<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3c.org/TR/1999/REC-html401-19991224/loose.dtd">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"><!-- Network content -->
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2995" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff background=""><BR><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG><FONT
size=4>*** STUDENTSHIPS IN DINOCYST STUDIES ***<BR></FONT></STRONG>Funded
Research Studentships in Plio-Pleistocene Dinocyst <BR>Ecology and
Paleoceanography<BR>Application <BR>Deadline: December 15th<BR><BR>Two funded
research studentships (one PhD and one MSc) are available <BR>in dinocyst
studies, starting in January 2007. Dinocysts are now <BR>used frequently in
quantitative reconstructions of later Quaternary <BR>marine environments,
especially at higher latitudes where calcareous <BR>microfossil assemblages
decline in diversity. However, using <BR>dinocysts to reconstruct many earlier
Quaternary and Pliocene <BR>environments is hindered by the increasing presence
of extinct <BR>species and unusual species associations. The challenge is to
<BR>understand the environmental significance of these older <BR>assemblages,
thereby extending backwards in time the utility of <BR>dinocysts for
quantitative environmental analysis.<BR>The research will examine the dinocyst
record at very <BR>high stratigraphic resolution across several time intervals
of <BR>critical paleoclimatic interest for the Pliocene and Pleistocene.
<BR>Material will be examined from across the North Atlantic region, <BR>based
on existing deep-sea core material. Assemblages will be <BR>uniquely calibrated
throughout by obtaining stable isotopes and Mg/Ca <BR>ratios to serve as fully
independent proxies for climate change, and <BR>allow precise tuning to an
orbital timescale. Results will address <BR>the dynamics of late Cenozoic
climate, especially at higher latitudes <BR>where dinocyst reconstructions of
sea-ice cover and seasonality will <BR>provide new insights into the timing and
causes of Northern <BR>Hemisphere glaciations.<BR>The PhD student will be
registered through the Department <BR>of Geology, University of Toronto. The
two-year MSc research student <BR>will be registered through the Department of
Earth Sciences, Brock <BR>University. Training will be given in dinocyst
morphology and <BR>taxonomy, paleoceanography, geochemistry and statistical
analyses. <BR>DEADLINE for completed applications is December 15th (or until the
<BR>position is filled). Applications should be submitted online by this
<BR>deadline. For further information please contact:<BR><BR>Prof. Martin J.
Head<BR>Department of Earth Sciences<BR>Brock University<BR>St. Catharines,
Ontario, Canada<BR>mjhead@brocku.ca<BR>and<BR>Department of
Geology<BR>University of Toronto<BR>Toronto, Ontario, Canada<BR>or<BR>Prof. Jörg
Bollmann<BR>Department of Geology<BR>University of Toronto<BR>Toronto, Ontario,
Canada<BR>bollmann@geology.utoronto.ca<BR></FONT></BODY></HTML>