Important Info
Please send your application package as a zipped file to kseetah@stanford.edu(link sends e-mail), with the subject line: Application for 'Shipwrecks and their Impact on Ocean Health' postdoc.
Shipwrecks and their Impact on Ocean Health
Our oceans constitute 71% of Earth’s surface, providing livelihoods and food for ~3 billion people. As blue growth escalates, humanity is having exponentially greater impacts on our oceans through pipelines, cables, oil rigs, and ship transport. Shipping has a range of impacts from pollution, to changes in the ocean soundscape and concurrent impacts on marine life. Shipwrecks are a ubiquitous, underutilized, multidimensional and multiproxy, data resource describing the many-to-many relationships affecting ocean health. We conceptualize shipwrecks as a global ‘ecological’ phenomenon, applying the principles of ‘ocean health’ to their impacts on ocean systems.
The Seetah Lab, Stanford University, seeks an ambitious and motivated postdoctoral scholar to join an exciting project focused on a unique alignment of visual, acoustic, and structural data for a radical new assessment of anthropogenic impact on our oceans, using shipwrecks as a core data resources. This position would support the ‘Assessing our Anthropogenic Oceans’ project, funded by an award from the Discovery Grant, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, co-sponsored by the recently launched Stanford Robotics Center. This project centers on the Indian Ocean region, principally Mauritius, and works closely with the government of Mauritius and local stakeholders. The post-doc will support dive surveys to assess the current state of both modern and historical shipwrecks; the biodiversity context of the wrecks, as well as biodiversity assessments of the local lagoon and surrounding off-shore region. The project will also engage closely with Stanford Robotics to develop approaches for assessing deep water wrecks, supporting the development of the next generation of submersible, humanoid, robotics. Requirements for the post-doc are a Ph.D. in reef ecology, underwater maritime archaeology, marine science, or combination/experience thereof, as well as dive certification. Experience of working in the Indian Ocean region would be an added benefit. The postdoc will undertake dive surveys, contribute to publications, and provide logistical support as needed.
- Ph.D. in maritime archaeology; reef ecology, marine science, or combination/experience thereof
- Dive certification
- Prior field experience
Beneficial but not required skills:
- Experience in archaeological survey
- French language
- Digital Humanities skills
- Previous field work in the Indian Ocean region
Applying to the post-doctoral fellowship
Only complete applications will be considered. Please submit your application by the 15 of May 2025, and include the following:
- Cover letter (1 page limit). Provide the committee with an overview of your skills and experience, how you anticipate aligning with the post description, and your potential contributions to the project.
- Curriculum vitae. This should include education, research history, work experience, publications, presentations, teaching, and other professional experiences, along with your full legal name, contact information, and (expected) date of Ph.D., which must be conferred by the start date for the postdoc.
- Letters (3 required). Please provide the names and contact details for three referees who can comment knowledgeably about your expertise and potential fit for the post.