Graduate student opportunity in coastal hydro-biogeochemistry at UC Santa Cruz

Coastal estuaries are the interface between uplands and the ocean; intercepting, transforming, and transporting pollutants on their course to the marine environment. Terrestrially-derived, nonpoint source nutrient pollution from rivers into coastal systems has been extensively characterized, but the contribution and fate of pollutants from groundwater is less understood. We are seeking a MS or PhD student to join a SeaGrant-funded multidisciplinary research team to quantify the fate and transport of groundwater-derived nitrogen to the coast, to start summer or fall 2020. The focus field site for this project is the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in Monterey Bay, CA. Research topics can include, but are not limited to, characterization of nitrogen speciation in groundwater and surface waters, groundwater flux calculations, and reactive transport modelling. 

While the selected student will be enrolled at the University of California, Santa Cruz in Margaret Zimmer’s Watershed Hydrology Lab, the student will be a part of a female-led research team with a diverse range of research interests that includes co-PIs Drs. Anna Braswell (CU Boulder), Erin Seybold (Kansas Geological Survey; University of Kansas), and Corianne Tatariw (University of Alabama). The Zimmer lab is motivated to maintain a productive, diverse, and inclusive lab environment and we encourage students from under-represented groups to consider this program. In addition, UC Santa Cruz has several initiatives to help foster a welcoming environment for all (e.g. FirstGen Initiative, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). 

The UC Santa Cruz Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is regularly ranked in the top 15-20 Earth Sciences departments in the country and UC Santa Cruz is currently ranked 3rd worldwide for research influence. The campus is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, overlooking Monterey Bay, a national marine sanctuary. For more information about program requirements, please visit the department website. The departmental application deadline is January 3, 2019. 

Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Dr. Zimmer at margaret.zimmer 'at' ucsc.edu before the application deadline with information on research experiences and interests, motivations to pursue a graduate degree, and career aspirations. Please include a current CV and unofficial academic transcripts. More information about the Zimmer lab can be found on the Zimmer lab website.