Job Posting Title:

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Hiring Department:

Department of Geological Sciences

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Mar 31, 2025

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

The UT Austin Planetary Surface Processes (PSP) Group, headed by Dr. Tim Goudge, is advertising an opening for a Postdoctoral Fellow. This position is primarily funded by a NASA grant entitled “Constraining the nature of Noachian surface environments and climates using clay stratigraphies on Mars ”. This grant is led by PI Dr. Briony Horgan (Purdue University), and there will be opportunities for collaboration with Dr. Horgan’s research group, as well as other proposal team members. The overall goal of this project is to use clay mineral-bearing stratigraphies (commonly Al-bearing clay minerals overlying Fe/Mg-smectites) that outcrop in Noachian terrains across Mars to constrain the paleoclimate of the early martian surface environment.

The PSP Group Postdoctoral Fellow will contribute to this project through analysis of satellite remote sensing data aimed at constraining the paleolandscape on which these clay mineral-bearing stratigraphies formed. This will involve integrated analyses of spectroscopic (e.g., CRISM), image (e.g., CTX, HiRISE) and topographic (e.g., HiRISE stereo-derived DEMs) data. The available funding also provides room for the Postdoctoral Fellow to pursue other topics of interest in the broad field of planetary surface processes. Applicants are encouraged to discuss/formulate specific research projects with Dr. Goudge. More information about research of the PSP group can be found here: https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/goudge/ .

The position will be for two years, with a preferred start date between May and July of 2023. Applicants should submit: (1) a 1–2 page cover letter outlining their interest in the position, their relevant qualifications, and any additional research topics they would like to pursue as part of this appointment; and (2) their current CV (including abstracts/publications and names/email addresses for 3 professional references). Documents should be submitted as a single PDF via Workday prior to Feb 15, 2023 for full consideration. Please feel free to contact Dr. Goudge (tgoudge@jsg.utexas.edu) with any questions about this position.

The Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin is steadfast in our commitment to fostering a diverse community of scientists and lifelong learners and to providing an equitable and enriching educational and research experience for every member of our community.

Purpose

The overall goal of this project is to use clay mineral-bearing stratigraphies (commonly Al-bearing clay minerals overlying Fe/Mg-smectites) that outcrop in Noachian terrains across Mars to constrain the paleoclimate of the early martian surface environment.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to this project through analysis of satellite remote sensing data aimed at constraining the paleolandscape on which these clay mineral-bearing stratigraphies formed.

• Pursue other topics of interest in the broad field of planetary surface processes.

• Discuss/formulate specific research projects.

Required Qualifications

Ph.D. must have been received within three years from date of hire. Experience in analysis of remote sensing data, particularly topography, visible to near-infrared spectroscopy, and/or planetary mission data; interaction between physical sediment transport and chemical weathering processes (on Earth and/or Mars); and/or quantitative data analysis, including familiarity with one or more computer coding language(s) (e.g., Python, ENVI/IDL, MATLAB).

Preferred Qualifications

Researchers with experience in any of the required qualifications will be preferred for this position.

Salary Range

$65,000

Working Conditions

• May work in all weather conditions

• May work around standard office conditions

• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

• Occasional weekend, overtime, and evening work to meet deadlines

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Please make sure you meet all the required qualifications and you can perform all of the essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer , complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031 .

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.