[Switzerland] PhD Student Position in Alpine Hydrogeology at Eawag Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology

Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, is a Swiss-based but internationally active research institute within the domain of the ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Science and Technology). It is committed to the ecologically, economically and socially responsible management of water.

The Department of Water Resources and Drinking Water has a vacancy for a
PhD Student in Alpine Hydrogeology

The subject of the doctoral thesis will be “Water fluxes in alpine catchments with special emphasis on interactions between groundwater and surface water”.

The project will predominantly involve field research, but will be complemented by a modeling component. Using tracer tests and isotopic measurements, the successful candidate will be expected to conduct basic research on upward and downward water fluxes through the unsaturated zone, on lateral preferential flow, and on groundwater / surface water exchange. He/she will be assisted by our field technician to instrument the field site with our direct-push Geoprobe machine.

The goal of the project is to improve our understanding of the mechanisms governing:

alpine groundwater recharge
the storage and flow of groundwater, including mobilization mechanisms of substances during storm events
interactions between surface water and groundwater using the specific isotopic and geochemical signatures of each
groundwater and soil water fluxes, viewed as the lower boundary condition of climatic processes.
The successful candidate for this position will be expected to hold an MSc degree in hydrogeology, geology, hydrology, environmental sciences, or environmental engineering. An advanced knowledge of aquatic physics would be beneficial. Fluency in German and English would be an advantage but is not a requirement.

The anticipated start of this position is 1 October 2010. The initial duration of the position will be three years, with a possible extension of one additional year. The PhD will be awarded by the University of Neuchâtel and supervised by Prof. Mario Schirmer and Prof. Rolf Kipfer. Women are explicitly encouraged to apply for this position with a view to increasing the proportion of women involved in science and research.

Please submit your application – including CV, motivation letter, and copies of academic qualifications and references – in electronic form as one single PDF file to Sandra Egler, Human Resources Department (recruiting@eawag.ch), citing reference number 104002. The deadline for applications is 11 August 2010.

For further information, consult www.eawag.ch or contact: Prof. Mario Schirmer (Email: mario.schirmer@eawag.ch), Phone +41 (0)44 823 5382 or Prof. Rolf Kipfer (Email: rolf.kipfer@eawag.ch), Phone +41 (0)44 823 5530.

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