The aim of this position is to built, under the supervision of Pr. Grégoire Danger and in collaboration with Dr. Robert Pascal, Dr. Louis Le Sergeant d’Hendecourt, and Dr Vassilissa Vinogradoff, a chemistry lab dedicated to prebiotic chemistry
experiments.

The research will be carried out within the ASTRO team at the Physique des Interactions Ioniques et Moléculaires (PIIM) laboratory of the Aix-Marseille University
in France. This team is part of the Origins Institute of the Aix-Marseille University.

Application Deadline: February 15^th, 2024
Starting date: June, 2024
End Date: June, 2027

>> Click here << for details on the role and how to apply.

For further information, please contact Grégoire Danger.

The Open University is recruiting for a PDRA position in Mars atmospheric research. The position is funded by the UK Space Agency, for a duration of three years.

Applications are invited from the community to join their group and undertake research using the latest data from the NOMAD instrument on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter mission.  The role holder will undertake an exciting combination of retrievals from instrument observations with global climate modelling studies to understand the behaviour of trace gases in the atmosphere of Mars. 

>> Click here << for details on the role and how to apply.

For further information, please contact Manish Patel

Deadline:  12 February 2024 (noon GMT)

A Research Associate position is available at The University of Manchester for a planetary scientist to undertake research into the metal segregation processes on planetesimals in the early Solar System. The position is in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, under the direction of Prof Rhian Jones and in collaboration with Drs. Margherita Polacci and Romain Tartèse.

The goal of the project is to understand the fundamental process of melting and core formation that took place in the first planetesimals that formed in the Solar System.

>> The deadline for applying is February 19^th 2024 <<

Further information can be found *here*

A Research Associate position is available at The University of Manchester for a planetary scientist to undertake research into the formation and early evolution of the Solar System. The position is in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, under the direction of Prof Rhian Jones and in collaboration with Drs. Romain Tartèse and David Neave.

The goal of the project is to investigate the distribution of halogen elements in chondritic meteorites, to understand how volatile elements were distributed through early Solar System materials during the epoch of planet formation, ~4.6 billion years ago.

The appointment begins as early as April 1^st 2024, and will be for 1 year.

>> The deadline is February 19^th 2024 <<

Further information can be found *here*

The Space Research Institute (IWF) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW), is offering a PostDoc Position in Exoplanet Atmosphere Cloud Modelling.

The successful candidate will join the IWF research group “Exoplanets: Weather & Climate (Complex Atmosphere Modelling)“ led by Prof. Christiane Helling as part of the OeAW’s efforts to expand the theme of exoplanet research at the IWF in Graz, Austria. The post holder will play a crucial role in extending our kinetic cloud formation model as part of our efforts in providing physical interpretations of observational data for space missions, for example, CHEOPS, JWST, PLATO, and ARIEL. The applicant must hold a PhD in the relevant fields of astrophysics.

The appointment begins as early as April 1^st, 2024 and will be for 2+2 years.

Applications must include:

• CV
• Publication list
• Research experience statement (max 2 pages) and research plan (max 1 page)
• Academic certificates
• Two reference letters

Please send the application as one PDF file, mentioning Job ID: IWF143PD123 to Cosima Muck.

>> The deadline is February 29^th 2024 <<

Further information can be found *here*

The project, funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and to be carried out at the Università della Tuscia, has a primary objective focused on characterizing, from an astrobiological perspective, the geological context and microbiological communities within relatively underexplored environments, such as volcanic lakes. The study site will be the ‘Bagno dell’Acqua’ lake on Pantelleria Island, Sicily.
This study will be valuable in preparing for future Mars explorations, Mars Sample Return missions, and investigating the adaptability of life on Earth, its habitability, and the implications regarding the origin of life within such unique habitats.

Desired skills: microbiological laboratory practices. Proficiency in bioinformatics for metagenomic and metabarcoding approaches is highly desirable.

>> Click here to find the project (pdf n.22) <<
For information contact Prof. Laura Zucconi.

The deadline is January 15^th 2024, 1 PM (CEST)

The Earth Surface Science group at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) are seeking a 24-month PDRA to work on a Human Frontier Science Project (HFSP) funded project ‘The atmosphere: a living, breathing ecosystem?’. The project is a collaboration between QMUL’s School of Geography, the University of Guelph (Canada), Monash University (Australia) and Arizona State University (USA). The team aims to resolve the composition, capabilities, and activities of atmospheric microbes at a global scale, with the overall goal to distinguish whether the atmosphere exhibits structure and microbial activity characteristic of a true ecosystem, or if it is simply a passive dispersal medium for microorganisms.

The PDRA will develop theoretical modelling approaches (including bioenergetics calculations, power-based ecosystem modelling) to investigate the potential habitability and ecological structure and function of microbial communities in the atmosphere. The initial focus for the PDRA is to model the habitability and ecological processes occurring in Earth’s atmosphere, and then to translate the tools and knowledge generated to the atmosphere of other planetary bodies or exoplanets.

Application Deadline: 25th August 2023
Interviews are expected to be held in early September 2023

>> Click here for more info about the post <<