Opportunities

University of Waterloo, Faculty of Science, Science + AI Postdoctoral Scholar Positions

The Faculty of Science at the University of Waterloo is seeking applicants for 3 ‘Teaching and
Research Postdoctoral Scholar’ (PDS) positions in the areas of:

• AI for Health and Biomedical Sciences
• AI for Environment and Ecology
• AI for Physical Sciences

The successful applicants will have completed their doctoral degree in a program relevant to
Health and Biomedical Sciences (e.g., Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacy and Optometry),
Environment and Ecology (e.g., Biology, Environmental Science, Earth Science) or Physical
Sciences (Chemistry, Physics, Astrophysics). Their research must have substantively integrated
AI methodologies and have an interest teaching introductory Science + AI courses including
‘foundations of AI for Scientific Discovery’ and ‘applications of AI in Scientific Discovery’.

The PDS will spend the remainder of the year engaged in research under the supervision of one
or more faculty members of their choosing within the University of Waterloo, Faculty of Science.
This position is a 3-year renewable contract at a salary of $72K per annum. Interested individuals
should email their CV, statement of interest (1.5 pages maximum), as well as names and contact
details of three potential referees to Dr. Chris Houser (chouser@uwaterloo.ca) with ‘Science +
AI postdoc A search’ in the subject line no later than February 1, 2026. The anticipated start date
for this position is July 1, 2026, but no later than September 1, 2026.

Candidates must provide proof that all PhD degree requirements have been met before the start
date of their postdoctoral appointment. Candidates must have received their PhD or equivalent
degree (e.g. DSc) not more than 5 years (60 months) prior to an appointment start date.

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional
territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is
situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on
each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our
campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized
within our Indigenous Initiatives Obice (https://uwaterloo.ca/human-rights-equityinclusion/
indigenous initiatives).

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and stab.
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 Indigenous peoples (e.g., First Nations, Métis, Inuit/Inuk), Black,
racialized, people with disabilities, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have
any application, interview or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Dr. Chris
Houser (chouser@uwaterloo.ca).

April 1, 2025

Position: 1 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Start Date: January 2026
Project: Integrating Mechanistic and Machine Learning Models for Monitoring High-Risk Substances in Wastewater

Dr. Maricor Arlos and Dr. Wayne Parker from Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo are looking to supervise a PhD student starting January 2026. The student will work in an interdisciplinary environment, with researchers from biology, chemistry, and environmental engineering. This opportunity is part of a larger project addressing high-risk substances in wastewater systems.

Research Topic: The larger project addresses the current crisis of high-risk substances (drugs-of-abuse) by providing a reliable alternative way to track trends, so our public health system has an alternative tool to support their Harm Reduction programs. Using a combination of machine learning and mechanistic modelling approaches, the PhD student will develop tools for estimating micropollutant inputs to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and their removal through the plants. Integration with water quality models developed by our research team to assess risks in receiving environments will provide an opportunity for collaborative research.

Scope of research activities: collection of historical data (2014 – 2024) including WWTP operational parameters, weather conditions, sales/consumption data; data integration (databases), data cleaning and exploratory data analysis (visualization, correlations); initialization, application, and evaluation of several machine learning (ML) model algorithms; comparison of ML with existing mechanistic models (framework developed previously); integration of source, WWTP process, and river models in a single model architecture; field work may be required as part of the Grand River water survey to collect river samples for model validation.

Salary/Stipend: Minimum funding of $30,000 per year for up to four years. International students in a full-time PhD program receive an International Doctoral Student Award (IDSA), to minimize the difference between international and domestic tuition. Students are eligible for additional scholarships and awards. Graduate students at UW have access to benefits including a health and dental plan, subsidized access to the local transit system, and support for graduate students who are parents.

Why University of Waterloo? The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo is one of the world’s top engineering schools, and Canada’s largest. With a global reputation for academic excellence and a supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem, Waterloo Engineering is the place to be for graduate students. UW is Canada’s Most Innovative University (Maclean’s 2022) and is also ranked #1 in Canada for environmental science and engineering (Academic Work Ranking of Universities, 2023).

Typical minimum qualifications:
• Master’s degree in civil or environmental engineering (or a related field)
• Prior experience with micropollutant research is desirable
• Meet admission requirements set by the University of Waterloo.

How to apply: Please submit complete this form to indicate your interest in the position. Only complete applications submitted via this online form will be considered. For more questions, please send email to Maricor Arlos: maricor.arlos@uwaterloo.ca

There’s a place for you at Waterloo!

Commitment to Equity
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within our Office of Indigenous Relations.

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 Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

The University of Waterloo is committed to achieving barrier free accessibility for persons with disabilities studying, visiting and/or working at Waterloo. Waterloo stands by the responsibility to acknowledge, communicate, and promote an understanding of the complexity and uniqueness of the University of Waterloo’s campus community, presenting the ideals by which campus members should engage one another – with respect, sensitivity, and fairness – and to fostering an accessible campus environment for persons with disabilities. Learn more about Policy 58. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.

Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.

Location: Pacific Northwest National Lab’s campus in Richland, WA, USA

The Soils Ecosystem Team at PNNL invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to investigate rhizosphere processes influencing methane (CH₄) dynamics in northern peatlands. The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary team of researchers and will have access to world-class facilities and equipment hosted by PNNL. The candidate is expected to lead experiments, and participate in field sampling campaigns, and data-model integration efforts. 

Responsibilities:

• Develop and lead manipulative experiments on rhizosphere processes and trace gas cycling.
• Coordinate new plant and soil sampling campaigns.
• Integrate data streams across a large interdisciplinary project, including applying statistical and artificial intelligence tools to understand rhizosphere processes that influence peatland methane.
• Lead peer-reviewed publications on lab, field, and/or synthesis projects, and present research at conferences.

The position is based at PNNL’s Richland, WA campus with access to state-of-the-art facilities, including analytical laboratories and high-performance computing. 

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Candidates must have received a PhD within the past five years (60 months) or within the next 8 months from an accredited college or university.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A Ph.D. in ecosystem science, biogeochemistry, micrometeorology, ecology, soil science, or a related field. 
• Experience in one or more of the following topics: wetland or peatland trace gas cycling, rhizosphere processes or root trait ecology, laboratory manipulative experiments with a focus on plant-soil interactions, data syntheses.
• Proficiency in data analysis using R, Python, or other programming languages.
• Experience in one or more of the following: trace gas or root trait measurements (laboratory or field), laboratory experiments.
• Proven track record of peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in collaborative, interdisciplinary research environments.

Please email avni.malhotra@pnnl.gov if you have questions about the responsibilities/qualifications. Note that the position is open to non-US citizens.

Administrative details and how to apply:

https://careers.pnnl.gov/jobs/11061?lang=en-us

In addition to a CV, please include a cover letter highlighting your past research experiences, future research interests, and professional goals. 

We would like to share the below PhD opportunities with you and your network. See attached for more details.

PhD Opportunities – carbon dynamics in wetlands in Québec! 

I am recruiting two motivated PhD students to join the CARCLIQUE Research Chair and work on cutting-edge projects focused on the carbon cycle and hydrology of Québec’s wetlands — from forested peatlands in the south to the Arctic landscapes of Nunavik.

If you are passionate about ecosystems, climate change, fieldwork, and the carbon cycle, this is a unique opportunity to contribute to research with real-world impact.

Québec has an incredible diversity of natural wetlands!

• Fieldwork + laboratory work
• Wetlands, carbon fluxes, hydrology, microbiology
• Work in exceptional landscapes (including Nunavik!)

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Please contact: davidson.scott_j@uqam.ca with any questions or an application

Don’t hesitate to share or forward to anyone who might be interested!

Set on behalf of:

Scott J. Davidson, PhD

Assistant Professor in Wetland Carbon Dynamics 

Département des sciences biologiques

Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

Recruitment: Postdoctoral Fellow Position
Integrating Indigenous Traditional Knowledge to Document Indicators of Fish Health and Environmental Changes in the Northwest Territories
Project description:
Many communities across the Northwest Territories (NWT) rely on fish as a central component of their cultural identity, food security, and overall wellbeing. Local land users, Elders, and harvesters possess deep place-based expertise, built through generations of observation and experience, regarding how fish populations respond to shifting environmental conditions. The NWT is facing cumulative impacts from accelerating climate change, resource development, and other environmental stressors. These changes can alter water quality, disrupt habitats, influence reproductive cycles, and affect the abundance and distribution of key fish species. Land users across the NWT have been reporting changes to key fish species, such as different color, textures and smell of the flesh, changing fish parasites, and changing abundance and distribution. Integrating Traditional Knowledge (TK) with scientific methods can strengthen the capacity of governments and communities to respond proactively to emerging risks.
This project seeks to document and analyze that knowledge in a rigorous and respectful way to inform monitoring, management, and decision-making. This postdoctoral fellowship will support a multidisciplinary research project that investigates Indigenous TK related to fish health, habitat, reproduction, and stock dynamics to understand environmental change in the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada.
A core component of the fellowship will be meaningful community engagement. The postdoctoral fellow will work closely with Indigenous communities, regional partners, and a collaborative supervisory team to document TK related to fish health, including changes in body condition, behaviour, parasite load, timing of spawning, migration routes, and habitat use. The fellow will analyze these observations alongside existing ecological and environmental datasets to identify converging or contrasting patterns. The project will also explore how TK-based indicators can complement long-term monitoring programs and improve assessments of cumulative impacts on freshwater ecosystems. The project will be supervised by a multidisciplinary and multicenter team spanning the Université de Montréal, the University of Waterloo, the Government of NWT’s, NWT Cumulative Impacts Monitoring Program (NWT CIMP) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). This fellowship is funded by the NWT CIMP, whose mandate is to support research that enhances the understanding of cumulative impacts on caribou, water, and fish and supports effective resource management decision-making in the NWT.
Profile
Motivated, self-directed individuals with an interdisciplinary background are encouraged to apply. Required profile:
•
PhD in Environmental sciences, Biological sciences, or other related field;
•
Experience or academic knowledge in using qualitative methods, or strong interest in qualitative approaches;
•
Experience and strong interest in knowledge mobilisation approaches;
•
Experience working or living with Indigenous communities (asset);
•
Strong interest in fish (previous fish or ecology experience is an asset);
•
Advanced manuscript writing (proven by peer-reviewed publications);
•
Collaborative energy and good adaptation skills;
•
Excellent understanding, writing and speaking of English (speaking of French is an asset).
At the time of hiring, the person must have completed their doctorate (PhD) within the last 3 years. The position is open to Canadian citizens, Canadian residents, and non-Canadians (according to the obtention of the visa on time). Support from UdeM International will be offered for immigration procedures if needed. Indigenous People (worldwide) are encouraged to apply.
Details on the position
The fellow will be based at Université de Montréal, in Montréal, Quebec, with frequent trips to the Northwest Territories, Canada. The position is starting in Spring/Summer 2026 (flexible).
Financial support: Training scholarship of a minimum of CAN$ 55 000/year for 2 years, at 35h/week. The successful candidate will also be required to submit scholarship applications to the FRQS, CIHR and other funding opportunities. Social benefits, tax benefits and insurance according to the collective agreement of the Université de Montréal.
Application
To submit an application, send the following documents. Please note that all documents are required for the application to be considered complete; incomplete applications will not be considered.
•
A cover letter detailing the candidate's motivations, experience and background;
•
A complete CV including academic background, list of publications and communications, list of projects in which the candidate has participated, and experience in science and knowledge mobilization;
•
The names, affiliations and email of two referees;
•
Any other relevant document illustrating the candidate's experience, leadership and qualifications for the profile sought.
Application deadline: March 1st, 2026 or until position is filled.
Please send your application by email to (Email Subject: Application for a Postdoctoral fellow) :
Mylene Ratelle, Mylene.Ratelle@umontreal.ca