The Spectral and Remote Sensing Laboratory in the Department of Geography at the University of Victoria and Comox Valley Project Watershed Society in Courtney is seeking one highly motivated, full-time Postdoctoral Research fellow (PDF) to conduct applied research in pelagic modeling of forage fish species within the Salish Sea.

Job title: Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Salmon Food Webs: Pelagic Forage Fish Modeling
Posting start date: January 2024
Posting end date: March 31, 2026, pending annual review
Application closing date: Sept 29, 2023 mid-night
Estimated salary: $65,000 / year + benefits, compensation of travel and incurred costs

Posting: https://projectwatershed.ca/2023/08/24/postdoctoral-research-fellowship/

Location: The PDF to is expected to spend the majority of their time in the Spectral and Remote Sensing Laboratory in Victoria, BC and some time with the research partner, Project Watershed based in Courtney, BC. Field work may occur throughout the Salish Sea and may require travel throughout Vancouver Island.

Qualifications

• A Ph.D. (completed by time of appointment) in Geography, Marine Biology, Oceanography, Ichthyology, or related field.
• Programing skills (R, MATLAB, python, etc.), statistical analysis skills, analysis of multi-dimensional large data sets.
• Experience with habitat suitability modeling and/or GIS.
• Experience modeling habitat or resource management under data limited conditions, and/or understanding of data sources available in the Pacific northwest would be helpful assets.
• Knowledge of the habitat associations and spatial-temporal distributions of forage fish is helpful for developing accurate models of these relationships.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills are required as the candidate will be part of a multi-stakeholder team and will need to collaborate with other academics, First Nations, environmental non-profits, Provincial and Federal governments, among others.
• A valid Canadian driver’s license is an asset as commuting to field sites and the Project Watershed Office in Courtney is necessary.

Background

Since 2019, the Comox Valley Project Watershed Society (Project Watershed), in partnership with the K’ómoks First Nation (KFN), and North Island College have been working to identify, map and quantify the spatial and temporal presence of Pacific sand lance and surf smelt, and their critical habitat throughout the northern Salish Sea. To achieve this, a scientific partnership has been formed in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, World Wildlife Fund, local non-profit environmental stewardship groups, academia, and researchers. The first three years of the project were highly successful and included the development of two Pacific sand lance habitat suitability models in the Salish Sea. Funding for this work was provided by the BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF), Pacific Salmon Foundation, and in-kind contributions from many of these partners and countless citizen scientist volunteer hours.

Position Summary

The successful candidate will report to Dr. Maycira Costa and work closely with a small co-supervisory committee of local forage fish experts, including Dr. Cliff Robinson (DFO), Dr. Doug Bertram (ECCC), Dr. Chris Rooper (DFO), and Dr. Will Duguid (PSF/UVic).The successful PDF will work towards developing and field validating a digital predictive model to be used for mapping current habitat areas used by forage fish and predicting other areas that have a high likelihood of usage based on the model outputs. To build the model, the candidate will need to pull together various datasets such as commercial fishery by-catch data, piscivores marine bird feeding data, oceanographic data, local ecological knowledge, results of scientific studies, satellite imagery and other data sets provided by project partners to start to understand areas utilized by these species. In addition, there is other academic research currently underway by the Pacific Salmon Foundation to understand where juvenile herring are foraging in the open ocean, this work undertaken by the PDF will not duplicate that effort but rather integrate it into the model. To field validate the model, the candidate, in collaboration with project partners, will have to coordinate the collection of marine data, which may include information such as oceanographic conditions, environmental DNA (eDNA), hydro-acoustic data to identify schooling fish, under water video or UAV imagery. Periodic field work with project partners, sometimes in remote locations, will be part of the required work. Therefore, the candidate should be comfortable working outdoors in various weather conditions on small boats. Travel expenses will be compensated separate from the candidate’s wages. Specific deliverables include the production of the digital habitat model, spatial and temporal maps of pelagic areas supporting forage fish rearing and foraging, and one/two peer-reviewed scientific publications.

How to Apply

Please submit:

• A CV, including the e-mail and phone number for three references;
• A short cover letter explaining your motivation for working on this project and how your previous experience qualifies you for this position; and
• Copies of relevant research reports or publications (maximum 3)
  to Maycira Costa (maycira@uvic.ca) and Project Watershed (info@projectwatershed.ca).

Please send questions to Jacqueline Huard (jacqueline.huard@projectwatershed.ca).

Equity and diversity are essential for academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nations, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous persons.

We are delighted to announce a call for post-doctoral applications for the Liber Ero Fellowship Program. The Liber Ero Fellowship Program supports post-doctoral fellows who address pressing conservation challenges of relevance to Canada. The Program offers two-year fellowships and aims to develop the next generation of conservation scientists, trained in the latest methods and in the skills necessary to affect policy and improve conservation of Canada’s wild places and natural resources.

The Liber Ero Fellowship is open to candidates from any country whose research furthers conservation goals within Canada. Fellows must be hosted at a Canadian institution, with mentorship teams drawing from expertise in non-governmental organizations, government, and universities. Applications are now being accepted, with a deadline of November 1, 2023.  See http://liberero.ca/ for more details.

Questions may be directed to Kerry Kenwood, Program Coordinator, by emailing info@liberero.ca. 

Department: Plant Agriculture 

Description of the Area/Topic of Research 

We are seeking a post-doctoral fellow to join the Northern and Eastern Ontario Agronomy group led by Dr. Joshua Nasielski at the University of Guelph. We conduct agronomic research of direct relevance to the farmers of northern and eastern Ontario, while making scientific contributions of wider geographic scope by uncovering the physiological mechanisms which underpin cropping systems. We are located on the Guelph main campus, a wonderful city about one hour drive from Toronto.

The candidate should have demonstrated expertise in statistics (data analysis, data science) as well as in a natural science discipline, ideally agronomy, ecology, crop science and/or soil science. Individuals with expertise in statistics looking to build their skills on one of these other areas are encouraged to apply. Your primary responsibility will be to analyze about a dozen large datasets generated over the past eight years from various field research projects. The goal will be to generate new knowledge to inform on-farm decision making and publish your work in high-quality academic journals. Focus areas of these research projects include: nitrogen management in corn, plant growth regulator effects in winter wheat, cover crop effects on corn emergence and yield, among others. The immediate availability of these datasets means postdoctoral fellows can begin analysis soon after they begin. Beyond your primary role, there will be ample opportunities to be mentored as you venture into designing new experiments, writing grants, delivering undergraduate lectures, or leading workshops. You are expected to give extension presentations to farmers and present at international scientific conferences. 

Our research group currently consists of three M.Sc students, one Ph.D candidate and four undergraduate thesis researchers. We pride ourselves on maintaining a collaborative, positive environment where ideas from every team member are valued and integrated into our research.  

General Outline of Duties 

Work Responsibilities:

• Lead data analysis and interpretation of several large multi-site field trials combining crop, soil and weather data.
• Mentor undergraduate and graduate students. 
• The Post-doc is expected to contribute to extension and knowledge mobilization efforts, and to assist with manuscript writing

Teaching Requirement: none 

Student/Employee Supervision: The post-doctoral fellow will be expected to mentor lab members 

Required Qualifications 

You should have received a Ph.D in the natural sciences within the past three (3) years and have a track-record of peer-reviewed publications that demonstrate your expertise.

Start Date & Duration of Appointment: 2 Year, Starting October 2023 

Anticipated Hours/Days of Work (at time of posting): 40 

Supervisor: Joshua Nasielski 

Salary Information 

Salary: minimum $60,000/year (depends on qualification) plus benefits (health care, conference travel, etc). Remote work possible (within Canada).

Application Requirements

Documents 

• Cover Letter
• CV

Other 

To apply please send a short cover letter, CV and the names of two individuals who can serve as a reference to: nasielsk@uoguelph.ca. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted to arrange an interview. We appreciate every application. Shortlisted candidates can expect to hear from us by September 22. The Department of Plant Agriculture is committed to identifying and mitigating barriers to employment equity. We encourage applicants from equity-seeking groups traditionally underrepresented in agricultural employment, including racialized persons, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, women, and those identifying with the LGBTQ2IA+ community.

Contact Information

Dr. Joshua Nasielski, Assistant Professor 
nasielsk@uoguelph.ca
647 787 6206 

Website: https://neoag.uoguelph.ca/ 

Posting Date Fri, 08/11/2023

Closing Date Fri, 09/08/2023

Summary: The Plant and Soil Ecology Lab at Algoma University, located in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, is currently seeking an exceptional postdoctoral fellow to begin on October 1st, 2023 (negotiable). The research will center around an NSERC-funded project conducted in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Mayor at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. The primary objective of the project is to elucidate the impact of climate change factors on plant-soil biotic interactions following wildfire, with direct implications for boreal forest community assembly, key soil processes, ecological succession, and tree migration. Special emphasis will be placed on mycorrhizal symbioses, including both ecto- and endomycorrhizas The project entails replicated permanent plots situated in diverse forest types within the vicinity of Pukaskwa National Park, renowned as one of Canada’s most iconic parks. The appointed postdoc will be provided with all necessary resources to conduct field work, as well as access to state-of-the-art laboratories, greenhouse, and growth chamber facilities. Available facilities include a molecular lab equipped with second-generation sequencing instruments and a Level 2 microbiology lab.

The postdoc should have:

• a Ph.D. in microbial ecology or similar.
• a strong background in experimental design and statistics;
• experience in setting up greenhouse and/or field experiments;
• expertise in molecular techniques;
• excellent oral communication skills and a strong publication record;
• the capacity to work independently and in a team.

The lab is located on the Sault Ste. Marie campus in the new Biosciences and Technology Convergence Centre. The Ontario Forestry Research Institute is located within walking distance, 15 minutes away. 

Funding is available for two years. Salary: $50,000, including benefits.

Please submit your application by email (cover letter and CV) including the names of three referees and sent to Dr. Pedro M. Antunes no later than September 7^th, 2023.

About Algoma University

Located in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Algoma University’s campus is situated at the center of the Great Lakes bordering Michigan, USA. The surrounding nature is stunning, and the city offers a welcoming, peaceful and active living environment to its residents. Due to its smaller size, the University prides itself on its unique ability to offer graduate (M.Sc.) and undergraduate students an individualized and personalized education.

In accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, priority will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.  Algoma University encourages applications from all qualified women and men, members of visible minorities, Aboriginal people and persons with disabilities.

E. mail: pedro.antunes@algomau.ca

Lab website: https://pantunes4.wixsite.com/plantsoilecologylab

Application deadline: Consideration of applications will begin on August 15, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled.

Description: Applicants are invited for a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ecological Modelling. 

The successful applicant will provide a key ecologically modelling expertise to a multi-partner research initiative.  Specifically, they will

• Develop and apply models to quantify the effects of forest harvesting on salmon abundance for all Pacific salmon species in coastal BC, with a focus on those in Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw territory;
• Collaborate on the research with partners including Ecofish Research, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw Fisheries Group; and
• Assist with organizing knowledge generation and knowledge translation activities including workshops and meetings.

The research will be conducted under the supervision of Mark Lewis (University of Victoria) with interactions with a broader supervisory group, including Marty Krkosek (University of Toronto) and Morgan Hocking (Ecofish).  The candidate will be located at the University of Victoria and the Salmon Coast Field Station.

This is a two-year position with funding from the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund.  The position is available with a preferred start date of January 1, 2024.  The salary will be $60,000 per year plus benefits.  Additional funding is also available to support research-related travel, including collaborative meetings and the dissemination of research results at meetings, conferences or workshops.

Required experience and qualifications:

• A PhD in Ecological Modelling or a related field;
• A demonstrated track record in applying statistical modelling to complex data sets;
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills;
• Experience as a team player in collaborative research projects.

Application Instructions: Applications will be accepted by email. To apply, please submit the following items as pdf files to Kim Budinski (kbudinski@uvic.ca):

1. A cover letter that outlines your qualifications and experience, interest in this position,
and available start date;

2. An up to date curriculum vitae (CV) that includes contact information for three referees and
explains any career interruptions;

3. A list of graduate courses taken, and grades obtained;

4. Up to three examples of representative research publications; and

5. An EDI statement including past experiences and activities and future plans to advance
diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Consideration of applications will begin on August 15, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled.  We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Acknowledgments and further information:

Salmon Coast (https://www.salmoncoast.org/) is a charity that serves as a hub for coastal research, enabling high-quality and innovative science to sustain wild salmon and their ecosystems. Salmon Coast is located in Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis territory, in the Broughton Archipelago, near Echo Bay, BC.

The University of Victoria acknowledges and respects the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples on whose traditional territory the university stands and the Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.

For more information regarding the Lewis Research Group please see https://lewisresearchlab.org/.

Location:

The postdoc in this position can be based in London, ON, Quebec City, QC, or Fredericton, NB. Remote work within Canada will also be considered.

Description:

This two-year postdoctoral position will join a collaborative project between the Canadian Forest Service and Western University to estimate the amount of salvage biomass produced in regions of Northern Quebec and British Columbia. Both provinces have ongoing insect disturbance and bioenergy projects that could utilize slash or mill wastes in bioenergy production.

The purpose of the work is to predict whether insect damage will produce enough salvageable biomass to make harvesting it for bioenergy a viable addition to other wood products coming out of the stands (e.g., sawlogs, pulpwood, etc). Furthermore, the project will apply carbon budget models of these forest stands to determine the net carbon emission reductions associated with biomass supply and use as bioenergy by accounting for the difference in total carbon storage expected in harvested versus unharvested stands.

The primary work objective of the postdoctoral fellow will be to develop models to predict insect disturbance and forest carbon cycling in our study regions. The postdoctoral fellow will help Canadian Forest Service staff acquire geospatial data on insect outbreaks, forest inventory, and bioenergy infrastructure. They will also integrate data collected during field surveys in Northern Quebec and British Columbia, in which they could participate, to improve the accuracy of predictions made with remotely sensed data. Finally, they will collaborate with researchers at the Canadian Forest Service to calculate the expected carbon emissions reductions associated with the bioenergy supply chain.

The postdoctoral fellow will collaborate with researchers at Western University (Robert Buchkowski) and the Canadian Forest Service (Deepa Pureswaran, Jérôme Laganière, and David Paré). The successful candidate will be appointed as a Research Scientist at the Canadian Forest Service in a Term position and as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Western Ontario.

Interested candidates are requested to send a letter of interest and CV to Robert Buchkowski (rbuchkow@uwo.ca), Jérôme Laganière (jerome.laganiere@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca) or Deepa Pureswaran (deepa.pureswaran@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca).

The position is open until filled.

Minimum Salary: $62,215

Anticipated Start Date: January 2024

Qualifications:

Essential:

A doctoral degree in forestry, ecology, environmental studies, natural resource economics, or equivalent

Experience managing large geospatial data sets

Experience or knowledge of forest carbon budgets

Experience developing models to predict animal, ideally insect, distributions or spread

Additional:

Experience or knowledge of forest pests in Canada

Experience or knowledge of the bioenergy industry in Canada

Experience or knowledge of wood products industry in Canada

Language Requirements:

English essential

French is an asset

Diversity Statement: Our team is committed to achieving inclusive excellence in research. We encourage applications from Indigenous persons, members of racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, persons from 2SLGBTQ+ communities, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Bioinformatician’s key role will be to develop and apply bioinformatics solutions to genomics research conducted by the TRIA-FoR project, a national scale, multidisciplinary network of researchers led by Carleton University and the University of Alberta. The bioinformatician will be located at Carleton University, and they will investigate resiliency and risk in the context of mountain pine beetle-climate interactions by linking genomics with quantitative genetics, population genetics, physiology, phenomics and spread risk modelling.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

1. Development and application of bioinformatic solutions to solve unique problems related to TRIA-FoR pine and mountain pine beetle research
2. Management of project databases, shared datasets, and shared analysis pipelines and documentation meeting high standards of research reproducibility and transparency
3. Active analysis as well as the training of others in:
   1. Sequence analysis
   1. Genome annotation
   1. Gene expression and gene network analysis
   1. Population genetics
4. Collaboration with TRIA-FoR researchers working in molecular biology, landscape genomics, population genetics and computational MPB spread risk modelling
5. Opportunity to prepare and publish findings using integration of genomics, landscape genomics, physiology and population genetics
6. Participate in the supervision of undergraduate and graduate students, post-docs, and other project members
7. Presentation of key findings and takeaways for project members, as well as project collaborators, stakeholders, and end-users

Qualifications

Required:

The candidate must have a PhD in the biological sciences or closely related field (e.g. Resource Management, Forestry, etc.), with documented experience in bioinformatics or related statistical and computational biology, custom bioinformatics pipeline development, scripting, and R analyses.

• Demonstrated conceptual and practical knowledge and skills in genomics, de novo transcriptome assembly, population genetics and genomics, comparative genomics, and genome evaluation
• A strong commitment to team-based processes and outcomes
• Excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills; active support of the Carleton University code of conduct
• Ability to work independently and maintain motivation during long-term analyses, and when facing bioinformatic challenges that require problem solving
• Ability to determine and manage resource requirements
• Demonstrated ability to take responsibility for a work area within a multi-disciplinary research team
• Ability to work well under pressure to meet deadlines
• A demonstrated commitment to organization and adherence to best practices of documentation and data management related to complex projects

Other desired qualifications include:

A background in scientific fields related to the project is considered an asset, including but not limited to forest biology, forest management, entomology, and ecology.

• Experience working with genomic resources for conifers or other non-model systems
• Previous work within the conifer computational biology community
• Working knowledge of Unix based systems
• Comfortable with high-performance computing especially the Canadian Alliance clusters
• Scripting in Python and R

Job details:

The position is available immediately, and the salary will range from $55-60K per annum with benefits, based on experience. The term of the position will be for one year, with the potential to extend the term for a second year. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. If you are interested in this position, please send your CV and cover letter to catherine.cullingham@carleton.ca. In your cover letter, please address how your experience meets the qualifications of the position.

Our group (www.yorku.ca/zayedlab) at York University’s Dept. of Biology (Toronto, Canada) has positions available for a postdoctoral fellow in Ecological Genomics with demonstrable expertise in genomics and bioinformatics for the following two projects:

1. BeeCSI: Our group is leading a national Genome Canada-funded initiative called BeeCSI (https://beecsi.ca/) to develop stressor-specific biomarkers for honey bees. We are looking for a postdoctoral fellow with experience in transcriptomics and interest in honey bee biology to lead the analysis of a large RNAseq dataset consisting of 43 laboratory and 12 field experiments where honey bees were naturally and experientially exposed to a large number of relevant stressors, alone and in combination. The RNAseq datasets have been fully assembled and the successful candidate will be able to initiate the bioinformatics analyses immediately after starting the position. The goal of our research is to characterize the molecular machinery underlying the honey bee’s response to multiple stressors, and to discover diagnostic transcriptional signatures that can be used to predict exposure to stressors in the field.
2. Genomics of Coral Resilience: A new research direction for the lab! The Postdoctoral fellow will use several ‘Omic tools to study the genomic basis underlying symbiont shuffling and tolerance to thermal-stress in reef-building corals, in collaboration with the Coral Resilience Lab at the Hawaiian Institute of Marine Biology.

Qualified candidates are encouraged to submit a cover letter outlining their expertise, a CV, reprints of relevant papers, and contact information for 3 referees to honeybee@yorku.ca. We will evaluate the applications as they are received, with an application deadline of August 31^st, 2023.

In addition to the honey bee lab, York University is home to the Center for Bee Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (BEEc, https://bees.yorku.ca). Successful candidates will have a chance to interact with the diverse faculty, fellows and students at BEEc, and participate in BEEc activities and training initiatives.

Start Date: Fall 2023
Salary: Starting from $50,000 and Commensurate with experience.

Do you have a passion for ‘rescuing’ data, reproduceable research and teaching? If so, come join our fantastic team at the Living Data Project. We have a full-time postdoctoral position available, based in Montréal, jointly appointed between McGill University (J. Sunday and L Pollock) and the Université de Montréal (UdeM; T. Poisot and S. Binning). The Living Data Project is a national initiative (led by the Canadian Institute of Ecology and Evolution; CIEE), to train students to rescue, preserve and synthesize legacy datasets in ecology, evolution and environmental science. This is a highly collaborative effort achieved through graduate training, data rescue internships.

The postdoctoral fellow will be responsible for: training and mentorship of graduate students involved in Living Data Project courses, organizing data rescue internships with academic and non-academic researchers, and multi-institutional workshops and working groups. The postdoc will also develop and pursue research compatible with the goals of the Living Data Project, including through the working groups, self-directed synthesis science and other collaborations with Living Data Project members. The Living Data Project provides exceptional opportunities for expanding professional networks and exposure to non-academic employers. McGill/UdeM faculty will assist the postdoctoral fellow in designing and implementing their own customized professional development plan.

We seek a highly qualified individual with a PhD in any area of ecology, evolution or environmental science who has demonstrated exceptional skills in data management, advanced statistical analysis, and scientific collaboration. Priority will be given to candidates who have proficiencies in at least some of the following skills: data archiving, R programming, version control (e.g. GitHub), reproducible research, database construction, collation of large databases from multiple sources, citizen science, advanced statistics, and collaboration in working groups. Prior teaching experience is an asset. We particularly encourage candidates with experience in hierarchical modelling and meta-analysis. Candidates should also have: excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills; fluency in spoken and written English; and a strong personal commitment to research and teaching. French language skills are also an asset.

Applicants should submit a CV, statement of relevant experience and training, and the names and contact information (including phone and e-mail) of up to three references to: Laura Pollock laura.pollock@mcgill.ca with a copy to ciee-icee@biodiversity.ubc.ca. All documents should be submitted as one (1) PDF document.

Review of applications will begin immediately and will remain open until filled with the appointment to begin as soon as possible with a targeted start date of late summer 2023. The appointment is initially for one year with possible reappointment for an additional year upon a successful performance review. The salary is $50,000 per year plus benefits.

McGill and UdeM hire on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority. The position is subject to final budgetary approval.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.

CIEE /ICEE, Canadian Institute of Ecology and Evolution / Institut canadien d’écologie et d’évolution

Email: ciee-icee@biodiversity.ubc.ca
Twitter: @CIEEICEE
www.ciee-icee.ca