The position will focus on pattern formation in hot spring silica deposits. The successful candidate will study fabrics in silica sinters from hot springs and geysers, using high-resolution µ-CT scanners and electron microscopes available at Naturalis. An extensive sample set of silica sinters is already available for this purpose. The candidate will also build a sterile reaction chamber at Utrecht Geolab at Utrecht University in which evaporation-precipitation processes and repetitive silica deposition under early Earth conditions can be carried out. An array of microenvironmental conditions will be tested to study the variety of silica sinter fabrics and morphologies that will be generated. These experiments will be carried out under sterile conditions as well as in the presence of organic materials. This study will contribute to our general understand of biosignatures in geothermal settings on the early Earth.

The Postdoc project is part of ERC Synergy Grant ‘PROTOS: The role of silica in the dawn of life on our planet’, and the postdoc will be part of the research team of Dr. Mark van Zuilen in the Marine Biodiversity Group, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden. The candidate will also be integrated in the Petrology Group (led by Prof. Paul Mason) at the Faculty of Earth Sciences at Utrecht University. 

The candidate is expected to work synergistically within project PROTOS, co-designing experimental conditions with other teams, and using research facilities and materials synthesized in laboratories in Bremen, Donostia-San Sebastian, Plouzané and Hannover.

The Postdoc project will be partly carried out at Naturalis in the Marine Biodiversity group (Leiden), and partly at the GeoLab at Utrecht University (Utrecht). 

The candidate must have a PhD degree in a relevant field in Earth Sciences or Chemistry with a strong interest in early Earth processes, early life, hot springs, and pattern formation. The candidate should have experience with general (geo)chemical laboratory skills. Experience with analytical techniques such as micro-CT, SEM, TEM is an advantage, as well as experience with mineral nucleation/precipitation processes and sinter fabric description. We are looking for a candidate with excellent knowledge of the English language (written and verbal), as well as a scientific and critical attitude, outstanding time management and organisational skills, and the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within the project consortium and the Naturalis research group. 

There will be the possibility of joining field excursions / fieldwork in geothermal terrains. The candidate should have good communication skills and be enthusiastic to contribute to knowledge dissemination and outreach activities within the project. Experience with supervising student projects is an advantage.

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

A contract (36 hours per week) for a period of one year, to be possibly extended two more years after, and a monthly starting salary between € 3,641.-  and € 4,731.-, depending on relevant experience. You also get an allowance for travel expenses, holiday allowance (8%) and year-end bonus (3.4%). The starting date is between February and March 2025. Naturalis Biodiversity Center offers an inspiring working atmosphere with effective and efficient supervision of our PhD and Postdoc candidates. Our Research Coordination Office also provides ample support to our scientific staff. Our institute promotes gender equality and wants to enhance the diversity of staff members.

Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden is the Dutch national research institute for biodiversity and systematics. With our collection of 42 million specimens, one of the world's largest natural history collections, and our state-of-the-art research facilities we offer the (inter)national research infrastructure for species, identification and monitoring (for example in the ARISE and DiSSCo projects). We closely collaborate with many Dutch universities, research institutes, industry, and government. We host over 120 researchers including 15 academia embedded professors and 40 PhD students. We present the history of our planet, and the diversity of life on Earth, through permanent and temporary museum exhibitions, educational programmes, and online presence, with more than 400,000 visitors per year. All in all, a unique combination of science and culture in the Netherlands and elsewhere in the world!

The research department is organised in 8 research groups comprising researchers and their postdocs and PhD-students. The current position will be in the research group Marine Biodiversity, led by Prof. Willem Renema. Naturalis has a completely new lab building, including state-of-the-art molecular facilities, microCT scanners and electron microscopy (SEM and TEM).