What we do
The Ice & Ocean Group is a research group in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia focused on glacier and ice sheet behavior, subglacial environments, and coastal evolution in icy and non-icy places. Funding for our research comes from the NSF Office of Polar Programs, International Union for Quaternary Research, UVA H.G. Goodell Endowment, UVA Committee on Sustainability, and UVA Environmental Institute.
Prospective Students for Fall 2025
We are seeking a Master of Science Student at the University of Virginia, supervised by Dr. Lauren Miller. The project for which we are currently advertising focuses on sediment cores from the Antarctic continental shelf to better understand modern and ancient glacial processes that leave a sedimentary record. While the project does not require fieldwork, domestic travel is expected as it relates to sampling the archived sediment cores in a laboratory setting and visits to team partners at their respective universities, as well as to attend conferences. Applicants should have or be completing an undergraduate degree in environmental science, geosciences, or related fields and have experience in or strong interest in developing skills in the following areas: sedimentology, stratigraphy marine geology, glaciology, sediment core analyses, statistics, coding. The position will be funded by a research and teaching assistantship, which will include a competitive 12-month stipend, tuition waiver, and insurance benefits.
If you have questions and/or are interested in applying, please contact Dr. Miller as soon as possible and prior to 1 December 2024. Please include the following in your initial email:
- A copy of your CV or resume
- A brief and genuine description of why you are interested in joining our group and of any prior research activities and/or relevant skills
- A brief summary of your current and future career/educational interests
Formal applications to the University of Virginia are due in January for the fall term of the same year, but the interest of a faculty member is essential to a successful application.
Recent Publications
How can geomorphology facilitate a better understanding of glacier and ice sheet behaviour?, published in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms in 2024.
Insights into subglacial hydrology and sediment transport processes from grain micromorphology, published in The Cryosphere in 2024.
Spatial variability of marine-terminating ice sheet retreat in the Puget Lowland, published in Climate of the Past in 2024.
Quantifying paleo-subglacial bed roughness on the Antarctic continental shelf, published in the Journal of Glaciology in 2023.
Advances in understanding subglacial hydrology from past ice sheets, published in Annals of Glaciology in 2023.
Ice shelves guarded by snow shields, published in Nature Climate Change in 2023.
Rapid tidally modulated retreat of Thwaites Glacier from a pinning point in the pre-satellite era, published in Nature Geoscience in 2022.
The Grounds of UVA
For thousands of years, the people of the Monacan Nation, have lived on, protected and cultivated the lands on which the University of Virginia, built on colonized land by enslaved laborers, stands. As ancient peoples who thrive today, we acknowledge and respect their stewardship of the land past, present, and future.