Employment & Opportunities

PhD Opportunity in Aquatic Ecology - Savoie Mont-Blanc University

We have a PhD opportunity in aquatic ecology at the Alpine Centre for Research on Lake Ecosystems and Food Webs (CARRTEL) in Thonon les Bains - France. 

Please see here for details. 

Deadline for submission 20.05.2022. 

A first round of interviews will take place with the supervisors. The selected candidate will be invited for the final audition at the University Savoie Mont Blanc (14 and 15 June), upon which depends the decision on the grant awarding.

Graduate Student Opportunities in Geotechnical Geophysics - University of New Brunswick

Developing methods to assess the internal condition of embankment dams and earthen dykes/levees used for hydroelectricity, mine tailings, flood control and other water-retaining applications is increasingly important as many such structures approach their design lives and are exposed to increasing stresses associated with climate change. Researchers at UNB, Mount Allison University, and Memorial University, funded by NSERC, NBIF, and NB Power are working on the development of geophysical monitoring techniques for that purpose.

At the Mactaquac Generating Station, located on the Saint John River, 20 km upstream of UNB’s Fredericton campus, research is focused on the development of time-lapse resistivity imaging and distributed temperature sensing (DTS) for seepage monitoring. Survey approaches and data interpretation are guided by numerical modelling that couples seepage to transport of heat and resulting changes in electrical resistivity of the dam’s clay-till core.

In the Tantramar region of New Brunswick, where dykes protecting critical infrastructure at the head of the Bay of Fundy are threatened by sea level rise, electrical, electromagnetic and seismic methods are of interest for seeking out the hydrological and geotechnical vulnerabilities of those historic flood barriers and for guiding the design of new ones.

We currently have two graduate student research opportunities – one each at the PhD and MSc levels. The PhD project is expected to tackle integrating 3D time-lapse resistivity imaging with hydrological modelling for quantifying anomalous seepage. The MSc project will explore applications of various geophysical methods to reconnaissance for weaknesses in flood control barriers on the Tantramar Marsh, using approaches informed by advanced 3D numerical modelling combined with ongoing geotechnical investigations by provincial authorities. There is scope to adjust the focus of both projects to student interests and career goals.

Ideal candidates will have a background in Earth sciences, geological or civil engineering, physics or a related field, good quantitative and writing skills, and an aptitude for instrumentation and field studies. Funding is available for start dates as early as May 1, 2022, but the start date can be delayed if needed. The positions will be filled as soon as suitable candidates are found.

Students can expect to acquire broad experience in the latest developments of modern geophysical surveying and data interpretation methods. Lessons and skills learned through these projects will be applicable to many industry sectors including exploration, engineering
and groundwater applications. This work is a collaboration between geophysical and hydrogeological faculty at UNB (K. Butler, K. MacQuarrie), Mount Allison University (P. Lelievre) and Memorial University (C. Farquharson) and involves engineering professionals from NB Power as well as the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture. Hence, this project can provide the student with many avenues for future academic, government or industry career trajectories.

For further information, or to submit an application, contact Dr. Karl Butler at  .

Undergraduate Opportunities in Thesis Project - Composition, physical properties, sourcing, and performance of climbing chalk

This project is in partnership with Flashed Sport Inc. (a bouldering gear and services company based out of Calgary with a team in Squamish) and NSERC. The goals of the partnership are: (1) to conduct a complete literature review of climbing chalk and sources; (2) to fully characterize the compositions and physical properties of 35 different varieties of commercially available climbing chalk; (3) to conduct comparative analysis of these varieties; (4) to improve the products, look for a western Canadian source for the raw materials, and investigate using CO₂ drawn from the atmosphere to make a more environmentally friendly climbing chalk. We will use powder X-ray diffraction, in particular the Rietveld method, to determine the size of the crystallites and the percentages of phases present and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to determine shapes/textures of the samples. We will also analyze chemical compositions using gas chromatography (particularly for liquid chalk samples). The student who works on this project will learn how to independently conduct the analytical techniques listed above, compile a manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, as well as have the opportunity to network with team members at Flashed and do plenty of climbing in Squamish!

To apply, please contact Lindsey Abdale at  . 

News & Events

BC Geophysical Society 2022 Workshop - “Drones in Geoscience”, May 12 & 13, 2022

The BC Geophysical Society is excited to announce our upcoming 2022 Workshop “Drones in Geoscience”, May 12 & 13, 2022.

This workshop offers a start-of-the-art examination of where the use of drones is now and where it is headed in the future in the applied geosciences. The first day will consist of lectures and presentations from experts in drone fabrication and from service providers discussing how drones are used for geoscience purposes. The second day will be at a local outdoor facility where attendees can watch professionals demonstrate their equipment and techniques, showing advanced and innovative drones in flight.

Our keynote speaker will be Ron Bell, Senior geoDRONEologist and Geophysicist. His talk will be titled “A Vision of Drones for Geoscientific Mapping”.

For details and registration please see here.

"Eurasian Environments" - Dr. Bathsheba Demuth of Brown University - REGISTER NOW! 

We are honored to have Dr. Bathsheba Demuth, of Brown University, join us next Thursday, April 21 at 12.30pm via Zoom, for the first talk of the CES Speaker Series, “Eurasian Environments”.

Speaker:  Dr. Bathsheba Demuth, Assistant Professor of History & Environment and Society at Brown University.

Title: “The Reindeer at the End of the World: Climate, Apocalypse, and Soviet Dreams”

Abstract: Climate change and other alterations to the Earth caused by human activity are often described in apocalyptic terms: as Armageddon, or the end of the world. Nowhere is this more true than in the Arctic, where the rates of warming are twice that of temperate regions and have been visible for decades. This talk turns to the history of the Chukchi Peninsula, in far eastern Siberia, a place that has experienced radical changes in the past: first with the founding of the Soviet Union and then with its dissolution. Weaving a story of devoted Bolshviks, Chukchi nomads, and herds of reindeer, it explores what kinds of narratives suit the empirical experience of radical change, what is lost when we emphasize rupture, and what is gained by paying attention to the ruins left by past ways of living as we face a transformed Arctic - and planet.

Bio: Bathsheba Demuth is an Assistant Professor of History and Environment and Society at Brown University, where she specializes in the lands and seas of the Russian and North American Arctic. Her multiple-prize winning first book, Floating Coast: An Environmental History of the Bering Strait (W.W. Norton) was named a Nature Top Ten Book of 2019 and Best Book of 2019 by NPR, Kirkus Reviews, and Library Journal among others. Demuth holds a BA and MA from Brown University, and an MA and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. Her writing has appeared in publications from The American Historical Review to The New Yorker and the Best American Science and Nature Writing.

Register here.