Aurora

Employment & Opportunities

Research Scientist Position in Groundwater Modeling - University of Waterloo

Global Water Futures (GWF): Solutions to Water Threats in an Era of Global Change

The GWF program is a collaborative initiative between multiple Canadian universities and partner organizations funded through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. GWF aims to deliver risk management solutions for water resources and services – informed by leading edge water science and supported by innovative decision-making tools – in Canada and throughout the cold regions of the world.

We are looking to hire at the Post Doctoral Fellow (PDF) level in the area of Groundwater Modeling at the University of Waterloo (UW) as part of a multidisciplinary GWF modeling and forecasting team. The candidate will directly link to UW research strengths in hydrogeology, hydrology, ecohydrology, environmental (bio)geochemistry, high-performance computing, information systems, water economics, and water governance. The successful candidate will be directly involved in the GWF research projects and end-user needs. For more information about water research at the UW, please click here.

Position:

The successful candidate will be able to engage in a wide range of topics, including groundwater flow and contaminant fate and transport modeling, groundwater-surface water interactions, integrated hydrologic modeling, vadose zone process modeling including freeze-thaw phenomena, source water protection, permafrost hydrology, ecohydrology and uncertainty and risk assessment analysis. Specific skills that would be beneficial for this position include: advanced numerical methods; ability to program in a high-level programming language; and experience with fully integrated, variably saturated hydrologic models applied at multiple scales and under freezing and thawing conditions. The candidate will work under the supervision of Professor David Rudolph and their performance will be assessed annually. Funding for the position is initially available for one year with the potential for an extension depending on funding.

Applicants:

Applicants must have a PhD in a relevant water science field or in civil/environmental engineering. They must demonstrate strong quantitative skills and have a track record of research productivity, including peer-reviewed publications. Previous postdoctoral experience is desirable, but not necessary. Additional desired qualifications include experience supervising students, good communication skills and fluency in English. They must be able to work independently, as well as part of a multidisciplinary research team. They will be expected to produce peer-reviewed journal publications and technical reports. They will interact on a regular basis with external partners and practitioners.

Applications:

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter in which they state their motivation and professional expectations. In addition, a curriculum vitae, academic transcripts and contact information of three references are required. All documentation submitted must be assembled in a single pdf file and sent to gwf-uw@uwaterloo.ca with PDSMOD-GWF-YourName in the subject line.

Applications will be accepted immediately and reviewed beginning October 7th, 2022. The positions will remain open until filled. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Equity Statement:

The University of Waterloo is committed to implementing the Calls to Action framed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuit/Inuk, Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

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

Ocean Based Climate Mitigation Co-op - Ocean Networks Canada, University of Victoria

Ocean Based Climate Mitigation Co-op

Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) is a world-leading organization supporting ocean discovery and technological innovation. ONC is a not-for-profit society that operates and manages innovative cabled observatories on behalf of the University of Victoria that supply continuous power and Internet connectivity to various scientific instruments located in coastal, deep-ocean, and Arctic environments. ONC’s cable arrays host thousands of sensors distributed in, on and above the seabed along with mobile and land based assets strategically located, instruments that address key scientific and policy issues (subsea earthquakes and tsunamis, ocean acidification, marine biodiversity, etc.) within a wide range of environments.

Position Description

In order to solve the climate crisis and limit global warming below 1.5∘C, large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR), also known as negative emissions, or carbon drawdown, is required. Many strategies that aim to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are ocean-based, and leverage the ocean’s capacity to capture and store carbon. However, many of these marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) solutions remain untested in real-world environments.

Associated with real-world field trials, there is a need to provide unbiased and accurate environmental monitoring (M) (sometimes interchangeable with measurement), reporting (R), and verification (V) (MRV) services to assess the impacts, effectiveness, efficacy, and feasibility of different mCDR and CCS strategies. ONC is actively developing innovative MRV frameworks that quantify the net reduction of atmospheric CO2, the duration of this reduction, and its environmental safety with a given level of precision and accuracy, across a range of mCDR and CSS approaches.

Duties and responsibilities

The main tasks of this co-op position will be to assist in developing ONC’s MRV framework. A key component will be assembling the essential information necessary for marine environment baseline assessments. In particular, the student will help create new approaches for visualizing oceanographic baselines or climatologies using existing ONC ocean time series data. This will include the development of models that detect and quantify perturbations in ocean time series data in the context of climate change. With guidance and assistance, the student will begin to compare and contrast different ocean datasets using statistical approaches.

Job knowledge requirements

The ideal candidate will be a 3rd or 4th year undergraduate or graduate student in Earth and Ocean Sciences with:

1. Good use of the technical language to write reports
2. Good interpersonal skills, the ability to interview, to listen and ask relevant questions
3. Experience computer modeling in an Earth science context (Matlab or Python)
4. Experience using statistical models and hypothesis testing
5. Experience with data management or data publishing.

Candidates with an equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered.

Competencies

1. Excellent organizational skills
2. Excellent written and verbal communication skills
3. Excellent problem solving skills
4. Ability to learn about new technologies and technical jargon

Start Date: January 4, 2023; End Date: April 28, 2023

Salary: $3000/month (or $19.74 per hour) +4% vacation pay

Hours per week: 35 hours per week, 8:30-4:30 Monday-Friday.

Location: This position can be remote, or in person at the Queenswood Campus, 2474 Arbutus Road, Victoria BC

Please reach out to Kohen Bauer at kohenbauer@oceannetworks.ca if you are interested.

News & Events

MSc Thesis Defense: Daniel Adria

Title: Compilation and Critical Assessment of Observations from a Dozen Historical Tailings Dam Breach Events for Numerical Breach and Runout Modelling

Date & Time: Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at 11:00 am

Location: ESB 5108

Sustainability Scholars Conference, "Research to Action" - UBC

When: Thursday, September 29, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Where: Online via Zoom

Registration: Free to all. Registration closes September 28.

What happens when you give bright and engaged students real-world sustainability problems to solve?

UBC’s Sustainability Scholars are helping to make real change in the world. Join us on September 29 to learn more about what our local governments and institutions are doing to future-proof our people, our cities, our urban spaces, and the Fraser Estuary.

You will enjoy an afternoon of engaged discussion on a diverse range of applied sustainability projects produced by UBC graduate students in collaboration with community partners including the City of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver, BC Hydro, Translink, and many other local governments, local health authorities, and NGOs from across BC.

Scholars will present their research in concurrent themed panel sessions throughout the afternoon. Panels will be moderated by experts from UBC and Sustainability Scholars Program partners.

Keynote Speaker: Angela Danyluk, Senior Environmental Specialist, City of Vancouver

Panel Themes: Land, Water & Resource Management | Living Shorelines & Habitat Restoration | Mobility & Sustainable Transportation | Energy & Emissions | Agriculture & Food Security | Resilient Communities | Water Systems| Livable Cities | Better World | Biodiversity | Capacity Building | Sustainable Health Care

Conference Website. Register here.

Fire Across the Land - Truth and Reconciliation Workshops for UBC Science, Oct 18 + Nov 15

UBC Botanical Garden is pleased to host two free workshops this fall to bolster Truth and Reconciliation capacity across the Faculty of Science. The workshops are funded by the UBC Science Strategic Innovation Fund in support of the UBC Indigenous Strategic Plan. 

Join us in person for one of two three-hour training workshops to deepen your understanding of First Nations in Canada. The goal of this project is to increase the collective capacity of UBC Science to understand the lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples, as well as to learn about colonial Canadian narratives that impact Indigenous communities.

Instructor Brad Marsden, from the Gitksan Nation, British Columbia, creates an open and safe space for groups to learn, listen, understand and discuss the impact of residential schools and colonization. Brad has provided training sessions for a wide range of audiences, including governmental and municipal agencies, educators and school groups, and professional societies.

RSVP

Workshop 1 - Tuesday October 18, 2022, 9AM - 12PM: UBC Botanical Garden, Reception Centre

Workshop 2 – Tuesday November 15, 2022, 9AM - 12PM: UBC Botanical Garden, Reception Centre

Questions?: Please contact garden.program@ubc.ca.