PRR Project

Summary

The prospective assistant professor to be hired with the present FCT-tenure application should develop a set of research, teaching, and outreach activities, thus contributing to the consolidation of the UAc project. For that purpose, the applicant should hold a Ph.D. degree in Geology (subarea of Hydrogeology) that can complement the existing strengths in Earth Sciences, both in the larger context of the hiring institution (position embedded at the Geosciences Department of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology, FCT-UAc) and the host R&D institution (IVAR), and should have a solid track record of research in volcanic rocks hydrogeology and interaction between volcanic activity and groundwater and surface water bodies.Regarding research, the successful candidate is expected to develop an active, externally funded research program that integrates laboratory and field work and participate in interdisciplinary collaboration with academic, industry, and government parties. Therefore, the candidate will reinforce the hydrogeology and environmental geology group of IVAR, whose main objectives are to study the water cycle and contribute to geological hazard mitigation by studying the evolution of the water composition in surface and groundwater bodies in active volcanic environments. Especially in the last decade, the group has been broadening the focus of the research carried out to consider the holistic nature of the water cycle from a more integrative perspective of hydrological processes, mainly by carrying out hydrological and hydrogeochemical characterization studies of surface water bodies, such as rivers and lakes, and through water resources management and planning studies. This research group also develops methodologies and tools for hydrogeochemistry monitoring applied to volcano surveillance.As a prospective faculty member, the candidate is expected to teach a mix of undergraduate and graduate courses. From the proposed area of expertise of the candidate, courses to be taught should include topics such as hydrogeology, water resources, water management, water pollution, techniques of geochemical monitoring, floods, and secondarily other geology courses, all belonging to the present curricula of the UAc undergraduate and graduate programs. Nevertheless, besides the current programs, the successful candidate will be expected to collaborate with other faculty from FCT-UAc, IVAR, and other academic departments and schools to outline and develop innovative teaching programs where hydrogeology, water resources, and general geology are instrumental.Undergraduate courses at the UAc are taught in Portuguese, which requires such ability from the prospective candidate, but at the graduate level, the ability to teach in English is envisaged.FCT-UAc and IVAR are excellent hubs for Earth Sciences research, with easy access to an outstanding natural laboratory such as the Azores archipelago, recognized by the international scientific community. Besides that, groundwater is a strategic, social, economic, and environmental natural resource. Hydrogeology´s value for society has been recognized since ancient times due to the multiple uses of groundwater. The volume of groundwater withdrawn internationally is variable, but for example, in Portugal, it reaches 74% of the total volume of water captured, and in the Azores, it is about 98%. As a common resource of global significance, groundwater is vulnerable to overexploitation, saline intrusion and other water quality problems, and to the degradation of ecosystems and associated surface water bodies, thus hydrogeology, as a discipline that studies groundwater, constitutes a core discipline whitin Earth Sciences. Therefore, the vacancy to be offered will strengthen the capabilities of FCT-UAc and IVAR in this area of ??capital importance for Earth Sciences and society in general.Concerning the development of outreach activities, the prospective applicant is expected to pursue a science communication program in their area of expertise that will promote awareness about groundwater, thus contributing toward sustainable and integrated water resources management. To develop this outreach program, the applicant should participate in the organization of scientific events and is expected to offer lectures to the general public, particularly to children. Moreover, in addition to traditional media, the prospective applicant must also pursue new digital tools for communicating with the public.