Postdoctoral Researcher - Experimental Planetology

Postdoctoral Researcher - Experimental Planetology

Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research

Göttingen, Germany

As part of the Experimental Planetology research group, and funded by the ERC Starting Grant “ELMO: Experimental Laboratory Magma Ocean”, the postdoc will investigate how volatile and moderately volatile chemical elements behave in magma ocean worlds - the earliest, molten stages of rocky planets - both in the Solar System and beyond. The two fundamental questions addressed by the ELMO project are: “What were the compositions of primordial atmospheres of terrestrial solar system planets when they had magma oceans?” “How are the atmospheres of hot exoplanets compositionally linked to interior magma oceans?” The final project design will be developed in collaboration with the postdoc and their own project ideas, within the framework of the ERC, which is explicitly encouraged.

Your tasks

• Conducting cutting-edge research in experimental planetology
• Measuring vapor pressures of volatile & moderately volatile elements in magmatic systems
• Publication of results in peer-reviewed journals & presentation at international conferences

Your qualification

• A PhD (or soon-to-be-completed PhD) in experimental petrology, geo-/cosmochemistry, mineralogy, or related fields
• Experience in high-temperature/pressure experimental petrology and relevant data analysis
• Ability to work in a team
• Good command of spoken and written English