Section: Geology & Geophysics
Location: National Oceanography Centre Southampton
Salary: £36,636 to £41,064 per annum
Full-time, Fixed term for up to 32 months
Closing Date: Monday 12 January 2026
Reference: 3278825HN
We seek a seismologist to fill a postdoctoral research position as part of a new NERC-funded project investigating seismicity, fluid processes and structure in active rift zones. The new project - Testing Models of Active Extension (TMAX) - will involve the collection and analysis of new earthquake data in the Corinth Rift, Greece. The researcher will take a lead role in fieldwork during the project (deployment and maintenance of seismometers onshore, and participation in a short research cruise) and will have the opportunity to work directly with our project partners based in Greece.
About you
You will hold or be in the final stages of a PhD in a subject relevant to the project. You will have experience handling large passive seismic datasets and processing and analysing seismicity data. You will also have experience in communicating your research results through presentations at scientific conferences and through publication in peer-reviewed journals. Ideally, you will also have experience in seismological fieldwork and competence in crustal seismic imaging from local or teleseismic data. Competence in interpreting seismicity results with tectonic and structural geology information is also desirable.
The role
The postdoctoral researcher will join a team of experienced UK and Greek scientists on the project. The researcher will combine seismicity data collected by a new onshore-offshore temporary seismic network with data from existing permanent seismic networks in Greece. Data processing will include the implementation of automated detection of seismicity and subsequent derivation of a high-quality seismicity catalogue. Additional analysis will include earthquake relocation, focal mechanism determination/moment tensor inversion, and waveform frequency content analysis. The role may include seismic imaging of crustal structure using techniques such as local earthquake tomography, ambient noise tomography and teleseismic receiver functions. The researcher will also contribute to the management and implementation of the seismic network in the field. We anticipate a start date for the position of June 1, 2026, with some flexibility on exact start time.
What we can offer you
You will be part of a world-class research environment within the Geology and Geophysics Research group in the School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton. The group is one of the largest in the UK, working on projects in active tectonics and geophysics. The School of Ocean and Earth Science is in the global top 40 of Earth and Marine Sciences (QS World University Rankings 2025) and offers a rich community of Earth and marine scientists based at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton - a unique location with outstanding facilities.
The University provides access to mentoring, career development and networking opportunities. As a founding signatory of the Athena SWAN charter and holder of an institutional silver award, we are committed to improving equality. We aim to create an environment where everyone can thrive, and we proactively foster a culture of inclusion, respect, and equality of opportunity. We believe that we can only truly meet our objectives if we are reflective of society, so we are passionate about creating a working environment in which you are free to bring your whole self to work, as well as providing additional benefits, such as a generous holiday allowance and additional university closure days. We will support your long-term future, providing access to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), subsidised health and fitness facilities and a range of discounts.
For additional information, please email Professor Lisa McNeill, lcmn@soton.ac.uk .