Vacancies
Fully-funded 4-year PhD position in Critical Metals
Project: Controls on high-grade stratiform Co mineralisation in the Central African Copperbelt (CRITICAL)
This fully-funded four-year PhD project will utilise an integrative approach through trace element, isotope and mineralogical geochemistry, seeking to determine the reasons for the precipitation of high grades of cobalt at the Tenke-Fungurume Mining (TFM) copper-cobalt (Cu-Co) mining district located in the northeast corner of the Central African Copperbelt. The TFM district contains one of world’s largest known resources of mineable cobalt (resources of 857.7 Mt at 2.9% Cu and 0.29% Co). The main objective of the Ph.D project is to develop i) a genetic model for highgrade cobalt mineralisation that is broadly applicable and ii) a geochemical vectoring toolkit for use by minerals industry.
Supervision team
Dr. Lingli Zhou (lead supervisor)
School of Earth Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Prof. Murray Hitzman (co-supervisor)
SFI Research Centre in Applied Geosciences (iCRAG), University College Dublin, Dublin,
Ireland
Application
Please e-mail a CV (max. 2 pages) and a cover letter (max. 1 page) outlining your experience and motivation to Dr. Lingli Zhou (lingli.zhou@ucd.ie) by the 31st May 2022.
Full job description: PhD in Critical Metals
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UCD Post-doctoral Research Fellow Level 1
Globally, the construction industry produces large volumes of undelivered/unused (returned) concrete; an alkaline material with significant potential for CO2 capture after processing. This iCRAG/SFI-funded postdoctoral researcher, working in collaboration with industry co-funder Silicate Carbon (https://www.silicatecarbon.com/), will investigate the novel use of PRC as a soil amendment for the sequestration of atmospheric CO2 via accelerated weathering. Our pilot studies indicate that biogeochemical reactions in soils result in rapid weathering of some components of crushed concrete, resulting in conversion of soil-gas CO2 to stable, cation-balanced dissolved bicarbonate in soil solutions. The main objectives of the research to be carried out by the post-doctoral researcher will be to: (i) optimise weathering kinetics and therefore CO2 sequestration rates, (ii) understand the ultimate fate and storage lifetime of the captured CO2 in the surface water/groundwater continuum, and (iii) develop geochemical models that permit reliable calculation of CO2 sequestration rates, calibrated by field measurements of soil-water chemistry and soil-toatmosphere CO2 gas fluxes. The project will involve systematic field- and laboratory-based studies in Ireland to investigate the effect of several variables related to both the material itself and the target soils, as well as the construction of geochemical models informed by the field and laboratory data.
Informal enquiries to: frank.mcdermott@ucd.ie
Full job description: Processed Returned Concrete
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UCD Post-doctoral Research Fellow Level 1
We wish to appoint a Post-Doctoral Researcher in the field of Low Temperature Geochemistry with a particular
focus on bio-based induced carbonate precipitation in unconsolidated deposits (soils, sands and gravels) for the purpose of ‘ground improvement’. The successful candidate will work on the project “Multi-scale Investigation of Bio-Based Mineral Precipitation in Carbonate Bearing Granular Soils and Construction Related Waste”. This project is funded under the SFI/NSF US-Ireland Centre to Centre scheme in partnership with the Center for Biomediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics (CBBG), and the Energy Efficient Materials Research Center (EEM) in Queen’s University Belfast.
The project aims to extend the domain of microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) and enzyme induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) as ground improvement technologies to carbonate-bearing materials. Both MICP and EICP will be investigated on these deposits as sustainable alternatives to cement-based technologies. More specifically, this post will involve: (i) conducting a literature review / evaluation of existing data to summarise existing state of knowledge regarding the implementation of EICP and MICP, (ii) assisting in the design of a series of large scale MICP/EICP tank tests on carbonate bearing deposits, (iii) conducting an associated geochemical monitoring programme, (iv) establishing laboratory scale carbonate precipitation experiments designed to simulate field conditions.
Informal enquiries to: frank.mcdermott@ucd.ie
Full job description: Low Temperature Geochemistry
