Impact of Major Cultural Transitions on Marine Ecosystem Functioning and Biodiversity”. This 6-year ERC Synergy grant is led by Professor James Scourse at the University of Exeter with a range of global collaborators.
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The postholder will be part of the BioArCh group, which hosts a range of archaeological and environmental scientists. BioArCh is a world class facility which draws on the expertise of staff from the departments of Biology, Archaeology, Environment and Chemistry.
This post will be based in Chemistry where you will conduct amino acid analysis from ancient and modern marine organisms. You will conduct research into the proteins, peptides and amino acids in biominerals; this will help develop the chronology for the material and to determine endogeneity of the organic matter, enabling other members of the project to use stable isotope analysis to track food web functioning across the different cultural transitions. All the required instrumentation for the project (RP-HPLC, UHPLC & MS, microscopy) is housed at the university, including the NERC-recognised amino acid facility, the Technology Facility and the Centre of Excellence in Mass Spectrometry (CoEMS).
You will work collaboratively with the larger SEACHANGE team of over 30 scientists. The project will apply a structured and systematic approach to the reconstruction of marine ecosystem baselines and quantify the impact of cultural transitions on marine ecosystems, investigating five key cultural transitions.
Interview date: To be confirmed
For informal enquiries: please contact Professor Kirsty Penkman (kirsty.penkman@york.ac.uk)
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