The Mineralogy-Petrology group at the Department of Geosciences of the University of Fribourg invites applications for two 4-year Ph.D. positions funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The PhD positions frame within the SNF-funded research project “Fluid circulation in mantle rocks: Insights from ophiolite sequences and 1.2 km of serpentinite drilled at the Atlantis Massif”. The overall aim of the project is to constrain the impact of alteration, magmatic, and microbial processes on the sulfur and carbon budget of seawater-exposed mantle rocks, to evaluate the links between magmatic, hydrothermal and biogenic processes, and to constrain the meteoric fluid input in continental sites of serpentinization. The project is embedded in national and international collaborations, amongst others, with partners in Germany, Italy, and the US.

The first PhD project (Sulfur uptake in the shallow upper mantle) will mainly focus on seafloor drill cores recovered during IODP Exp. 399 to the Atlantis Massif and dredged serpentinites from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The work will center around the petrological and geochemical characterization of the sulfur phases and will include both bulk rock wet chemical methods and high resolution in situ techniques.

The second PhD project (Organic and inorganic carbon distribution in peridotites) will be focused on the characterization of organic and inorganic carbon species in peridotites from the Mirdita ophiolite in Albania. This project will include field work, petrological and geochemical characterization of carbon species, and use bulk rock and in situ geochemical techniques.

Candidates for both positions must hold a M.Sc. in Earth Sciences, geology, or mineralogy. The applicant should have very good knowledge of petrology, mineralogy, and geochemistry. Analytical experience with electron beam microanalysis (EPMA and/or SEM), as well as experience with mass spectrometric techniques is desirable. Very good English language skills are also required.

The University of Fribourg is a trilingual (French/German/English) university in a bilingual (French/German) town near the Swiss Alps and equally distant from the international airports of Basel, Geneva, and Zurich. The working group language is English. German or French language skills are welcome but not required, but the university offers free language courses for PhD students. As an equal opportunity employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of age, sex, gender (or gender identity), ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, and transgender status. All appointments are made on merit, but preference will be given to candidates with the appropriate scientific background. 

To apply, please send the following by email: a one or two page cover letter highlighting your background and explaining your motivations of the application, a curriculum vitae, certificates, and names of at least two references and their contact information. 

Applications will be reviewed starting November 1st, 2024. However, the position will remain open until suitable candidates are found. Applications should be made via email in one single PDF file to Prof. Dr. Esther Schwarzenbach: esther.schwarzenbach@unifr.ch.