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.
