PhD candidate

Dartmouth College Ph.D. Fellowship on Understanding Polar Ice Sheet Flow

A Ph.D. Fellowship is available to study the impact of impurities and stress state on the deformation of polycrystalline ice. The work will be performed in the outstanding research facilities of Dartmouth’s long-established Ice Research Laboratory and will involve collaboration with researchers at the University of Washington, who will apply the results to polar ice sheet modeling. Ice deformation will be undertaken in both uniaxial compression and simple shear at a variety of temperatures. After deformation, the microstructural development of the ice will be assessed with a variety of state-of-the-art methods including cold-stage scanning electron microscopy with EDS, ECCI, and EBSP; Raman microscopy; synchrotron-based Nano-X-ray fluorescence; and ion chromatography. These analysis techniques will allow the determination of the segregation of impurities to the grain boundaries; the rate of grain boundary migration; the degree of recrystallization; and the full orientations of the ice crystals. The outcome will be an improved understanding of how varying concentrations of impurities affect the deformation rate and fabric development in ice sheets that will aid in the interpretation of ice-core records.  

Candidate Requirements

Undergraduate or Master’s degree in Engineering, Earth Science, Physics or Materials Science

Contact: Prof. Ian Baker, 606-646-2184; Ian.Baker@Dartmouth.edu