ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR.2.01

Organization: School of Geosciences

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

SCHOOL OF GEOSCIENCES

Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor/Full Professor in Computational Geophysics

The School of Geosciences at Wits University is seeking a dynamic candidate to join our team as a computational geophysicist at the rank of Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor/Full Professor. The successful candidate will carry out a programme of research in the broadly defined area of computational geophysics/geosciences that complements one or more of the School?s current research strengths, especially within our geophysics team. They will join one of Africa?s largest and most diverse geosciences institutions, contributing to our academic training programmes while developing their own internationally recognised, externally funded research team. Ideally, the successful candidate will bridge disciplines of geology, geochemistry and geophysics with their computational approach.

The School of Geosciences is an acknowledged leader in Earth Science research and training with a specific focus on, but not limited to, the geoscience and natural resources of Africa. The vibrant and diverse academic staff incorporates specialists in geology, economic geology, exploration and mining geoscience, geochemistry, geochronology, geophysics, palaeontology, hydrogeology and environmental science, supported by state-of-the-art research and training facilities. The School of Geosciences hosts the African Research Centre for Ore Systems Science (CORES), as well as the Wits Seismic Research Centre and the Bushveld Geology and Metallogeny Research Chair (BUGEMET). In addition, the School co-hosts the national DSTI/NRF Centre of Excellence in Integrated Mineral and Energy Resource Analysis (CIMERA) and the international AfricaArray Geophysics Programme, together with several industry-academic partnerships and research programmes.

The School benefits from its location in Johannesburg, surrounded by many superlative geological features, with strong collaborative links with the international mining and mineral exploration industry. The School places a strong emphasis on facilitating cutting-edge and societally relevant science while producing graduates with the requisite skills for the global workplace.

The Wits School of Geosciences also hosts world-class geochemical and geophysical analytical capabilities in a central facility known as the Earth Observatory. This includes a TESCAN Integrated Mineral Analyzer (TIMA), quadrupole ICP-MS, a LA-SF-ICP-MS setup dedicated to U?Pb age dating and trace element analysis, as well as Africa?s only multidisciplinary isotope facility that includes an ultraclean, metal-free laboratory as well as a collision cell MC-SF-ICP-MS and a TIMS for analysis of a wide range of isotopes. The School also hosts a virtual SIMS link with the Helmholtz GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ) and has dedicated hydrogeology and geometallurgy laboratories. Our wide-ranging cutting-edge geophysical instrumentation includes gravity, magnetic, electrical resistivity, ground penetrating radar, electromagnetics, and active and passive reflection and refraction seismic equipment, supported by a comprehensive physical properties lab and computational facilities.

Requirements, Key Performance Areas & Competencies

The successful candidate is expected to establish an active and well-funded research programme in computational geosciences, publishing research in internationally-accredited journals, as well as attracting and mentoring a diverse body of postgraduate students. They will be required to teach undergraduate and postgraduate courses in computational geophysics and geosciences, numerical methods, or related quantitative geophysics topics, and participate in at least one field trip at an undergraduate or Honours level.

Applicants must provide evidence of:

• A PhD in Geophysics with clear evidence of relevant cross-disciplinary computational skills.
• A strong record of, or clear potential to establish, an internationally-recognised and externally-funded research programme in computational geosciences (broadly defined).
• Demonstrated expertise in computational methods applied to the geosciences, which may include numerical modelling, high-performance computing, data science, machine learning, or related quantitative approaches.
• A publication record in internationally-accredited journals commensurate with the level of appointment.
• A demonstrated commitment to excellence in teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including the ability to develop and deliver courses in computational geophysics, geoscience or related quantitative geophysical topics.
• Experience in, or a clear commitment to, supervising and mentoring a diverse body of postgraduate students, commensurate with the level of appointment.
• Evidence of, or potential for, securing external research funding from national and international funding agencies, commensurate with the level of appointment.
• The ability to complement and strengthen one or more of the School?s existing research areas in geophysics, such as potential fields, reflection seismology, earthquake seismology, or electrical methods, alongside bridging our discipline strengths of geology, geochemistry and environmental geoscience with their computational approach.

Enquiries: For further information contact the Head of School, Professor Grant Bybee (Tel: +27 11 717 6633; email: [email protected]). Follow the School of Geosciences at these links.