Contact
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
+1 519 888 4567, ext. 31320
GWF-UW@uwaterloo.ca
Visit
Centre for Environmental and Information Technology (EIT)
Room 1006
Global Water Futures (GWF): Solutions to Water Threats in an Era of Global Change is a collaborative initiative between multiple Canadian universities and partner organizations funded, in part, through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.
The program (GWF) aims to deliver risk management solutions for water resources and services – informed by leading edge water science and supported by innovative decision-making tools – in Canada and throughout the cold regions of the world. Key research areas include predicting change in Cold Regions, developing Big Water data and support systems, and designing user solutions that focus on real world problems.
University of Waterloo researchers are looking to hire scientists and specialists as part of the latest projects funded by GWF. All positions are headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Ph.D student to join Lake Futures: Algal bloom predictors project
Exciting opportunity for a Ph.D. student to join the Lake Futures: Algal bloom predictors project, funded under the Global Water Futures program. The successful candidate would be enrolled in the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Earth and Environmental Sciences graduate program under the Collaborative Water Program, (supported by the Water Institute) at the University of Waterloo.
Starting date: January 1, 2018
More information
Nuisance and harmful algal blooms represent a major and growing threat to water security across Canada and the world because of their undesirable ecological, economic and health impacts. This project aims to strengthen the predictive understanding and forecasting of the timing, spatial extent and intensity of algal blooms in the Great Lakes. The student will have the opportunity to work with remote sensing observations to derive the relationship between algal distributions and environmental drivers, including inland (precipitation and river discharge) and lake (ice cover, temperature, wind speed, solar radiation) meteorological forcings, nutrient sources, water temperature, light penetration, water quality (water color, DOC, nutrients) and circulation patterns. Statistical relationships will be identified using multivariate analyses. Bayesian probabilistic and neural network models will be used to further narrow down the drivers that best predict the initiation and proliferation of algal blooms.
Applicants
Potential applicants should be highly motivated, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively, and possess strong verbal and written communication skills. Applicants should have meaningful experience in remote sensing techniques and understating of numerical models and statistical analysis.
To be eligible, the applicant must have successfully defended and submitted their MSc thesis prior to the proposed start date.
How to apply
Qualified individuals are encouraged to submit their application by email to Dr. Homa Kheyrollah Pour: h2kheyro@uwaterloo.ca, copying Tatjana Milojevic: gwfuw@uwaterloo.ca. Please attach a single PDF file that contains a letter of research interest, curriculum vitae, transcripts and the names and contact information of 2-3 references. The subject line should read GWF-Lake Future-PhD Position 2018.
Evaluation of the applications will begin October 1, 2017. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Project Manager for Agricultural Water Futures
Reports to: Dr. Merrin Macrae, Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo
Location: Main University of Waterloo campus
Wage: $50,000/year + benefits for a 3-year term with possible extension beyond this.
Start Date: October 1, 2017, or earlier
Job Description:
The position primarily involves supporting the Principal Investigator, Merrin Macrae, in managing a large, multi-university project focused on climate change and agricultural systems across Canada. The project, Agricultural Water Futures (AWF), is one of the University of Waterloo led projects funded under Global Water Futures. AWF involves 16 university and government scientists from three Canadian universities, three federal government agencies, and a number of provincial/regional organizations. Duties are to ensure: i) the ready flow of data and information within the network and to and from users and collaborators via database management; ii) network communications including meetings, website development and maintenance, reports, newsletters, briefings, presentations and workshops; iii) budget and financial accountability; iv) documented committee meetings, and v) the smooth operation of AWF and its reporting to the funding agencies, users and the public. Additionally, the position involves providing scientific and technical support for the research programs of the PI and one co-Investigator (R. Gordon, WLU).
Full job description including qualifications, responsibilities and application instructions.
Groundwater Modeling Research Scientist
We are looking to hire at the PDF or Research Scientist level in the area of Groundwater Modeling at the University of Waterloo (UW) as part of a multidisciplinary GWF modeling and forecasting team. The candidate will directly link to UW research strengths in hydrogeology, hydrology, ecohydrology, environmental (bio)geochemistry, high-performance computing, information systems, water economics, and water governance. The successful candidate will be directly involved in the GWF research projects and end-user needs.
Position
The successful candidate will be able to engage in a wide range of topics, including groundwater flow and contaminant fate and transport modeling, groundwater-surface water interactions, integrated hydrologic modeling, vadose zone process modeling including freeze-thaw phenomena, source water protection, ecohydrology, uncertainty and risk assessment analysis and hydroeconomics. Specific skills that would be beneficial for this position include: advanced numerical methods; ability to program in a high-level programming language; and experience with fully integrated, variably saturated hydrologic models applied at multiple scales. The candidate will work under the supervision of Professor David Rudolph and their performance will be assessed annually. Funding for the position is available for up to three years.
Applicants
Applicants must have a PhD in a relevant water science field or in civil/environmental engineering. They must demonstrate strong quantitative skills and have a track record of research productivity, including peer-reviewed publications. Previous postdoctoral experience is desirable, but not necessary. Additional desired qualifications include experience supervising students, good communication skills and fluency in English. They must be able to work independently, as well as part of a multidisciplinary research team. They will be expected to produce peer-reviewed journal publications and technical reports. They will interact on a regular basis with external partners and practitioners.
Applications
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter in which they state their motivation and professional expectations. In addition, a curriculum vitae, academic transcripts and contact information of three references are required. All documentation submitted must be assembled in a single pdf file and sent to gwf-uw@uwaterloo.ca with PDS-GWMod-YourName in the subject line.
Applications will be accepted immediately and reviewed beginning September 29, 2017. The positions will remain open until filled. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Smart Watershed Field Technician
The Smart Watershed Field Technician will work as part of a core technical support team of the Global Water Futures (GWF) program. The University of Waterloo core technical team will include a Remote Sensing Scientist, a Sensors Network Technician, a Water Quality and Aquatic Ecosystems Technician, a Smart Watershed Field Technician, and a Smart Watershed Laboratory Technician. It will bring together the necessary expertise and capacity to fully implement "smart", interoperable water and watershed monitoring approaches, including linking "live" data streams with legacy data associated with relevant GWF projects.
Global Water Futures: Solutions to Water Threats in an Era of Global Change is a collaborative initiative between multiple Canadian universities and partner organizations. The research program is led by the University of Saskatchewan and is funded in part by a $77.8-million grant from the Canada First Excellence Research Fund. GWF aims to deliver risk management solutions for water resources and services - informed by leading edge water science and supported by innovative decision-making tools - in Canada and throughout the cold regions of the world.
Additional information is available on the Careers at Waterloo website, job listing 2017-1736.
Water Quality and Aquatic Ecosystem Technician
The Water Quality and Aquatic Ecosystem Technician will work as part of a core technical support team of the Global Water Futures (GWF) program. The University of Waterloo core technical team will include a Remote Sensing Technologist, a Sensors Network Scientist, a Water Quality and Aquatic Ecosystems Technician, a Smart Watershed Field Technician, and a Smart Watershed Laboratory Technician. It will bring together the necessary expertise and capacity to fully implement "smart", interoperable water and watershed monitoring approaches, including linking "live" data streams with legacy data associated with relevant GWF projects.
Global Water Futures: Solutions to Water Threats in an Era of Global Change is a collaborative initiative between multiple Canadian universities and partner organizations. The research program is led by the University of Saskatchewan and is funded in part by a $77.8-million grant from the Canada First Excellence Research Fund. GWF aims to deliver risk management solutions for water resources and services - informed by leading edge water science and supported by innovative decision-making tools - in Canada and throughout the cold regions of the world.
Additional information is available on the Careers at Waterloo website, job listing 2017-1735.
Smart Sensors Network Technician
The Smart Sensors Network Technician will work as part of a core technical support team of the Global Water Futures (GWF) program. The University of Waterloo core technical team will include a Remote Sensing Scientist, a Sensors Network Technician, a Water Quality and Aquatic Ecosystems Technician, a Smart Watershed Field Technician, and a Smart Watershed Laboratory Technician. It will bring together the necessary expertise and capacity to fully implement "smart", interoperable water and watershed monitoring approaches, including linking "live" data streams with legacy data associated with relevant GWF projects.
The GWF program is a collaborative initiative between multiple Canadian universities and partner organizations funded, in part, through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (http://gwf.usask.ca/) and led by the University of Saskatchewan. GWF aims to deliver risk management solutions for water resources and services - informed by leading edge water science and supported by innovative decision-making tools - in Canada and throughout the cold regions of the world.
Additional information is available on the Careers at Waterloo website, job listing 2017-1765.
Two postdoctorial positions in biogeochemical and ecosystem modelling
Two postdoctoral scientist (PDS) positions are available in the ecohydrology research group at the University of Waterloo. The positions are part of Global Water Futures: Solutions to Water Threats in an Era of Global Change, a large collaborative initiative involving multiple Canadian universities and partner organizations.
The two PDS will focus on the theoretical and numerical modeling of biogeochemical and ecosystem processes in catchments and lakes. Of particular interest will be to link local-scale reactive transformations and ecological interactions to regional-scale hydrological and biogeochemical fluxes. The PDS will work within a multidisciplinary team with significant strengths in ecohydrology, limnology, environmental (bio)geochemistry, aquatic ecology, high-performance computing, information systems and water governance.
One researcher (PDS1) will use multicomponent reactive transport modeling to quantify transformations and exchanges of carbon, nutrients and metals at reactive interfaces along the terrestrial water cycle (rhizosphere, capillary fringe, riparian soils, streambed and reservoir sediments). The other researcher (PDS2) will apply deductive and inductive modeling approaches to simulate and forecast algal blooms along the margins of large lakes. The PDS will be expected to interface with colleagues carrying out observational studies, and to interact on a regular basis with external partners and practitioners.
Applicants must have 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 applicants who have demonstrated experience in mathematical modeling, programming and numerical analysis. Experience with relevant software and modeling platforms, high performance computing and model-data assimilation techniques is desirable, but not necessary.
The PDS will work under the supervision of Professor Philippe Van Cappellen and their performance will be assessed annually. Funding for the positions is available for up to three years. Interested applicants should submit a cover letter in which they identify the position (PDS1 or PDS2) for which they wish to be considered, and state their motivation and professional expectations. In addition, a curriculum vitae, academic transcripts and contact information of three references are required. All documentation submitted must be assembled in a single pdf file and sent to gwf-uw@uwaterloo.ca with PDSMOD-GWF-YourName in the subject line.
Applications will be accepted immediately and reviewed beginning Aug 21, 2017. The positions will remain open until filled. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
PhD student for Lake Futures project
PhD opportunity: Linking Land and Water - Modeling causes and consequences of nutrient loadings to Lake Erie with incomplete information.
Start date: January 1, 2018
The successful applicant will work in the laboratory of Rebecca Rooney, University of Waterloo, co-advised by Jan Ciborowski, University of Windsor, and will enroll in the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Biology-Water graduate program under the Collaborative Water Program, supported by the Water Institute at the University of Waterloo.
About the project
Our ability to effectively manage aquatic ecosystems is limited by our ability to monitor system inputs or to predict the complex environmental responses. Both conceptual and mechanistic models are important tools in helping to understand ecological relationships in aquatic ecosystems and to create hypotheses about causal pathways that can improve natural resource management. Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) offer an approach that summarizes qualitative and semi-quantitative information.
The student will have the opportunity to evaluate, refine and develop FCM models to improve our understanding of the associations between land-based drivers of eutrophication (agriculture, rural and urban development) and biological manifestations of concern in Lake Erie (harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, Cladophora fouling, botulism).
The model pathways showing the strongest associations between drivers and biological response variables will identify candidate indicator variables whose association with drivers will be subsequently calibrated using machine learning algorithms. Identification of appropriate indicators is a major knowledge gap constraining management of eutrophication related issues in Lake Erie. This project offers a substantial opportunity for the student to work collaboratively the Lake Erie Management community to plan and undertake co-operative monitoring in Lake Erie and its watersheds.
Additional information about the project is available here.
Qualifications and skills
To be eligible, applicants must have successfully defended and submitted their MSc thesis prior to the proposed start date. Applicants should have strong interests in quantitative ecology and a background in food webs or nutrient dynamics of aquatic ecosystems. They should be highly motivated, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively, and possess strong verbal and written communication skills.
Application instructions
Send cover letter, C.V., unofficial transcripts, and the contact information of three references to:
Tatjana Milojevic (GWF-UW@uwaterloo.ca) with PhD-LFWP3-YourName in the subject line. All documentation submitted must be assembled in a single PDF file.
PhD student position, environmental genomics project
Position available for PhD student to provide research support on the Next Generation Solutions to Ensure Healthy Water Resources for Future Generations project.
The successful applicant will work in the laboratories of Barb Katzenback and Paul Craig at the University of Waterloo
Our ability to effectively manage aquatic ecosystem health, and the organisms that reside within, is limited by our ability to effectively monitor and detect changes in said environment. An emerging technology is the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) as a molecular fingerprint for the presence and abundance of organisms.
The PhD student will be afforded the opportunity to conduct field-based experimentation to validate the utility of using eDNA methodologies for detecting target aquatic species and then apply these methodologies to local waterways for the development of end-user tools for monitoring aquatic ecosystem health and prediction of changes to aquatic populations.
The goals of this project are to:
- Determine whether eDNA signatures are a reliable indicator of species presence and abundance in comparison to traditional survey approaches
- Determine eDNA signatures in local waterways to inform on the presence and migration of native, non-native and endangered aquatic species
- Determine the feasibility of using eDNA methodologies as a monitoring tool for various users (academia, government, non-government organizations).
This work will be conducted in collaboration with Mark Servos and Andrew Doxey at the University of Waterloo and with John Giesy at the University of Saskatchewan.
Potential applicants should be highly motivated, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively, and possess strong verbal and written communication skills. Applicants should have meaningful experience in molecular biology and statistical analysis of biological data. Fieldwork experience and proficiency with bioinformatics is considered an asset. However, a willingness to learn these skills is required.
The successful candidate would be enrolled in the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Biology-Water graduate program under the Collaborative Water Program, supported by the Water Institute at the University of Waterloo. The candidate’s home department will be the Biology Department at the University of Waterloo.
To be eligible, the applicant must have successfully defended and submitted their MSc thesis prior to the proposed start date.
Starting date: Jan 1, 2018
How to apply
Qualified individuals are encouraged to apply by emailemail to Barb Katzenback and Paul Craig. Please attach a single PDF file that contains a letter of research interest, CV, transcripts and the names and contact information of 2-3 references. The subject line should read GWF-PhD Position 2018.
Evaluation of the applications will begin August 1, 2017. Top applicants will be contacted for an interview.