Research Fellow - AR2839RDO

Start Date: 1st October 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Fixed Term: Until 14 January 2027

As part of the Leverhulme Trust funded project “Testing a new concept for critical metal enrichment in Late Archean granites” we are seeking a postdoctoral researcher in petrology & geochemistry applied to granite-hosted mineral deposits to join a vibrant research group based at St Andrews with links across the broader research community including the University of Oxford.

The economic metals tin (Sn) and lithium (Li) are incompatible elements concentrated during the processes of crustal evolution: partial melting and fractional crystallization. The project will explore the use of dateable mineral phases to monitor the metal budget of granite melt cycles, with the ultimate aim of determining initial metal contents of melt source and implications for exploration for these deposits.

The candidate will be responsible for: developing new in situ analytical tools to measure metal contents and radiogenic isotopes within a range of mineral phases via LA-QQQ-ICPMS; the application of these techniques to samples collected from late Archean granites in southern Africa; and the integration of these and other empirical results with phase equilibria melt modelling with the ultimate aim of exploring Sn-Li melt enrichment during melting and crystallization processes.

The project will involve fieldwork for sample collection plus the development and deployment of novel geochronological and isotopic tracing methods, the latter using the newly installed St Andrews Geochronology (StAGE) LA-QQQ-ICPMS laboratory. Methods developed would also be applicable to samples from other mineralized granites and pegmatites and will link into PhD projects working in those areas.

The successful candidate will therefore be technically skilled with appropriate LA-ICPMS experience, with an understanding of petrological (melt) modelling, and have a strong interest in combining these approaches to constraining critical metal budgets of granittes. The postdoctoral researcher would join a dynamic cohort of researchers looking at similar problems, including PhD students, within the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences. It is expected that the results produced from this project would be presented at international conferences and published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Employees of the University have access to a wide range of staff benefits including:

• Annual leave of 34 days, plus 5 public holidays
• Membership of the S&LAS Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions
• A hybrid working environment, including partial homeworking where appropriate and a range of family friendly policies

Further information and informal enquiries may be directed to Dr Nick Gardiner, email: nick.gardiner@st-andrews.ac.uk

Applications are particularly welcome from women, people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented in professional posts at the University.  

 Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the St Andrews experience.  We strive to create a fair and inclusive culture demonstrated through our commitment to diversity awards (Athena Swan, Carer Positive, LGBT Charter, Race Charters and Stonewall). We celebrate diversity by promoting profiles of BAME, LGBTIQ+ staff and supporting networks including the Staff BAME Network; Staff with Disabilities Network; Staff LGBTIQ+ Network; and the Staff Parents & Carers Network. Full details available online: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/hr/edi/

This post will be primarily based at the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.           

The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland (No SC013532).

Closing Date: 26 July 2024   

Please quote ref: AR2839RDO          

Further Particulars: AR2839RDO FPs.doc

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