A PhD graduate research assistantship is available in the Department of
Marine Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to study the
formation of marine aggregates in turbulent flow. These aggregates, termed
‘marine snow’, are composed of phytoplankton, fecal pellets, detritus, and
other organic and inorganic matter, and play a critical role in the marine
carbon cycle, often dominating carbon flux from the surface to the deep ocean
and acting as hotspots for bacterial activity. In this interdisciplinary
research project, the Ph.D. student will investigate the role of turbulence and
biological factors on marine snow formation and implications for marine carbon
cycling. The research will include a combination of experimental measurements
of aggregate formation under turbulence, data analysis, and mathematical
modeling.
We encourage applications from students with strong quantitative skills
and interdisciplinary research interests, particularly in the interaction
between biology and fluid physics in marine ecosystems. Applicants are welcome
from a wide range of majors/backgrounds, including physics, biology,
environmental science, marine science, mathematics, engineering, and related
fields.
If interested, please apply to the graduate program in Marine Sciences
at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Information on the program can
be found at http://marine.unc.edu/students/prospective/. Please contact Dr.
Brian White ([email protected]) in the Department of Marine Sciences at UNC with
any questions.
