La Rochelle University

The laboratory
LIENSs is an Interdisciplinary Joint Research Unit part of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and La Rochelle University. The laboratory focuses on addressing the challenges related to the sustainability of coastal areas, which are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of global warming and human activities. It hosts approximately 80 researchers, 29 permanent engineers and technicians, 24 postdoctoral and
invited researchers, as well as 40 Ph.D. students.

Homepage: https://e-coast.academicwebsite.com/

The Ph.D. project
The primary objective of this Ph.D. project is to delve into the repercussions of terrestrial freshwater and organic/inorganic matter fluxes from continents through rivers on the evolution of shallow coastal ecosystems and sediments, which are significantly influenced by human activities. Specifically, the research aims to unravel the ramifications of these transformations on the carbon cycle and exchange of CO2 between the atmosphere and the ocean in the coastal shallow waters of the Bay of Biscay, situated in the northeastern Atlantic.

We are actively seeking a driven candidate who can contribute to the development of a regional and high-resolution configuration of the global ECCO-Darwin model (Carroll et al., 2020; www.ecco-group.org; https://darwinproject.mit.edu). The selected candidate will be responsible for establishing and refining the regional model, with a focus on enhancing the coupling mechanisms between land and sea, as well as sediment-water interactions. Building upon the recent advancements made by our team in both regional (Bertin et al., 2023) and global (van der Zant, 2023) ECCO-Darwin configurations, the candidate will play a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of coastal biogeochemical dynamics. As part of our team, you will collaborate with a diverse and enthusiastic group of researchers from Europe, USA, and Canada, participating in both national and international research initiatives, providing ample opportunities for networking and collaboration. The hired candidate will work together with Vincent Le Fouest (LIENSs, France), Dimitris Menemenlis (NASA-Caltech Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, USA), and Dustin Carroll (Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, San José State University, USA).

^References

• ^{Bertin, C., D. Carroll, D. Menemenlis, S. Dutkiewicz, H. Zhang, A. Matsuoka, S. Tank, M. Manizza, C. E. Miller, M. Babin, A. Mangin, and V. Le Fouest (2023). Biogeochemical river runoff drives intense coastal Arctic Ocean CO2 outgassing. Geophysical Research Letters, 50, e2022GL102377. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL102377}
• ^{Carroll, D., D. Menemenlis, S. Dutkiewicz, J.M. Lauderdale, J.F. Adkins, K.W. Bowman, H. Brix, I. Fenty, M.M. Gierach, C. Hill, O. Jahn, P. Landschützer, M. Manizza, M.R. Mazloff, C.E. Miller, D.S. Schimel, A. Verdy, D.B. Whitt, and H. Zhang (2022). Attribution of space-time variability in global-ocean dissolved inorganic carbon. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 36, e2021GB007162. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GB007162}
• ^{Van der Zant, H., Sulpis, O., Middelburg, J., Savelli, R., Carroll, D., and Menemenlis, D. (2023). The role of ocean sediments in biogeochemical cycles, M.Sc. thesis, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands}

Skills and requirements

• M.Sc. in Oceanography or equivalent engineering qualifications
• Expertise in coastal ocean dynamics and modeling
• Proficiency in programming, with a minimum requirement of Fortran and Python
• Excellent English skills, both written and verbal, with effective communication abilities

Employment
Full-time and fully-funded position for 36 months. Starting date expected in fall 2024. The candidate will be hosted at LIENSs, La Rochelle University, located in the coastal city of La Rochelle, France.

How to Apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit the following documents to Vincent Le Fouest at vincent.le_fouest@univ-lr.fr:

• A cover letter detailing your motivation and qualifications
• B.Sc. and M.Sc. transcripts
• A comprehensive curriculum vitae, including an educational background
• Contact information for one or two academic references

For inquiries about the position, please feel free to contact Vincent Le Fouest at the provided email address.