The Stable Isotope Laboratory, University of Toronto is part of the Deep Energy Directorate program of the Sloan Foundation Deep Carbon Observatory. An exciting opportunity exists for a postdoctoral fellow to join the University of Toronto team investigating the fluid and gas geochemistry, noble gas residence times and implications for subsurface habitability of ancient fracture waters in Precambrian Shield rocks. Working with an international team of geochemists (in collaboration in particular with C.J. Ballentine – Oxford) and microbiologists, the postdoctoral fellowship research will focus on understanding the distribution and residence times of ancient water in deep fractures; the relationship of fracture fluid geochemistry to the host rock and mineralizing fluids; and the water-rock reactions controlling the geochemistry and isotopic signatures of the waters. The research is part of a ten year interdisciplinary and international research program exploring the geochemistry and microbiology of deep Earth fluids and implications for Mars exploration and astrobiology.

Applicants must have a PhD in isotope geochemistry, geology, chemistry or related disciplines. Send a detailed CV, statement of research interest and 3 letters of recommendation to:

Dr. B. Sherwood Lollar
Dept. of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto
22 Russell St.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5S 3B1
Tel: 416-978-0770

E-mail: bslollar@chem.utoronto.ca

Prof. Barbara Sherwood Lollar
Review of applications to begin July 10 until the position is filled.
             

References:

1. Holland, G., Sherwood Lollar, B., Li, L., Lacrampe-Couloume, G., Slater, G.F. and Ballentine, C.J. (2013) Deep fracture fluids isolated in the crust since the Precambrian.  Nature 497(7449): 367-360.

2. Lippmann-Pipke, J., Sherwood Lollar, B., Neidermann, S., Stroncik, N.A., Naumann, R., van Heerden, E. and Onstott, T.C. (2011) Neon identifies two billion year old fluid component in the Witwatersrand Basin. Chem GLG Vol. 283(3-4):287-296.

3. Lin, L.-H., Wang, P.-L., Rumble, D., Lippmann-Pipke, J., Boice, E., Pratt, L., Sherwood Lollar, B., Brodie, E. Hazen, T., Andersen, G., DeSantis, T., Moser, D.P., Kershaw, D. and Onstott, T.C. (2006) Long-term sustainability of a high energy, low diversity crustal biotome. Science 314:479-482.

4. Sherwood Lollar, B., Westgate, T., Ward, J., Slater, G.F., and Lacrampe-Couloume, G. (2002) Abiogenic formation of alkanes in the Earth’s crust as a minor source for global hydrocarbon reservoirs. Nature Vol. 416:522-524.