Five Graduate Student Positions Available
Ecological Research in Arctic Freshwater Ecosystems
Universite du Quebec a Chicoutimi, University of Waterloo, and Wilfrid Laurier University
Application deadline: 31 January 2018
For questions, contact:
Milla Rautio, Universite du Quebec a Chicoutimi
Email: Milla.Rautio [at] uqac.ca
Michael Power, University of Waterloo
Email: m3power [at] uwaterloo.ca
Joseph Culp, Wilfrid Laurier University
Email: jculp [at] wlu.ca
The Universite du Quebec a Chicoutimi (UNAC), University of Waterloo, and Wilfrid Laurier University invite applications for five graduate student positions within the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Strategic Project Grant titled Functional, Structural, and Biodiversity Studies of Arctic Freshwater Watersheds: Validating Protocols for Monitoring and Cumulative Assessments. These three PhD and two MSc positions will be located at one of the three universities.
The project aims to develop an improved understanding of how human-induced changes in Arctic freshwater ecosystems (i.e., climate change and resource development) may impact the health of northern freshwater resources and the provision of ecosystem services (e.g., sustainable fisheries, drinking water quality). The team will use cutting-edge methods to establish baseline studies of the Lake Greiner watershed, from its lowest trophic levels (micros, algae, benthic invertebrates, plankton) to its upper trophic levels (fish), to describe how the function and structure of aquatic ecosystems support plankton, macroinvertebrate, and juvenile fish production, the diversity of organisms, and the habitats upon which the health and sustainability of fisheries ultimately depend. The research will establish and validate monitoring protocols for aquatic ecosystems in the north, thereby providing tools to government agencies for the continued routine monitoring of the systems and a means by which the significance of the accumulation of future ecosystem impacts may be determined.
Field research will be based out of the newly completed Canadian High Arctic Research Station, Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada.
Available positions include:
- PhD 1 (UQAC - Co-supervised by Rautio and Power): Linking changes in watershed size and hydrological connectivity to ecosystem structure and ultimately the availability of food for fish;
- PhD 2 (WLU - Co-supervised by Culp and Rautio): Determining the importance of lake-stream connectance and landscape linkages as drivers of benthic food web structure and function;
- PhD 3 (Waterloo - Co-supervised by Power and Rautio): Testing the importance of landscape and watershed attributes for fish temperature use, growth and condition;
- MSc 1 (Waterloo or UQAC - Co-supervised by Power and Rautio): Linking reliance on autochthonous carbon to fish condition; and
- MSc 2 (Waterloo or WLU - Co-supervised by Power and Culp): Linking stream habitat characteristics to juvenile fish density and biomass.
Required qualifications include:
- Bachelors of Science, as well as MSc for PhD position candidates, in Aquatic Ecology, Environmental Science, or related discipline;
- Interest in designing experiments and conducting field monitoring in remote locations;
- Ability to work as part of a team; and
- Meet graduate studies enrolment requirements at the University of Waterloo, UNAQ, or Wilfred Laurier University.
Additional desired qualifications include:
- Experience in conducting aquatic fieldwork, ideally in remote locations;
- Knowledge of univariate and multivariate statistical analyses;
- Experience working with a diversity of project partners, including Inuit communities;
- Experience with ArcGIS;
- Ability to write and present in English; and
- Knowledge of French for candidates interested in enrolling at UQAC.
Applications should include a curriculum vitae, unofficial transcripts, a list of three references with contact phone and email, and a cover letter summarizing qualifications and research interests.
Applications must be sent to:
Milla Rautio, Universite du Quebec a Chicoutimi (Milla.Rautio [at] uqac.ca);
Michael Power, University of Waterloo (m3power [at] uwaterloo.ca); and
Joseph Culp, Wilfrid Laurier University (jculp [at] wlu.ca).
Application deadline: 31 January 2018, but applications will be accepted until all positions are filled.
For more information about the Canadian High Arctic Research Station, go to:
https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1314731268547/1314731373200
For questions, contact:
Milla Rautio, Universite du Quebec a Chicoutimi
Email: Milla.Rautio [at] uqac.ca
Michael Power, University of Waterloo
Email: m3power [at] uwaterloo.ca
Joseph Culp, Wilfrid Laurier University
Email: jculp [at] wlu.ca