Full job description
Applications are invited for a post-doctoral research associate (PDRA) position within the Mechanical and Geological Model Analogues (MAGMA) Laboratory in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences at the University of Liverpool (UoL), UK. The position is funded by a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Pushing the Frontiers award 'CALDERA: Collaborative Approach to integrate multidisciplinary datasets into volcanic eruption assessments' led by Prof. Janine Kavanagh, Dr. Katy Chamberlain and Prof. John Wheeler, and is associated with Kavanagh's UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowship.
Funding is available for up to 24 months. The position is open from 1st March 2026 and is anticipated to commence no later than 1st October 2026.
The PDRA will work as part of a multidisciplinary team of researchers spanning geology, geophysical fluid dynamics, applied mathematics and geophysical/geodetic volcano monitoring to deliver a step-change in understanding the origin of surface deformation at explosive caldera-forming volcanoes. The first objective of the PDRA will be to create a numerical simulation of magma intrusion within a deep magma mush to resolve its impact on surface distortions in the presence of a shallow crustal hydrothermal system at a model caldera volcano. The model will use the phase field approach and be implemented in Alya, the parallel multi-physics Computation Fluid Dynamics simulation code developed by our Project Partners at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center. The PDRA will improve and validate an existing model we have developed to simulate analogue dyke experiments in gelatine (https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-9211). This model will be tested with analogue experiment results from the MAGMA Lab, run by other members of the project team.
The second objective of the PDRA will be to develop new methodologies which allow geodetic inversion models used on natural volcano datasets to be applied to surface deformations produced by analogue volcano models. The PDRA will quantify the differences in calculated and measured experimental conditions by adapting the Geodetic Bayesian Inversion Software (https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GC007585)). Working alongside our geodesy and geophysics Project Partners at the USGS, who developed GBIS, the project will ensure the uncertainties in the inverse modelling approach can be taken into account when analysing natural datasets
If you are still awaiting your PhD to be awarded you will be appointed at Grade 6, spine point 30. Upon written confirmation that you have been awarded your PhD, your salary will be increased to Grade 7, spine point 31.
Commitment to Diversity
The University of Liverpool is committed to enhancing workforce diversity. We actively seek to attract, develop, and retain colleagues with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. We welcome applications from all genders/gender identities, Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic backgrounds, individuals living with a disability, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
