Thread: Two fully funded PhD opportunities in seismology at Victoria University of Wellington—Te Herenga Waka, New Zealand

Started: 2022-04-01 10:10:55
Last activity: 2022-04-01 10:10:55
*Institution: *Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
*Open until: *1st May 2022 (Project 1), 1st October 2022 (Project 2)
*
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*Study interactions between earthquakes and slow earthquakes in New Zealand*

New Zealand’s diverse tectonics and rich seismic dataset make it an
ideal place to study earthquake phenomena. Modern computational methods
provide a means of consistently and effectively mining the multi-decade
New Zealand seismic dataset to reveal new insights into earthquakes
processes, potentially providing the basis for new understanding of how
earthquakes interact.

*Two PhD scholarships*are available for students to study earthquake
phenomena in New Zealand at Victoria University of Wellington—Te Herenga
Waka. Each scholarship provides a $27,500 annual stipend and tuition
fees for three years as part of a Royal Society Te Apārangi Rutherford
Discovery Fellowship held by Dr Calum Chamberlain.

_Project 1: Decadal earthquake interaction in New Zealand_

Funding is available for a PhD student to study time-varying earthquake
phenomena and the interaction of earthquakes in New Zealand through the
development of a world-class, scientifically relevant earthquake
catalogue for New Zealand. This project will suit students with
*interests in earthquake physics, tectonics, modern computational
methods and machine learning*. The broad scope of this project will
allow for the student to develop their own interests and foci as the
project evolves. Given New Zealand’s diverse tectonics, the student may
chose to focus on anything from the interactions between earthquakes and
slow-slip, the structure of the New Zealand plate boundary, seismic
hazard, seismicity associated with volcanism, or a myriad of other
topics. The successful candidate is likely to have prior experience in
scientific programming. Ideally the student would *commence their study
between **May**and **October**2022.*

_Project 2: Structure, stress and earthquake interactions at New
Zealand’s most seismically active plate boundary: the Puysegur
subduction zone._

Funding is also available for a PhD student to study structure, stress
and earthquake interactions at the Puysegur subduction zone beneath
Fiordland in southern New Zealand. The Puysegur subduction zone is a
relatively young subduction zone and regularly produces moderate to
large (M>5) earthquakes. Despite this seismicity and the tectonic
significance of this system, the Puysegur subduction zone has received
relatively little attention, mostly due to its remote nature.

The student working on this project will deploy and maintain a network
of seismometers and semi-continuous GNSS stations throughout Fiordland,
and use these data to develop a high-quality catalogue of earthquakes
and slow-earthquakes. The student will then use these catalogues to
study one or more of the following topics: subduction zone structure,
stress state surrounding the subduction system, slow earthquakes,
earthquake interaction, earthquake physics. This project will suit a
student with *interests in earthquake physics, tectonics and field
methods. *It will involve regular fieldwork in remote regions, utilising
helicopters for access. We plan on deploying this network in the Austral
summer 2022–2023, and ideally a student would start between *December
2022 and July 2023*.

_How to Apply_

We invite applications from students with an MSc or similar level degree
(or who will obtain this qualification before commencing their doctoral
study) in a relevant topic, which may include geophysics, earth
sciences, geology or data science. International applications are
extremely welcome, and New Zealand’s COVID-19 related border
restrictions are beginning to ease. However we advise students to visit
the Victoria University of Wellington site on international applications
(https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/fgr/apply/international
https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/fgr/apply/international) and to familiarise
themselves with New Zealand’s pandemic-related travel restrictions.

To apply, please first send an expression of interest by emailing a CV,
academic transcript, and brief cover letter to Calum Chamberlain:
calum.chamberlain<at>vuw.ac.nz.

_VUW info_

Victoria University of Wellington—Te Herenga Waka is ranked in the top
100 institutions worldwide in Earth and Marine Sciences (2022 QS
rankings). In the most recent Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF)
quality evaluation of New Zealand universities, the University was
ranked first in New Zealand for overall research intensity and for
research in Earth Sciences and Geography. The Geophysics programme is
globally renowned for research in seismology, volcano and crustal
geophysics, and Antarctic geophysics.


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*Calum Chamberlain* | Lecturer in Geophysics and Rutherford Discovery Fellow

Lecturer | Pūkenga
School of Geography Environment and Earth Sciences | Te Kura Tātai Aro
Whenua
Victoria University of Wellington | Te Whare Wānanga o te Ūpoko o te Ika
a Māui
PO Box 600 | Pouaka Poutāpeta 600
Wellington | Te Whanganui-a-Tara
New Zealand | Aotearoa

Office | Tari Cotton 526
Email | Īmera calum.chamberlain<at>vuw.ac.nz
16:02:48 v.01697673