Positions available

We invite applications for two postdoctoral fellow (PDF), five PhD and two MSc positions to participate in acollaborative research project to assemble and propose solution options for urban green stormwater management (SWM) infrastructure that optimize the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGs; CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O). The project aims to quantify the landscape-scale drivers and processes within stormwater ponds (SWPs) and bioretention systems (BRSs) that control GHG exchanges. The resulting knowledge will be integrated into robust representations of SWPs and BRSs in coupled hydrology-biogeochemistry models to analyze the responses of urban GHG emissions and nutrients export to the implementation and management of green SWM infrastructure.

The main supervisor for each position is listed in parentheses; however, each position will have an interdisciplinary supervisory team consisting of multiple project team members.

Instructions for applying can be found below.

PDF-1 will use statistical predictors including land use/land cover, climate variables, event characteristics, and system design to identify drivers of GHG emissions from green SWM infrastructure. (Elodie Passeport, University of Toronto)

PDF-2 will use biogeochemical modeling to predict GHG emissions from green SWM systems and propose solution options for municipal and regional climate action. (Philippe Van Cappellen, University of Waterloo)

PhD-1 will quantify GHG emissions from green SWM infrastructure using existing GHG emission data plus field monitoring of GHG fluxes at SWP and BRS sites with fixed and floating chambers. (Fereidoun Rezanezhad, University of Waterloo)

PhD-3 will generate mass balances of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in SWM infrastructure to assess trade-offs between GHG reduction and water quality protection. (Philippe Van Cappellen, University of Waterloo)

PhD-4 will simulate and analyze management scenarios with variable SWM configurations and hydroclimatic conditions in urban watersheds to optimize the reduction of GHG emissions at the watershed scale. (Andrea Brookfield, University of Waterloo)

PhD-5 will test the full-scale feasibility of geochemical interventions in SWPs and BRSs that increase carbon sequestration in green SWM infrastructure. (Bahram Gharabaghi, University of Guelph)

The PDFs and students will work closely together within a highly interdisciplinary team of researchers fromUniversity of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Toronto and University of Guelph. The researchteam will regularly interact with scientists, practitioners, decision-makers, and public participants fromstakeholder organizations, including Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), City of Kitchener, Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA), Muslim Families,and Crozier & Associates Consulting Engineers.

Applicants must have (or expect to soon complete) a degree relevant to the position applied for. Preferencewill be given to candidates with strong quantitative skills and demonstrated experience in one or more of the following or closely related areas: biogeochemistry, aquatic chemistry, hydrology, soil science, and environmental modeling and risk assessment. There will be flexibility in locations of the positions. Exceptional candidates who prefer to undertake a Master’s degree in one of the PhD topics above will be considered.

Please submit your application package electronically as a single pdf file to the GWF Project Coordinator (gwf-uw@uwaterloo.ca). In your email, include “Missions_yourname” in the subject line. Your applications should contain:

- Which PDF, PhD-# or MSc-# position(s) you wish to be considered for

- A letter explaining your motivation to apply

- Curriculum vitae

- Copy of transcripts (unofficial transcripts will be accepted at the application stage)

Closing date: Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Preference will be given to applications submitted before June 1, 2023.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those individuals selected for an interview willbe contacted.

The partnering universities in this project are committed to implementing the Calls to Action framed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We regard equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) as an integral part of academic excellence. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities.

If you have any questions regarding the application process, eligibility, or a request for accommodation during the selection process, please contact gwf-uw@uwaterloo.ca.

We invite applications for two postdoctoral fellow (PDF), two PhD and three MSc positions to participate in acollaborative research project to develop and apply new methods to extract, treat and visualize concentrations, hydrological flows, chemical loads, and related water quality indicators at the watershed scale.The project will combine hydrological and water quality modelling, data science methods, chemical load estimations, and the development of digital visualization and interpretation tools. We will focus on past and projected trends in nutrient and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) export from watersheds and their impacts on receiving water bodies, including lakes and coastal marine environments.

The main supervisor for each position is listed in parentheses; however, each position will have an interdisciplinary supervisory team consisting of multiple project team members.

Instructions for applying can be found below.

PDF-2 will focus on current and future trajectories of DOC and nutrient loading to the Arctic Ocean by Canadian rivers in the context of climate and LULC changes. (Philippe Van Cappellen, UWaterloo)

PhD-2 will assemble a comprehensive national DOC database and reconstruct DOC load trajectories for northern watersheds. (Philippe Van Cappellen, UWaterloo)

MSc-3 will derive P and N loads to Lake Winnipeg from observed (past) and projected (future) river discharge and changes in C-Q predictor variables. (Alain Pietroniro, UCalgary)

The PDFs and students will work closely together within a highly interdisciplinary team of researchers fromUniversity of Waterloo, University of Calgary, and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). The PDF-1 and MSc-3 positions will be located at the University of Calgary, all others at University of Waterloo, with possibilities of secondments at ECCC locations in Burlington, ON, or Saskatoon, SK.The research teamwill regularly interact with scientists at stakeholder organizations, including ECCC, DataStream, and Lake Winnipeg Foundation.

Applicants must have (or expect to soon complete) a degree relevant to the position applied for. Preferencewill be given to candidates with strong quantitative skills and demonstrated experience in one or more of the following or closely related areas: hydrology, water quality, biogeochemistry, data science, and human-computer interaction.

Please submit your application package electronically as a single pdf file to Anita Ghosh (a9ghosh@uwaterloo.ca). In your email, include “CLAWAVE_yourname” in the subject line. Your applications should contain:

- Which PDF, PhD-# or MSc-# position(s) you wish to be considered for

- A letter explaining your motivation to apply

- Curriculum vitae

- Copy of transcripts (unofficial transcripts will be accepted at the application stage)

Closing date: Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Preference will be given to applications submitted before May 15, 2023.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those individuals selected for an interview will be contacted.

The University of Waterloo is committed to implementing the Calls to Action framed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We respectfully acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High, committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

University of Waterloo and University of Calgary regard equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) as an integral part of academic excellence. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities.

If you have any questions regarding the application process, eligibility, or a request for accommodation during the selection process, please contact a9ghosh@uwaterloo.ca.

We invite applications for one PhD position to participate in a collaborative research project on mitigation of methane emission hot-spots from municipal landfills. The main goal of the project is to improve methane emission monitoring at landfills by combining state-of-the-art soil measurements. The team will develop methods to reduce emissions using methane-consuming microbes from landfill cover soils and develop a toolkit for mitigating hot-spot emissions and maximizing methane oxidation rates at landfills.

PhD studentwill conduct methane-amended enrichment culture experiments to quantify methane oxidation capacity for landfill cover soils by applying seasonal simulations to assess the resilience of methane oxidation activity under differing temperatures representative of Canadian climate extremes. PhDstudentwill also develop the reactive transport model of hot-spot methane emission dynamics from active and closed municipal landfills that will include gas transport dynamics, microbial community response, and seasonal effects. The model will also include variably saturated soil conditions, subsurface heat, and gas transport, as well as thermodynamically-based models that predict reaction trajectories of multi-functional soil microbial communities under variable physical-chemical conditions.

Applicants must have (or expect to soon complete) a degree in biogeochemistry, hydrology, soil science or a related field. Preference will be given to candidates with strong quantitative skills and demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas: terrestrial biogeochemistry, environmental engineering, reactive transport modeling, and environmental climate change impact analysis. MSc student position can be created in lieu of PhD position for candidates who prefer to undertake a Master’s degree.

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). Please submit your application package electronically as a single pdf file to Dr. Fereidoun Rezanezhad (frezanez@uwaterloo.ca). In your application email, please include “Landfills-PhD#_yourname” in the subject line and attach a single PDF file that contains:

• Your motivation for applying to the position and your research interests
• Curriculum vitae
• Copy of transcript(s) (unofficial transcripts will be accepted at the application stage)
• Contact information for up to 3 references

Closing date: Applications will be reviewed as they are received. The positions will remain open until filled. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those individuals selected for an interview will be contacted.

The University 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 ten kilometers on each side of the Grand River.

The University of Waterloo regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. As such, we encourage applications from women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Metis and Inuit), Black and members of racialized groups, individuals in the LGBTQ2+ communities, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

We invite applications for a PhD position in the Ecohydrology Research Group at University of Waterloo, Canada, to work on biogeochemical reactive transport modeling to simulate the fate and fluxes of gases, nutrients and contaminants at key interfaces within the landscapes (e.g., agricultural, landfills, peatlands). The focus will be on the coupling of biogeochemical reactions to transport processes in near-surface environments (e.g., soils, sediments). PhD student will develop the reactive transport model of greenhouse gas emission dynamics in physically and chemically heterogeneous porous media at a variety of scales, from pore to column to field. The model will include gas transport dynamics, microbial community response, and seasonal effects, as well as thermodynamically-based modules that predict reaction trajectories of multi-functional soil microbial communities under variable physical-chemical conditions. PhD student will have the opportunity to perform laboratory-scale experiments aimed to analyze the reactive transport processes in porous media and determine rates, mechanisms and products of biogeochemical transformations of nutrients and contaminants and provide experimental datasets for model calibration/validation.

Applicants with degrees in any field of science or engineering are welcome to apply but preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated skills and experience in (environmental) chemistry, biogeochemistry, hydro(geo)logy, numerical and reactive transport modeling, and environmental engineering.

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) or Dr. Philippe Van Cappellen (pvc@uwaterloo.ca). Please submit your application package electronically as a single pdf file to Dr. Fereidoun Rezanezhad (frezanez@uwaterloo.ca). In your application email, please include “PhD-RTM#_yourname” in the subject line and attach a single PDF file that contains:

• Your motivation for applying to the position and your research interests
• Curriculum vitae
• Copy of transcript(s) (unofficial transcripts will be accepted at the application stage)
• Contact information for up to 3 references

Closing date: Applications will be reviewed as they are received. The positions will remain open until filled. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those individuals selected for an interview will be contacted.

The University 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 ten kilometers on each side of the Grand River.

The University of Waterloo regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. As such, we encourage applications from women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Metis and Inuit), Black and members of racialized groups, individuals in the LGBTQ2+ communities, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

We invite applications for a postdoctoral Fellow (PDF) position to participate in a collaborative research project called “Can-Peat: Canada’s peatlands as nature-based solutions to climate change”. The main goal of the Can-Peat project is to quantify the potential of peatland management in Canada to contribute to climate change mitigation as a nature-based solution. The Can-Peat project objectives are to create a Canadian peatland research network to advance models of peatland carbon cycling from site to national-scale and develop a decision-support framework for peatland management.

PDFwill 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. The PDF will have the opportunity to work with a team of researchers from the University of Waterloo and collaborators from partners in governments, industries, and conservation organizations. 

Applicants must have (or expect to soon complete) a PhD in a relevant natural science or engineering field, and have a track record of research productivity, including peer-reviewed publications. Preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated skills and experience in one or more of the following areas: terrestrial biogeochemistry, environmental engineering, reactive transport modeling, and environmental climate change impact analysis. The PDF will work within a multidisciplinary team with significant strengths in ecohydrology, environmental-(bio)geochemistry, hydrogeology, soil science, and high-performance computing. Funding for the positions is available for up to two years.

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). Please submit your application package electronically as a single pdf file to Dr. Fereidoun Rezanezhad (frezanez@uwaterloo.ca). In your application email, please include “Can-Peat-PDF_yourname” in the subject line and attach a single PDF file that contains:

• Your motivation for applying to the position and your research interests
• Curriculum vitae
• Copy of transcript(s) (unofficial transcripts will be accepted at the application stage)
• Contact information for up to 3 references

Closing date: Applications will be reviewed as they are received. The positions will remain open until filled. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those individuals selected for an interview will be contacted.

The University 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 ten kilometers on each side of the Grand River.

The University of Waterloo regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. As such, we encourage applications from women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Metis and Inuit), Black and members of racialized groups, individuals in the LGBTQ2+ communities, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.