A fully funded PhD position is available immediately in the field of computational geochemistry, more specifically in the field of atmospheric water clusters, here in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Hong Kong.

The work is in the field of computational geochemistry and deals with cluster structure and stability as well as coupling between atmospheric cluster distribution and climatic impact. The project will involve modeling energetic and spectroscopic properties of molecular clusters such as, for instance, neutral and ionic water clusters, as well as select metal/water clusters, at ambient and extreme conditions. Several different methodologies will be applied including 1) density functional theory, 2) ab initio methods and 3) time dependent density functional type calculations. The project will also involve dynamic ab initio molecular dynamics, i.e. CPMD type, simulations of solute-solvent interactions at ambient and extreme conditions. All computations will be performed on HPC clusters at the University of Hong Kong. Successful applicants will join a dynamic, research-oriented department with strong collaborative links to the Physics, Chemistry and other natural science departments as well as to high-performance supercomputing facilities on campus. Applicants should hold a B.Sc. degree (or equivalent) in Geochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline and should be highly motivated to perform fundamental simulation and modeling studies. In addition to carrying out his/her research, the successful applicant is also encouraged to take classes in advanced Physical Chemistry as well as ab initio theory.

Further details may be obtained from Dr. Kono Lemke, Department of Earth Sciences, Pokfulam Road, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, (Tel +852 2241 5474, Fax +852 2517 6912), email: to whom a letter of application, a cv and details of two referees should be sent.