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Jobs Board

May 2010: Ph.D. or M.Sc. Opportunity: Biofuel production with Biochar and GHG emissions

We are seeking a motivated student that will work with several groups in the field and in the lab, a student interested by actual environmental problems related to GHG, fuels, or agroforestry. Dr Allaire, McKay and Vanasse teams at Laval University and Dr Smith and Whalen at McGill start a study on poplar and switchgrass production for biofuels with the use of Biochar at two sites in Quebec Canada.

The student should be registered at Laval University in either PhD program : Soil en Environment or Forestry. The student should have completed a bachelor degree in either soil, forestry, environment, agronomy, hydrology, environmental engineering or related subjects.

Scholarship: PhD 19,000 $/yr (Canada) for three years, M.Sc. 16 000 $/yr

Please contact: Suzanne Allaire, suzanne.allaire@fsaa.ulaval.ca

More information: http://www.uoguelph.ca/ses/content/news/phd-or-msc-opportunity-biofuel-production-biochar-and-ghg 

May 2010: PhD Opportunity: Terra Preta do Indio ─ Recovering the Past, Regaining the Future of Amazonian Dark Earths

The program Terra Preta do Indio ─ Recovering the Past, Regaining the Future of Amazonian Dark Earths is now recruiting doctoral students who will work in an interdisciplinary research team in Bolivia, Brazil and Colombia. This program is being implemented by Wageningen University (the Netherlands) in collaboration with several Latin-American organizations.  
 

Contact: Marielos Peña Claros, PhD
Monday & Tuesday: Soil Quality department, Atlas B319, phone: 0317-482344
Thursday & Friday: Forest Ecology and Forest Management group, Lumen 1.214, phone: 0317-486353
Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, the Netherlands 

Accepting Applications Until June 13, 2010

For more information, including application materials, please download the application packet

April 2010: PhD Opportunity: Implications of biochar on UK barley systems: a biological perspective

Biochar research has emerged as a priority soil science topic. Soil interactions may be physical or chemical and include effects on soil structure, release of nutrients, modification of pH, and reversible storage of anions and cations. However, there is evidence for interactions that are biological i.e. the response of soil fauna, mycorrhizal fungi and plant pathogens. The implication for biochar additions to soil on all of these realms  form the basis of this PhD, and specifically in the context of applying biochar to arable soils in the UK. A joint PhD project between the Crop and Soil Systems Group (SAC) and UKBRC (University of Edinburgh) is therefore proposed to address these questions, using winter and spring barley as a model system.

This postgraduate position is for three years, with a proposed start date of September 2010, ending September 2013. The full award (stipend and fees) is only available to candidates who satisfy the conditions of UK residency (Supervisors: Dr Saran Paul Sohi and Dr Oliver Knox).  More information available at: http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/AAY819/phd-studentship. 

Deadline May 14, 2010

April 2010: Research Technician Pyrolysis Systems for Biochar Production at UKBRC/University of Edinburgh

A new and exciting position is now available for a person with interest and experience in thermochemical conversion technologies, particularly pyrolysis and/or gasification. The UK Biochar Research Centre at the University of Edinburgh is looking for a candidate to fill in a position of a research technician / senior research technician responsible for operation, development and maintenance of its state-of-the art pyrolysis facilities for production of biochar with co-production of gaseous and liquid by-products.

The successful candidate will join a new and dynamic research centre and will have the opportunity to work on different pyrolysis facilities ranging from bench-scale rigs to continuous pilot-scale unit. Please apply at:
http://www.jobs.ed.ac.uk/vacancies/index.cfm?fuseaction=vacancies.detail&vacancy_ref=3012691.
For more information contact: ondrej.masek@ed.ac.uk

Deadline May 6, 2010

April 2010: Soil Science and Biochar Technical Assistant in the UK

A new NERC consortium project (Carbo-Biocrop) seeks to establish the trajectory of soil carbon at sites in transition to energy crops, and evaluate strategies to mitigate the short term effects of conversion. A Technical Assistant is required to assist in identifying suitable UK chronosequences for land under short rotation coppice and energy grasses, to plan and execute soil sampling, and to deploy biochar in small plots for later assessment of greenhouse gas flux.
Please apply at: http://www.jobs.ed.ac.uk/vacancies/index.cfm?fuseaction=vacancies.detail&vacancy_ref=3012634

Deadline April 25, 2010

April 2010: Fully funded PhD opportunity for UK and EU students in Biochar production from waste materials, contaminant control and reduction

This project is suitable for candidates with background in engineering (chemical, thermal, mechanical, materials, etc.) with interest in thermochemical conversion of biomass.

For more details visit: http://scholarship-positions.com/phd-studentship-biochar-production-from-waste-materials-uk/2010/06/14/#ixzz0r4dFI5Pg

or contact Dr. Ondrej Masek at ondrej.masek@ed.ac.uk

April 2010: PhD Opportunity for Self-funded Students, Pilot-scale Biochar Production

This project is suitable for candidates with background in science and/or engineering with interest in production of biochar and its application.
For more details visit: https://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/sccs/biochar/Masters.html
or contact Dr. Ondrej Masek at ondrej.masek@ed.ac.uk

April 2010: A fully funded PhD opportunity for UK students: The effect of UK land-use change on soil carbon and greenhouse gas balance with and without the addition of biochar

This PhD will assess the impact of land conversion to bioenergy crops on soil carbon and if biochar modifies the greenhouse gas balance in a land-use transition. Specific objectives are: (i) to ascertain the effect of “time since change” on soil carbon at bioenergy crop sites,
(ii) to test the ability of an indicator measurement5 to detect trends in soil carbon, and (iii) to assess the effect of biochar on CO2 and trace gas emission.

For more information, see: http://www.findaphd.com/search/showproject.asp?projectid=27701&searchtype=n&page=1.

Deadline April 30, 2010

March 2010: PhD Opportunity for UK Students at School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh

Biochar stability and sustainability in Ghanaian agriculture

The potential significance of stabilising plant-fixed carbon into charcoal-like material for climate change mitigation is now well established.  Examination of terra preta soil from Amazonia has illustrated how over millennia the use of such material in soil (as “biochar”) can enhance soil fertility. Charring of biomass appears to have been used for similar purposes in other parts of the world, possibly including the UK. In Ghana, population pressure and shrinking land availability, declining soil productivity, and issues around energy security and climate change adaptation provide strong context for re-examination of traditional use of biochar in farming. This PhD links an established research network in Ghana to examine its use in subsistence agriculture in the tropics, involving significant fieldwork (up to 20% time) in Ghana, in conjunction with the Soil Research Institute, Kumasi, Ghana. For more information and to contact the project supervisor, see: http://www.findaphd.com/search/showproject.asp?projectid=27352

Applications accepted all year round.

February 2010: Post-doctoral and PhD Research Opportunities in the Field of Biochar and Renewable Energy - Germany

The Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam, Germany, has formed the new bioenergy and biochar research group APECS. For our research on biochar production we are seeking one Post-doctoral and one PhD chemist. For further information please visit us at
www.atb-potsdam.de.

Please send your full application along with reference number 7-APECS-2009 by February 28, 2010 to Ms. Verena Fezer at vfezer@atb-potsdam.de.

February 2010: PhD studentship - Biochar and bio-trophic carbon storage in temperate soils - for UK students only

Using cropland and grassland mesocosm and microcosm experiments this project aims to show how biochar treatment affects soil biodiversity (microbes, microarthropods, oligochaetes, nematodes) and ecosystem function (decomposition, carbon and nitrogen cycling, plant productivity and greenhouse gas emissions) in temperate soils.

The studentship is based at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology - CEH (Edinburgh: Dr Adam Vanbergen; Lancaster: Dr Nick Ostle), awarded by Lancaster University (Prof. Richard Bardgett), with much time spent at SCRI (Dundee: Prof. David Hopkins). We are seeking a highly motivated student with a good degree in a related discipline and a keen interest in soil ecology and climate change. Application is by CV and cover letter explaining your suitability for the project sent to Dr Adam Vanbergen by 30/04/2010.

Closing date for applications: April 30th, 2010

For more information visit http://www.findaphd.com/search/showproject.asp?projectid=27055

January 2010: PhD studentship - Biochar, Soil Fertility and Carbon Sequestration in the Tropics in Australia

Biochar (charcoal) has considerable potential as a new tool for sequestering carbon in the soil and improving soil fertility and crop yields. Considerable further research into the chemistry of biochar and interactions between biochar, soil and plants is required to develop biochar applications and this PhD project will be centred on this very topical emerging research area.  The project will make use of the excellent laboratory and field infrastructure available on the James Cook University Cairns Campus, in the wet tropics of Australia. Field trials and laboratory experiments will examine biochar production strategies, biochar chemistry, the impacts of biochar addition on soil fertility and greenhouse gas fluxes. Applications for this PhD scholarship are sought from qualified graduates with a background and interest in agricultural science, agronomy, carbon cycle science or similar discipline. The successful candidate will be based in the School of Earth and Environmental Science under the direction of Professor Michael Bird. The scholarship is available for a start in 2010, and a stipend of A$22,500p.a. will be available to the candidate for three years.

Closing date for applications: March 31st, 2010

For further information on the project contact Michael Bird

January 2010: Manager of Business Systems- GEK Gasifier, ALL Power Labs

ALL Power Labs is an incubator for open source energy experiments and distributed manufacturing solutions located in the San Francisco Bay Area. The first product ALL Power Labs has brought to market in service of these goals is the Gasifier Experimenter's Kit (or GEK). The GEK is a small scale DIY energy appliance that enables individuals to run typical internal combustion engines on "trash" in a GHG negative manner, through the gasification of waste biomass, and sequestering the byproducts as biochar. In the first year-and-a-half of production, we've already shipped 150 GEKs to locales on five continents.

GEK Gasifier/ALL Power Labs is in need of someone to manage the show.  The show is growing big and complicated, and has already outstripped our abilities to informally coordinate the details.  We now need a dedicated agent of order to work across the intersecting areas of communications, sales and office process.  This is a position for a general specialist who likes to make things happen over a wide range of terrain.  This is a position for someone who is naturally drawn to the role of coordinator and orchestrator, and has a broad array of skills to apply to whatever the situation requires.  In other contexts we might refer to this person as the production manager, event coordinator, office manager, air traffic controller, or adult supervision. Here we’re proposing to call it “Manager of Business Systems”. The qualifications for this position are really just being in possession of a particular personality type and history of acting it out successfully. Nonetheless, some discrete skills and tasks that will be important are . . .

  • Ability to write and talk exceptionally well.
  • Ability to sell things and keep track of the process (in Salesforce)
  • Ability to own the customer support process, and make sure no one falls through the cracks (in Salesforce)
  • Ability to do basic bookkeeping and financial reporting (in Quickbooks)
  • Naturally enjoy operating the levers of social media. (twitter, facebook and our site mostly)
  • Enjoy interacting with people and find pleasure in solving their problems
  • Comfortable with technology in both the physical and virtual worlds
  • Comfortable with basic science and can discuss it without embarrassing yourself.
  • Possess basic digital tech skills so as to maintain the webapps behind http://www.gekgasifier.com (wordpress, pbwiki and vbulletin)
  • Comfortable in international settings.  About 1/3 of our sales are to overseas.  Knowledge of foreign languages would be a great extra.

Those interested should write jim@allpowerlabs.org with something that addresses the above. More Information available at http://www.gekgasifier.com.

December 2009: PhD Scholarship Opportunity in Biochar at University of New England, Australia

Assessing the Impacts of Biochar on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Soil 

Biochar potentially has a major role in climate change mitigation and in enhancing sustainability of Australian agriculture. There is growing evidence that biochar can enhance plant growth, improve nutrient and water use efficiency, enhance soil properties, sequester carbon for hundreds to thousands of years. New research indicates that some biochars can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from soil.

A PhD candidate is sought for a project to assess the impacts of biochar on greenhouse gas emissions from soil. The candidate will be primarily located at Industry & Investment NSW's Wollongbar Primary Industries Institute near Lismore but will also be required to spend time at the UNE campus in Armidale. The PhD project will be part of a National project administered through the CSIRO and funded by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry. The student will be expected to have sound chemistry and soil/environmental science background. There will be opportunities to work with state-of-art analytical equipment. A PhD stipend to the value of $25,000pa will be available to the successful candidate.

PhD eligibility criteria can be obtained from: http://www.une.edu.au/courses/2009/courses/PHD. Informal inquiries can be emailed to Dr Lukas Van Zwieten (lukas.van.zwieten@industry.nsw.gov.au) or phone +61 2 6626 1126.

June 2009: Biochar Position at CSIRO in Australia

CSIRO is seeking an experienced and motivated scientist to join a team working at the cutting edge of research aimed at addressing aspects of biochar, biowaste management and carbon sequestration strategies in soil, and developing new systems for measuring and monitoring the functional properties of soils to inform decision-makers on the current and future threats to soil and landscape function across Australia.

To be successful you will have knowledge in soil carbon biochemistry specifically with regard to carbon sequestration. Knowledge in the following areas will be desirable: biochar and/or compost chemistry and the usage of both biochar and compost in soils as a soil amendment as well as a carbon sequestration tool. You will also have knowledge and expertise in most of these areas:

  • A strong soil chemical or environmental chemistry background
  • Knowledge of the biochar concept and compost application
  • Expertise in experimental set-up and fieldwork
  • This position also offers the opportunity not only to contribute to existing research projects, but in the long-term, develop your own research goals in line with CSIRO's strategic direction

Please refer to the following link for more information: http://recruitadmin.csiro.au/Asp/Job_Details_Int.asp?RefNo=2009%2F54

If this link does not work, please try: http://www.seek.com.au/showjob.asp?jobid=15490265

April 2009 Post-doctoral Associate Black Carbon Stocks in Soils of the United States

Position Open
Within a USDA-NASA-funded project, a post-doctoral associate will develop a spatial analysis of black (pyrogenic) carbon stocks of soils throughout the United States. Black carbon may constitute a large proportion of total organic matter in soils, but little information is available about the magnitude and its regional or global distribution. Through collaboration with CSIRO in Australia, USGS, the Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) funded by the National Science Foundation and various academic institutions in the US, this project seeks to make the first step in providing an assessment of the black carbon stocks in US soils. The candidate will use geographic information systems, develop a spatial understanding of the sources and sinks of black carbon in soils through assessments of fire frequency, severity, biomass production, transport and decomposition on a regional scale. The long-term goal is to integrate black carbon fluxes into climate models.

Requirements: PhD in environmental or earth sciences, strong skills in spatial modeling at continental or global scale with respect to carbon cycles, basic understanding of vegetation and soil processes and the ability to integrate between disciplines.

Review of applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The position is initially for one year with possibility for
continuation.

Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, and names of three references. Please contact and send applications to: Johannes Lehmann, Cornell University, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Ithaca, NY, USA; Phone: 1-607-254-1236, email: CL273@cornell.edu

Cornell University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from women and ethnic minorities.

January 2009: USDA Looking for a Biochar Soil Scientist.

For more information, click the link below. Posted Jan 15, 2009
http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/ftva.asp?seeker=1&JobID=77596278

January 2009: The University of Edinburgh

Announces faculty searches for three new positions on biochar. Click on the links below for more information.

Lecturer in Engineering Systems Assessment for biochar
Lecturer in Soil Science for biochar
Lecturer in Social Policy for biochar