Employment & Opportunities

Graduate Research Opportunity - Brown University

Up to two graduate students are sought in the general direction of developing and applying novel organic geochemical proxies to study polar region climate change and carbon cycling. Ongoing and planned research projects include:

1. study of sedimentary records Arctic Alaskan lakes to reconstruct past changes in climate, biogeochemistry (permafrost melting, methane cycling etc.), and history of human migrations;
2. study of different alkenone producing haptophytes in ocean and lakes using combined lipid profiling and next generation sequencing technologies, and applying the variations in biomarker signatures to reconstruct past changes in sea surface temperature, sea surface salinity and sea ice cover;
3. developing novel biomarker proxies to study the past dynamics of salinity changes in estuary and glacier discharge into Greenland fjords.

Please contact Prof. Yongsong Huang ( ) for more information.  

Education Program Coordinator - MineralsEd

MineralsEd is an educational organization operating in British Columbia that is dedicated to encouraging and supporting Earth science, mineral resources and mining education in school. All aspects of the program are managed by the Director who, along with the Coordinator, works with a team of partner-teachers that are seconded as needed to develop new materials and deliver various initiatives province-wide.

Education Program Coordinator is a fulltime contract position covering the maternity leave of the current Coordinator. The Coordinator works closely with and in support of the Director in all aspects of MineralsEd. During the school year this involves providing programs directly in support of teachers and students. The work involves occasional travel, including short trips out of town. Summer months are devoted to assembling teaching kits for workshops in the upcoming school year and to developing new resources.

Qualifications:

• This position requires a dynamic individual who is flexible, adaptive and is looking for hands-on work with a busy educational organization requiring a variety of skill sets on a day to day basis.
• Interest and enthusiasm in working with teachers and students in outreach education.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Excellent computer skills.
• Formal credentials in relevant fields: Communications, Marketing, Business Administration, Earth Science/Geology, Geography (physical), Environmental Studies, Mining or Education. Previous related work experience in outreach education is beneficial.
• A valid BC driver’s license, confident and competent driving skills in the city, suburbs and interior, and clean driving history.
• Ability to occasionally work extended hours, including weekends, and to travel in BC outside of the Lower Mainland.

Applicants are asked to please submit their resumé, along with three references, by email to:

Jason Courneyea, Director
MineralsEd
1230-605 Robson St.
Vancouver, BC V6B 5J3

News & Events

EOAS Seminar: Dr. Robert Lee

Title: The Geology of Beer

Date & Time: Wednesday, December 2nd at 4:00pm

Place: Zoom Room

Abstract:

From the age of antiquity to the modern happy hour, beer has been an important ritual of our social gathering.  But what is beer? how was it discovered? and why are there so many different varieties? From the Bohemian Massif where Pilsners were born to the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland where the stouts flow, beer has evolved into a bountiful beverage of unique flavors, strength, and aroma. Join us to learn the history of beer and how geology has played a key role in the formation and style of beers that we enjoy today.

IRES Seminar: Inês Azevedo

Title: Transitioning to sustainable energy systems while considering environmental justice and distributional effects

Date & Time: Thursday, December 3rd at 12:30pm

Place: Zoom Room

Abstract:

In this talk I will cover three related recent papers:

1. Comparing the Health Damages from Air Pollution to the Value Added in the U.S. Economy (PNAS, 2019): We use integrated assessment models to compute economy-wide gross external damages (GED) due to premature mortality from air pollution. We note 4 key findings: First, economy-wide, GED has decreased by more than 20% from 2008 to 2014. Second, while much of the air pollution policies have focused to date on the electricity sector, damages from farms are now larger than those from utilities. Third, 4 sectors, comprising less than 20% of the national GDP, are responsible for ∼75% of GED attributable to economic activities. Fourth, uncertainty in GED estimates tends to be high for sectors with predominantly ground-level emissions because these emissions are usually estimated and not measured.
2. Fine Particulate Air Pollution from Electricity Generation in the US: Health Impacts by Race, Income, and Geography (ES&T, 2019): Electricity generation is a large contributor to PM2.5 air pollution. However, the demographic distribution of its resulting exposure is largely unknown. We estimate the health effects from air pollution from electricity generation in the US, for each of the seven Regional Transmission Organizations, for each US state, by income and by race. Exposures are higher for lower-income than for higher-income, but disparities are larger by race than by income. Geographically, we observe large differences between where electricity is generated and where people experience the resulting air pollution health consequences: for 36 US states, most of the health impacts are attributable to emissions in other states.
3. What are the best combinations of fuel-vehicle technologies to mitigate climate change and air pollution effects across the United States? (ERL, 2020) The transportation sector is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and a major source of criteria air pollutants in the U.S. Spatially explicit evaluations of the effectiveness of alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies in mitigating both climate change and air pollution are lacking. In this work, we estimate the life cycle monetized damages due to GHGs and criteria air pollutant emissions for different types of passenger-moving vehicles in the U.S. We find substantial spatial variability in the monetized damages for all fuel-vehicle technologies studied. None of the fuel-vehicle technologies leads simultaneously to the lowest climate change damages and the lowest air pollution damages across all U.S. counties. Instead, the fuel-vehicle technology that best mitigates climate change in one region is different from that for the best air quality.

UBC Postdoc Research Day on January 18, 2021 – Registration and abstract submission now open

The UBC Postdoctoral Association (PDA) is excited to announce the annual Postdoc Research Day! This interdisciplinary meeting will be held via Zoom from 9:30am–6:00pm on Monday January 18, 2021.

Postdoc Research Day gives postdocs from across UBC the opportunity to showcase their research in presentations designed for a non-expert audience. This year’s event will include 15 minute full talks and 5 min lightning talks by postdocs affiliated with both UBC campuses (Vancouver and Okanagan) on a wide array of topics. Anyone can attend! Register now.

Submit your abstract today – there will be prizes for the best talks! All UBC-Vancouver and -Okanagan postdocs are encouraged to submit an abstract for a talk and/or lightning talk. The abstract submission deadline is December 15th.