Opportunities

Two funded PhD positions (4 years) are available in Dr. Olefeldt's research group, the Catchment and Wetland Sciences Research Group at University of Alberta. Both positions will conduct research with the goal to understand biogeochemical impacts of permafrost thaw, with implications for emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and the downstream mobilization of carbon, nutrients, and contaminants such as mercury.

The first PhD position focuses on soil biogeochemistry, with substantial lab experiments on soil cores from both peatlands and mineral soils. The aim will be to improve existing microbial soil carbon models to better represent permafrost regions. The student will also monitor soil redox conditions at northern wetland sites where there is ongoing eddy co-variance monitoring of greenhouse gas fluxes, which will help connect lab experiments with field data. The project is called "Microbial and physiochemical pathways of permafrost soil carbon stability and their integration into a soil carbon model"

The second PhD position will investigate the storage of carbon, nutrients and mercury in peatlands across a permafrost gradient (sporadic to continuous permafrost), and assess their potential downstream mobilization after permafrost thaw and wildfire. The peat analysis will include radiocarbon analysis, elemental analysis, analysis of humification, macrofossil analysis, and incubation analysis of peat lability. The project is called “Impacts of thaw and fire on downstream aquatic ecosystems on the peatland-rich Taiga Plains"

Both positions are based at University of Alberta in Edmonton, but will have collaborators at several Canadian Universities, and both projects include additional graduate students working on synergistic projects. Field work will primarily be conducted in western Canada, at established sites along the Mackenzie River from northern Alberta to the Mackenzie River delta. We have collaborations at all these sites with the First Nation communities, who will be involved in field data collection, interpretation, and dissemination.

Applications should hold a MSc degree in related field, e.g. with experience with soil biogeochemistry, peatland science, and permafrost processes. Both positions are funded at at least $26,000CAD per year, for four years. Ideal start date is January or May 2026, with fieldwork starting during the 2026 summer. For more information about the positions, contact Dr. David Olefeldt at olefeldt@ualberta.ca with you CV.

Two fully-funded Ph.D. studentships are available at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, to study how wildfire affects the ecosystem function of boreal peatlands

Ph.D. 1: This student will examine how wildfire affects the carbon cycling and greenhouse gas emissions in boreal peatlands 

Ph.D. 2: This student will study how boreal peatlands are vulnerable to wildfire and how ecosystem functions of boreal peatlands are affected by wildfire under climate change using spatial modeling

The starting date for these positions is May 2026, but an earlier starting date is also possible, upon discussion.

If you are interested, please send a letter of motivation/research statement, evidence of English Proficiency for international students), up-to-date curriculum vitae, unofficial transcripts, and a copy of any publication (if available) to Dr. Jianghua Wu at jianghuaw@mun.ca "PhD-peatland fire GHG" if you are interested in Ph.D. 1; or with subject “PhD-Peatland fire spatial modeling” if you are interested in Ph.D.2. Only the potentially selected candidates will be contacted for further discussions.

A PDF position is available at the University of Waterloo to develop the reactive transport sub-models that evaluate the biogeochemical transformations of carbon and nutrients in peatlands under examples of anthropogenic disturbances and climatic scenarios to estimate the changes in carbon stocks and budgets for the future peatland ecosystems carbon balances. The outputs of these sub-models will be incorporated into the Canadian Model for Peatlands, to improve regional to national estimates of Net ecosystem exchange and carbon emissions into the Canadian Model for Peatlands frameworks for application at multiple scales and for spatially-referenced and spatially-explicit modelling approaches.

If you have any questions regarding the application process and, eligibility, or a request for accommodation during the selection process, please contact Dr. Fereidoun Rezanezhad (frezanez@uwaterloo.ca) and Dr. Philippe Van Cappellen (pvc@uwaterloo.ca).

To apply, send a single PDF file with your motivation to apply, research interests, CV, transcripts, and contact information for up to 3 references to Dr. Fereidoun Rezanezhad at frezanez@uwaterloo.ca

For more information, click here.

There are two PhD student openings to join the CARCLIQUE Research Chair in the département des sciences biologiques at UQAM, Montrèal, Canada. These positions focus on carbon cycling in Québec’s wetlands, ranging from forested peatlands and swamps in the south to Arctic ecosystems in Nunavik.

These projects will suit students interested in ecosystems, climate change, fieldwork, and biogeochemical processes. The work involves both field and laboratory components, with opportunities to engage in research on wetlands, carbon fluxes, hydrology, and microbiology across a wide diversity of landscapes.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. For questions or to apply, please contact: davidson.scott_j@uqam.ca