Job Opportunities

Applications are invited for a two-year postdoctoral fellowship (PDF) to study the dynamics of the continental shelf using a diverse collection of in situ ocean observations including ocean glider, mooring and ship-based data.

Background: Queen Charlotte Sound (QCS) is a large semi-enclosed body of water off the central coast of British Columbia Canada north of Vancouver Island.  The region is a vital commercial and subsistence fishing ground, and hosts many of western Canada’s Marine Protected Areas. Unlike much of continental shelf of British Columbia, the shelf here is very wide, relatively shallow, and incised by a large number of canyons with egress to the open ocean. Similar to much of the west coast of the Americas, wind-driven upwelling plays a dominant role in the regional dynamics. However, QCS has very strong freshwater forcing from the surrounding mountain ranges and vigorous mixing, implying that lateral buoyancy-driven (estuarine-like) circulation is also important in driving cross-shelf transports.  On the landward side, QCS is surrounded by fjords that are home to commercially-important salmon populations. Some of these fjords are deep with annual deep-water renewal; an important implication is that fjord waters periodically go hypoxic.  Better understanding of QCS shelf circulation will allow us to better understand how these productive fjords renew, and improve our ability to predict how they will be impacted by future change.

Project Goals: The project aims to address the following research questions. 1. What are the dominant transport pathways in Queen Charlotte Sound? 2. How do these pathways connect the open ocean to British Columbia’s central coast? What are the dynamical processes involved in these connections? 3. How do these pathways and processes impact properties that are important for the marine ecosystem (e.g. water temperature, oxygen, pH, and primary production)?

Project Team: The fellow will collaborate closely with a working group that includes scientists from the Hakai Institute, the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria and the Institute of Ocean Sciences, a scientific facility of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.  Further the fellow will join the Canadian-Pacific Robotic Ocean Observing Facility (C-PROOF) team. The project is supervised by Dr. Stephanie Waterman (University of British Columbia), Dr. Jennifer Jackson (Hakai Institute), Dr. Jody Klymak (University of Victoria), Dr. Tetjana Ross (Institute of Ocean Sciences) and Dr. Charles Hannah (Institute of Ocean Sciences).

Position Responsibilities: The postdoc will be responsible for the following tasks within the context of the overall project as described above: 1. to work with the project team on processing, analyzing and interpreting existing observational data; 2. to participate in the continued collection of in situ observational data in the region; 3. to work with the regional modelling community on comparing observations and model simulations to better understand the fidelity of the models in capturing coastal processes; 4.  to write high-impact manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals

Requirements:

• a PhD in physical oceanography
•  experience working with observational datasets, as evidenced by the candidate’s publication record
• willingness to work collaboratively with a group of scientists with diverse expertise and experiences in oceanography
• capacity to lead projects with collaborators, excellent communication skills, and demonstrated ability to finish projects on time

Additional Details: The Hakai Institute is a research organization based in British Columbia with substantial oceanographic observations collected by experts in physical, chemical and biological data. The PDF will have the opportunity to visit Hakai field stations occasionally, though this project is primarily focused on the analysis and synthesis of data that have already been collected. The position will be officially based at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver Canada, though the successful candidate can choose to be based in Vancouver, Victoria, or Sidney BC.

This is a limited term, two-year PDF position paid at a rate of $55,000 CAD per year plus Mandatory Employment Related Benefits with an opportunity for renewal given satisfactory performance and funding availability. A research budget is also available. We seek a candidate who has completed a PhD within the last five years (special allowances will be made for career interruptions and personal circumstances) and who shows evidence of strong quantitative skills and an understanding of coastal oceanography.

To apply, please send a cover letter, CV and two research publications to Dr. Stephanie Waterman by email (swaterman@eoas.ubc.ca). Your cover letter should address your motivation to excel in this project, and the skills and experience you can bring to the work. Review of applications will begin on February 1 2021. Start date is negotiable with a preferred start of spring or summer 2021.

The Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) invites applicants for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professorship in Earth Science Discipline-Based Education Research. We seek an innovative researcher and educator who will conduct internationally-recognized research on the development, application, and assessment of best-practices in Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER), with a focus on experiential learning in the Earth Sciences (e.g., Geology, Geological Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Oceanography, Atmospheric Sciences, Geophysics, Hydrogeology). Experiential learning is defined here as an educational process that engages students with authentic situations and applications in classroom, laboratory or field settings, and includes experiences that occur outside of a traditional university learning space.

UBC and EOAS recognize that equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence, and that an open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged, leading to more relevant and impactful research and teaching. Accordingly, we particularly encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code. This includes racialization, status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status and/or age. Our department is committed to confronting systemic biases, particularly as they affect individuals from Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities, and intersect with other forms of discrimination.  EOAS is committed to supporting success for individuals from traditionally-disadvantaged groups, building on existing efforts across the UBC Faculty of Science to promote equity, diversity and inclusion in our research and teaching missions (https://science.ubc.ca/faculty/diversity).

The successful candidate will have a Ph.D. in Earth Science Education or an Earth Science discipline at the time of appointment. They will have conducted theoretically-grounded pedagogical research and show promise of making significant contributions to Earth Science education research including cognitive and/or affective aspects of experiential learning.

This position will build on EOAS’s global leadership in Earth Science education, with the potential to bridge to other disciplines that are interested in strengthening or developing experiential learning programs. The candidate will be expected to develop a strong, externally-funded and internationally-recognized research program, successfully supervise graduate students and participate in departmental activities. EOAS is dedicated to practicing excellence in evidence-based learning, and provides a supporting environment to achieve this, including implementing such practices as paired teaching for new faculty members. A focus on innovative teaching methods is essential, along with demonstrated potential for teaching excellence within one of the undergraduate specializations in EOAS. An interest in contributing to research in field-based learning experiences is also desirable, but not required.

EOAS is the top-ranked and largest Earth Sciences department in Canada, with research and teaching interests spanning the history of the Earth and the evolution of its structure from core to stratosphere (http://www.eoas.ubc.ca/). We seek candidates who have the capacity and interest to interact with other teaching and learning clusters both within and outside EOAS, and demonstrate the potential to forge links with other national and international Science Education research groups, and with other stakeholder groups, including Indigenous communities. Candidates should possess a strong record of research productivity in Earth Science education commensurate with their experience, or if limited in opportunities to demonstrate this, be able to communicate a strong potential and vision for research in this area.

UBC’s Vancouver campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of the Musqueam people, surrounded by forest, ocean and mountains. Vancouver is consistently ranked as one of the top cities in the world for quality of life. It is a diverse and welcoming city, made up of different religions, ethnicities, and cultural groups from all over the world, and from Canada's Indigenous communities. This diversity is reflected in the student population in EOAS and UBC, and is a source of the city's strength, vitality, and prosperity. UBC seeks to recruit and retain a workforce that is representative of Vancouver's diversity, to maintain the excellence of the University, and to offer students richly varied perspectives and ways of knowing and learning.

How to Apply:

Candidates should visit https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/assistant-prof-dber.

They should upload a single PDF file that includes:

1. a cover letter,
2. a detailed curriculum vitae,
3. a one-page summary of research interests and accomplishments,
4. a one-page outline of a potential five-year research program, including potential funding sources,
5. a one-page statement of teaching philosophy,
6. a one-page statement describing their experiences with diversity, and their planned contributions to creating/advancing a culture of equity and inclusion,
7. up to three recent publications (or other research contributions), and
8. the names and contact information for three referees.

Referees will be contacted for those applicants selected for further consideration. The closing deadline for applications is January 31, 2021. The successful applicant would be expected to start as soon as July 2021, or at a date of mutual agreement. This position is subject to final budgetary approval.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Questions should be directed to the Search Committee Chair, Professor Erik Eberhardt, by email at erik@eoas.ubc.ca.