PhD Position in Exploration Geophysics with a focus on seismic methods and physical properties for mineral exploration

PhD Position in Exploration Geophysics with a focus on seismic methods and physical properties for mineral exploration

The Department of Earth Sciences at Uppsala University is Sweden's largest and most versatile department of its kind with approximately 300 employees. Our activities are interdisciplinary and combine natural science and technology with social science. We have research programs in air, water and landscape science; geophysics; natural resources and sustainable development; petrology, mineralogy and tectonics; paleobiology, and wind energy. By investigating the history of Earth, we understand how our planet has developed over time and how sustainable development benefits from this knowledge. For more information: Department of Earth Sciences.

Geophysics is about "looking into" and understanding the Earth"s structure, its history and processes-based on measurements of the Earth"s physical properties. In geophysics we use quantitative physical methods to investigate the Earth and its environment. The Program currently runs several national and international projects and has a wealth of world-class infrastructures. It also leads the Smart Exploration Research Center (www.smartexploration.se), which is a collaborative work among four Swedish universities and several tech and industry partners.

Duties

The PhD candidate will conduct research within a series of planned innovative work inside and outside Sweden sponsored by a number of industry and research funding organizations (e.g., The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, SSF) and within the recently established Smart Exploration Research Centre for sustainable and responsible exploration of critical raw materials. While the topic of the PhD is broad, we are looking for a candidate with interest in seismic methods, physical properties of rocks and minerals as well as machine-learning solutions. The PhD candidate will work within a larger research team, which implies teamworking and data sharing. A major component of the work will be on seismic methods and physical properties of rocks for mineral deposit targeting and will include joint interpretations with other geological and geochemical data. The position is full-time for four years and may be extended due to research or teaching assistantship up to 20%.

Requirements

To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

- hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in geophysics, geology, physics, earth sciences or a similar field , or

- have completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 60 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or

- have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

Good oral and written proficiency in English is required. The project includes fieldworks and the candidate should be willing to spend time outdoor for data collection alone and together with other people involved in the search.

Additional qualifications

Experience in seismic field data acquisition, work with new instruments and electronics, working with seismic data, Linux and programming skills (e.g., Matlab or Python) are important and will be considered a merit. A driving license is a merit as this may be needed for field works.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University"s rules and guidelines.

About the employment

The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date 1 January 2025 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala.

For further information about the position, please contact: Dr. Magdalena Markovic, e-mail: magdalena.markovic@geo.uu.se

Please submit your application by 25 November 2025, UFV-PA 2025/3365.