Postdoctoral Fellow II

The Department of Geosciences at Utah State University (USU) seeks a full-time postdoctoral researcher to join the NSF-supported collaborative project, “Biology on a Changing Planet Implementation: US-China:
Multi-scale, multi-proxy, integrative investigation of functional biodiversity on a changing Proterozoic planet”. This program was a unique cross-directorate and international program that offers connection and science, between, for example, the United States and China. The post-doctoral researcher will be supervised by Dr. Carol Dehler and will involve close collaboration with other project PIs and teams at Virginia Tech (Ben Gill, Shuhai Xiao), University of California Santa Barbara (Susannah Porter), University of New Mexico (Karl Karlstrom), as well as collaborators based in China (Ke Pang, University of Nanjing).

The successful candidate will bring creativity and originality to the chronostratigraphic framework of this project. Specifically, the candidate will streamline or improve geochronologic lab methods and field methods towards improving the age-duration of these fossil-rich Tonian successions in Arizona, USA and northern China. The postdoc will integrate field-based and laboratory observations to advance the understanding of the tempo of evolutionary change of bacteria and eukaryotes within these Tonian strata.

Review of applications will begin on August 10th, 2026, and the position will remain open until filled.

This is a 12-month, full-time position with a salary of $63,000/year plus benefits. Support is available for one and one-half years, with renewal after year 1 contingent on satisfactory progress toward research goals.

• Develop and carry out independent and collaborative research, making use of field, laboratory, and/or analytical approaches, especially in the fields of geochronology and stratigraphy.
• Engage and collaborate with a team of Geoscientists at USU and partner institutions.
• Mentor and collaborate with graduate and undergraduate students engaged in the project at USU and partner institutions.
• Disseminate research through presentations at scientific meetings and publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD in geosciences with experience in sedimentary systems, stratigraphy, geochronology and/or geochemistry.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrate familiarity with Deep Time, the Geologic Time Scale, field and lab skills, especially geochronology.

Commensurate with experience, plus excellent benefits

Employees work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not, necessarily, occasional temperature changes. The employee is regularly required to sit and often uses repetitive hand motions.

Founded in 1888, Utah State University is Utah’s premier land-grant, public service university. As an R1 research institution, Utah State is dedicated to advancing knowledge and serving the public good through innovative research and scholarly activities that are grounded in reciprocal engagement with local, regional, and global communities. USU prepares students to be active, civically engaged leaders who are prepared to address critical societal challenges.

Dedicated to providing a high-quality and affordable education, USU remains a leader in research, discovery, and public impact.

USU enrolls over 29,800 students, both online and in person at locations throughout the state.

Utah State’s 30 locations include a main campus in Logan, Utah, residential campuses in Price and Blanding, and six additional statewide campuses, along with education centers serving every county. USU educates students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. For over 100 years, USU…