GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, one of the leading institutions in marine research, together with the FUTURO (Future of Tropical Upwelling Regions in the Atlantic Ocean) project – centered around a large-scale, one-year field study off West Africa in the tropical Northeast Atlantic – is offering a position for a Scientific Project Manager to support this international research initiative.
This role includes project planning and coordination, financial and organizational oversight, stakeholder communication, and funding acquisition. The eligible criteria include completed university degree (preferably in natural fields), professional experience in the field as well as experience in national or international research funding, and communication skills in German and English. Experience in cooperation with African institutions is a plus.
This full-time position, with a minimum duration of 24 months, offers work-life balance support, engagement in marine and climate research areas, pension plan and beneficial benefits.
FUTURO will study the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) off West Africa – a critical marine region providing 25% of global fisheries from just 1-2% of ocean surface. The project addresses climate change impacts, acidification, and overfishing while developing sustainable practices to support West African coastal communities.
GEOMAR is focused on the global ocean and marine research and is committed to develop sustainable solutions for the protection of the ocean. They promote knowledge and technology transfer through international exchange.
Applications should be sent until 20th April 2025 under this link.
For further information and other jobs opportunities, please visit www.geomar.de.
Networking Friday with Danielle Wood (MIT Media Lab)
On August 21st, 2020, 1-2 PM UTC, we will meet Danielle Wood, Director of the Space Enabled Research Group, Assistant Professor of Media Arts & Sciences and Aeronautics & Astronautics, Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She will talk about Sustainability in Space and on Earth: Research Initiatives of the Space Enabled. Danielle’s presentation will be about her work of the Space Enabled Research Group at the MIT Media Lab. The mission of the Space Enabled Research Group is to advance justice in Earth’s complex systems using designs enabled by space. The Group’s message is that six types of space technology are supporting societal needs, as defined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These six technologies include satellite earth observation, satellite communication, satellite positioning, microgravity research, technology transfer, and the infrastructure related to space research and education. While much good work has been done, barriers remain that limit the application of space technology as a tool for sustainable development.
Oceans in the solar system
On August 19, we held our second Roundtable on Current Issues. This session, entitled “Oceans in the Solar System: exploring the origin of life and habitability of water bodies on Mars, Europa and Earth”, discussed the evidence for water bodies outside the Earth, and their implications for the origins of life and planetary habitability. Our first speaker was Dr. Timothy Goudge from the University of Texas (UT) at Austin and the UT Center for Planetary Systems Habitability (CPSH). He reviewed the current geologic and geochemical clues that point towards a Martian surface that may have been entirely covered by rivers, lakes, and oceans. He will also discussed our next steps forward in planetary exploration, namely the scientific goals of NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, which will explore an ancient water body. Dr. Krista Soderlund, also from UT Austin and UT CPSH, journeyed us further into the depths of the Solar System to explore the present-day possibility of oceans in Europa, one of Jupiter’s icy moons. Her work comprises planetary fluid dynamics and geophysical numerical simulations, and will play a key part in the upcoming NASA Europa Mission. Lastly, Dr. Mary Voytek, Director of the NASA Astrobiology Program, focused on the possibility of life in the exciting habitats outlined by Dr. Goudge and Dr. Soderlund.
Summer@LSTS 2020 – Class #2 with Carlos Barrera (PLOCAN)
Summer@LSTS 2020 – Course on Introduction to Marine Robotics with applications to ocean observation, underwater archeology and ecosystems mapping – continued on August 14th, 2020, 10:30-11:30 AM UTC, with Carlos Barrera, who presented PLOCAN: A dedicated infrastructure for autonomous ocean-vehicles base. Carlos Barrera is the Head of the Ocean Vehicles Unit (VIMAS) at PLOCAN since 2009. He is responsible for the technical and operational tasks and time-shared desk activities related to R&D project coordination, ocean governance initiatives and services management. Carlos holds a degree in Oceanography (1998) by University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC). He has twenty five years-experience in marine technology with focus on autonomous ocean observing platforms, over a five-hundred field operations on research vessels, sixty international research projects joined, eighty international publications and two patents related to ocean observing systems.