Opportunities

We are looking to hire one (1) Research Associate (RA) at the University of Waterloo (UW) as part of a multidisciplinary GWF modelling and forecasting team. The RA will directly link to UW research strengths in ecohydrology, environmental (bio)geochemistry, geomicrobiology, contaminant fate and transport, northern landscapes, Big Data science, and water governance. Hence, the RA will be ideally positioned to mobilize this capacity in support of ongoing GWF research projects and end-user needs.

Position:

The RA will engage in a wide range of research topics at the interface of groundwater-surface water interactions, soil biogeochemistry, nutrient fluxes and speciation, water quality protection, climate and land use change impacts, uncertainty and risk assessment analyses. The RA position maps to the following areas:

1. Carbon and nutrient dynamics across cold regions;

2. Winter soil processes and impacts on water quality and soil-atmosphere exchanges;

3. Environmental change and climate vulnerability.

Applicants:

Applicants must have a PhD in a relevant science field. They must demonstrate strong quantitative skills in mathematical modelling and a solid knowledge of environmental (geo)sciences. They are expected to have a track record of research productivity, including peer-reviewed publications. Previous postdoctoral experience is desirable. Additional desired qualifications include experience with (i) numerical methods, (ii) assimilation of multidisciplinary research data in diagnostic and prognostic model applications, (iii) statistical data analysis techniques, including AI techniques, and (iv) translating new developments in cold regions science into predictive models of environmental change. If experience is lacking in one or several of these qualifications, applicants must show evidence of their capacity to rapidly acquire new quantitative skills and implement them in their research processes.

Applicants will be expected to have good communication skills and be fluent in English. They must be able to work independently, as well as within 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 other GWF modellers as well as with external partners and practitioners.

Position Details:

Company: University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1

Terms of Employment: 2-Year Contract (with possibility of renewal)

Location of Work: University main campus

Wage: $57,000/ year

Note that preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

Applications:

Applicants must submit a cover letter that identifies their fit with the area(s) listed above and state their motivation and professional expectations. In addition, a curriculum vitae, academic transcripts and contact information of at least two references are required. All documentation submitted must be assembled in a single pdf file and sent to GWF-UW@uwaterloo.ca with RA-GWF-UW in the subject line.

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

The position will remain open until filled.

Equity Statement

The University of Waterloo 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 six miles on each side of the Grand River.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuit/Inuk, Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Accessibility Statement

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567, ext. 35935.

Positions description

These MSc positions are related to a project recently funded by the Global Water Futures, ‘Managing Urban Eutrophication Risks under Climate Change: An Integrated Modelling and Decision Support Framework’ at the University of Waterloo. The project aims to develop a toolbox for assessing the vulnerability and exposure of Lake Ontario’s water quality to excessive phosphorus (P) export due to urbanization and climate change. The focus will be on eutrophication risks and Cladophora growth in the littoral zone of the Western basin of Lake Ontario (WLO) driven by urban P inputs from Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe, which includes the Greater Toronto Area.

Position #1: We are seeking a Master student to study how water quality changes, driven by urban P loads and frequency of algal blooms, affect recreational water use possibilities in Lake Ontario. The student will apply biophysical modelling and mapping tools to the littoral zone of the WLO and investigate how changes in ecosystem status are likely to affect recreational ecosystem services along the shoreline of WLO. This research is expected to contribute to Lake Ontario management actions by informing decision-makers (i) how changes in lake water quality are expected to affect valuable recreational ecosystem services, and (ii) to analyse cost-effectiveness of different management options for reducing urban P export.

Supervisors: Prof. Philippe Van Cappellen, Prof. Roy Brouwer, Dr. Rute Pinto

Eligibility: Applicants should hold a degree in environmental science, eco-hydrology, environmental geography, environmental or ecological economics, or a related discipline. The candidate should have good quantitative skills (for example in statistics or mathematical programming), as well as interest in spatial analysis of large datasets (for example using ArcGIS). Funding is available for two years.

Position #2: We are seeking a Master student to study the retrieval algorithm of Cladophora and Chl-a concentration utilizing remote sensing sensors to calibrate the developed algal growth model of western Lake Ontario. This research is a collaboration between Ecohydrology Lab at the University of Waterloo and ReSEC Lab at Wilfrid Laurier University. The research will contribute to assembling the suite of modeling and assessment tools that will link variable urban nutrient export fluxes to the ecological, social and economic impacts of eutrophication in the receiving surface waters.

Supervisors: Prof. Philippe Van Cappellen, Prof. Homa Kheyrollah Pour

Eligibility: Students interested should have a strong background and experience in one or a combination of Geography, Physics, Earth Science, Geomatics, and Biology. Strengths in programming, writing, statistical analysis, and the ability to work both independently and in a team are essential. The candidate should have good quantitative skills, Python programming as well as interest in spatial analysis of large datasets. Funding is available for two years.

Application Information Enquiries: For further information about position #1, please contact Dr. Rute Pinto (rute.pinto@uwaterloo.ca). Further information about position #2 can be obtained by contacting Dr. Kheyrollah Pour (hpour@wlu.ca).

Application Process: Interested candidates can submit a letter of application for position #1 to Dr. Rute Pinto (rute.pinto@uwaterloo.ca), and for position #2 to Dr. Kheyrollah Pour (hpour@wlu.ca). The letter of application should include (1) a cover letter outlining the student’s interest and motivation to work in the project, (2) relevant background and experience to increase eligibility, and (3) a full curriculum vitae.

Closing date: Applications will be reviewed as they are received. The positions will remain open until filled. Only those individuals selected for an interview will be contacted.

Opportunity: Application of novel airborne Ku and L-band SAR observations for watershed-scale seasonal snow mapping

Start date: 1 September 2020 or negotiable

A fully funded four-year PhD position is available in the ‘Transformative Sensor Technologies and Smart Watersheds for Canadian Water Futures’ project (TTSW) at the University of Waterloo. The position is 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. TTSW aims to develop, test, and employ advanced terrestrial, sub-orbital, and satellite remote sensing tools targeted to support research regarding the emerging spectrum of water related issues throughout cold regions.

More Information

The CryoSAR airborne radar system is a new and unique CFI-funded synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system specifically designed to make fully polarimetric and InSAR-capable observations of cold season environments at Ku and L-band frequencies.  The successful PhD candidate will explore ways that CryoSAR observations of snow can be used to estimate the distributions of snow water equivalent (SWE) at watershed-scales. To achieve this, the candidate will be expected to develop remote sensing modelling approaches that focus on SWE retrievals from SAR backscatter and InSAR observations. The successful candidate will be encouraged to be an active participant in winter field campaigns in prairie and alpine environments to characterize SWE and snowpack microstructure properties. They will also have access to a dedicated high-performance GPU-based processing system capable of conducting end-to-end SAR processing and SWE retrieval modelling.

The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Dr. Richard Kelly, and will collaborate with researchers at partner organizations involved with the CryoSAR project.

Eligibility

Ideally, you will have a strong background in quantitative remote sensing science, preferably with an understanding of Earth system science processes, especially hydrological science. Ideally, you should hold a degree in geographical science, geophysics, Earth science or engineering. The candidate should have strong analytical capabilities with a high degree of comfort across coding environments such as C, Python, R, IDL, Matlab or other programming languages commonly used in remote sensing. Strong communication skills are essential and the candidate should be able to work both independently and within a group setting both in field environments and in the lab.

Full funding is available for four years, pending satisfactory progress through the PhD program.

Application Instructions

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter stating their motivation and experience. In addition, a curriculum vitae, unofficial transcripts, and contact information for three references should be included in a single .pdf file and sent to Dr. Richard Kelly (rejkelly@uwaterloo.ca) with [PhD-TTSW-RichardKelly-2020] in the subject line.

We thank all applicants for their interest. However, only selected candidates will be contacted.

Opportunity: Estimation of snow water equivalent from airborne Ku and L-band SAR

Start date: 1 September 2019 or before

A fully funded four year PhD position is available in the ‘Transformative Sensor Technologies and Smart Watersheds for Canadian Water Futures’ project (TTSW) at the University of Waterloo. The position is 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. TTSW aims to develop, test, and employ advanced terrestrial, sub-orbital, and satellite remote sensing tools targeted to support research regarding the emerging spectrum of water-related issues throughout cold regions.

More Information

The objective of this PhD project will be to better quantify large-scale distributions of snow water equivalent (SWE) on land across various regions of Canada. In this project, a unique Ku and L-band SAR system called CryoSAR, under procurement through a successful CFI grant, will be deployed in different environments in Canada. The aim of this project is to demonstrate the capabilities of airborne imaging Ku and L-band SAR to create local to regional maps of SWE over several different domain types (tundra, prairie, maritime, alpine, and forested). The remote sensing science will focus on backscatter SAR signatures from these domains and explore InSAR opportunities. The candidate will have access to a unique facility with remote sensing data that are considered highly desirable for novel cold region observation studies.

The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Professor Richard Kelly through his Theoretical and Applied Earth Observation Science Lab, and will collaborate with researchers and private partner organizations for the airborne deployment of CryoSAR during dedicated field campaigns at selected sites from our network of instrumented observatories.

Eligibility

Ideally, the successful candidate will have a strong background in quantitative remote sensing science, preferably with an understanding of Earth system science processes, especially hydrological science. You should hold a degree in geographical science, geophysics, Earth science or engineering will be ideal. The candidate should have strong analytical capabilities with a high degree of comfort across coding environments such as C, Python, R, IDL, Matlab or other programming languages commonly used in remote sensing. Strong communication skills are essential and the candidate should be able to work both independently and within a group setting both in field environments and in the lab.

Full funding is available for four years, pending satisfactory progress through the PhD program.

Application Instructions

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter stating their motivation and expectations. In addition, a curriculum vitae, unofficial transcripts, and contact information for three references should be included in a single .pdf file and sent to Dr. Richard Kelly with [PhD-TTSW-RichardKelly] in the subject line.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only selected candidates will be contacted.