Employment & Opportunities

Tenure Track Position on Chemical Hydrogeology - TU Delft

The global water and sediment cycles are subject to major changes through direct interventions (e.g. dams, river alignment, land reclamations) and indirect effects (e.g. climate change, different land use). This causes risks for nature and society. Strengthening our fundamental understanding of the water and sediment cycles at all temporal and spatial scales, as well as the role water plays in food production, the livability of low-lying deltas and the transport of materials, pollution and nutrients is therefore of great importance.

Our goal is to strengthen our academic team around these themes.

More specifically the Department of Water Management at TU Delft has the ambition to develop innovative ways of analyzing water quality issues in alignment with creating engineering solutions and management strategies to overall improve the quality of our water resources.

We are therefore looking for two ambitious and enthusiastic (Tenure-Track) Assistant Professors in Environmental Water Quality, one in the field of Hydrology and one in the field of Geohydrology, to extend its education and research program.

Water quality is broadly defined, ranging from nutrients, organic micro-pollutants, metals, pathogens, salt, to e.g. plastics. Water quality of a variety of systems is of interest, varying from groundwater systems to streams, rivers, reservoirs, and lakes, together with the interactions between these systems.

The main focus of the research is on modeling of these systems for engineering solutions and water management applications. The scale of application can vary from local to landscape and regional scale. Candidates who study the interaction between surface water and groundwater, link water quality with socio-economic activities, and combine modeling with (the results of) field research are specifically encouraged to apply.

Example applications include but are not limited to managed aquifer recharge; sustainable groundwater management in relation to water supply, land-use, and climate change; catchment scale solutes/pollution and discharge modeling; surface water quality and ecosystems (e-flow analysis);  the effects of the discharge of (treated) sewage or industrial effluents and its impact on drinking water supply; and water quality monitoring, modelling, and management of large freshwater lakes.

The Department of Water Management maintains a large experimental and analytical laboratory having a range of analytical equipment (e.g. ICP-OES, ICP-MS, IC, LC-MS, water isotope analyzer) and is well-equipped for experimental research (e.g. column experiments and more advanced set-ups). The department/Faculty has all sorts of field equipment and currently performs water quality research at various research sites in the Netherlands and abroad. The university has state-of-the-art high-performance computing facilities.  

For more details, please click here.

Entry level Research Scientist (PRP) - Environment and Climate Change Canada

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Water Science and Technology Directorate conducts research  utilizing laboratory, modelling and field activities which generate scientific data, related information and tools aimed to assist in sustaining Canada’s freshwater ecosystems. Hydrological and ecological information gathered from studies in Canadian and international rivers and lakes enable scientists to better understand and predict the impacts of multiple stressors on sensitive freshwater ecosystems. Studies focused on how climate change affects hydrologic, biogeochemical and ecological processes at local, regional and national scales inform the development of adaptation strategies to protect key/vulnerable water resources and aquatic ecosystems.

There is an immediate need to staff entry level research scientists through the Federal post-doctoral research program at multiple locations including the Canada Center for Inland Waters, Burlington, ON; and the National Hydrology Research Centre, Saskatoon, SK. 

To be considered, the candidate requires graduation with a recent doctoral degree from a recognized postsecondary institution with specialization in: natural sciences such as hydrology; aquatic ecology; meteorology; oceanography; or another field related to the duties of the position.

Position 1: Hydrological modelling (River water quality): Experience in watershed hydrology and/or riverine hydraulics in support of numerical modelling and environmental process research.

Position 2: Aquatic Ecology: Knowledge of freshwater ecology as it relates to the effects of human activity on the chemistry (particularly nutrient chemistry) and biology of lakes.

Position 3: Experience in using coupled atmosphere-lake (or watershed) models for developing operational water quality  models (collaboration  with the Atmospheric Science and Technology Directorate).

For further information, please reach out to .

Two MSc in Earth Sciences Opportunities - St. Francis Xavier University

St. Francis Xavier University (StFX) seeks applications for two Master of Science students in Earth Sciences. The successful applicants will receive StFX graduate student support, a research stipend, and a student teaching assistantship.

Project A involves an investigation of the mineralogy, geochemical composition, age and critical element potential of pegmatites and granite plutons. The MSc candidate will document the mineralogy using in-situ-analyses of the various mineral phases and determine the age of the mineralization to understand their relative timing with respect to regional deformation/metamorphism/plutonic events.

Project B investigates the petrogenesis of coeval mafic and granitic plutons in northern Scotland. The MSc candidate will use in-situ analytical techniques to determine the age(s), isotopic compositions, source(s) of inheritance, and petrogenesis of plutonic rocks to better understand the timescales of magmatic processes.

The successful candidate for each project will have a BSc in Earth Science or a related field, preferably with research experience, and a minimum B (70%) average. Experience using in-situ analytical techniques such as LA-ICP-MS (laser ablation inductively coupled mass-spectrometry) and/or EPMA (electron probe microanalysis) is an asset. The expected start date for Project A is September 2022 and Project B is January 2023.

Interested applicants are encouraged to send a CV, unofficial transcript, a statement of research interests, and the names of and contact information for two referees to Dr. Donnelly Archibald ( ).

StFX is one of Canada’s leading primarily undergraduate universities, located in Antigonish Nova Scotia. Our historic residential campus is home to just over 4,200 students from across Canada and internationally, as well as over 200 full-time faculty members dedicated to providing our students with a post-secondary education conducive to intellectual and personal growth. As a member of one of the most research-intensive departments on the StFX campus, you will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with your supervisor on an innovative research project. StFX offers graduate studies at the MSc and PhD levels and at any given time, 20 or more graduate students are active within the department. Graduate students have a peer group that enroll in common courses and students have a close collaborative relationship with their supervisor that is characteristic of small universities. For more information, visit here.

St. Francis Xavier University is committed to equity and diversity and encourages applications from all qualified candidates, including women; people of any sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression; Indigenous peoples; visible minorities, and racialized people; and people with disabilities. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. The review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the positions are filled.

For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Dr. Donnelly Archibald ( ).

News & Events

PhD Thesis Defense: Joanne Breckenridge    

Title: Copepod Dynamics of the Fraser River Estuary

Date & Time: Thursday, July 21, 2022 at 12:30 pm

Location: ESB 5108

Department Seminar - Green Technologies for Sustainable Environment, David Y. H. Pui - July 28, 2:00 pm, ESB 5104

Professor David Y. H. Pui is a Regents Professor and LM Fingerson/TSI Inc. Chair in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota.  He is a Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Director of the world-renowned Particle Technology Laboratory at the University of Minnesota.  He is also the Director of the Center for Filtration Research (CFR) consisting of 20 leading international filtration manufacturers and end users.  Dr. Pui has a broad range of research experience in aerosol and nanoparticle engineering and filtration technology, and has over 350 journal papers and 40 patents.  He has developed several widely used commercial aerosol instruments for PM_2.5 measurements. His recent interest involves developing green technologies for mitigating vehicle emissions, and for urban air cleaning using the Solar Assisted Large Scale Cleaning System (SALSCS).  Dr. Pui has received many awards, including the Max Planck Research Award (1993), the Humboldt Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists (2000), the Fuchs Memorial Award (2010) -- the highest disciplinary award conferred jointly by the American, German and Japanese Aerosol Associations.  He served as President of the American Association for Aerosol Research (2000-2001), and President of the International Aerosol Research Assembly (2006-2010) consisting of 16 member associations from around the world.

Abstract

We are developing green technologies to benefit sustainable environment, which will enable people and the environment to prosper together. The Center for Filtration Research (CFR) at the University of Minnesota, collaborating with 20 leading international filtration manufacturers and end users, was established to find filtration solutions to mitigate PM_2.5 and other environmental pollutants. CFR investigators perform fundamental and applied research on air, gas and liquid filtration.  There are more than 15 on-going research projects performed at CFR.  I will select 6 projects to demonstrate the scope of the research topics: 1. Reduction of aerosol concentration in classrooms under various HVAC conditions to prevent virus transmissions; 2. Filtration performance improvement using beaded nanofiber; 3. Fiber shedding investigations using a pulsed air system; 4. Saliva evaporation experiment at low pressure environment; 5. Development of a microsensor for detecting particles in bulk liquids and aerosols; 6. Temperature resistant nano-scale membrane for enhanced ceramic wall-flow filter performance. 

Large scale air cleaning towers are established in Xi’an and Yancheng in China, and two additional towers in Delhi, India. They are developed to mitigate PM_2.5 pollutants in urban air.  The second-generation tower in Yancheng is developed to reduce not only the PM_2.5 but also CO₂ in the atmosphere.  All these research and development activities are helping to improve sustainable environment.