Employment Opportunities

Environmental Scientist, Liquid Waste Services Department, Burnaby BC

Our Liquid Waste Services Department is seeking an Environmental Scientist who will:

• Assist senior staff with the design and implementation of environmental assessment and monitoring programs and special studies; support development of modelling tools to simulate initial mixing and transport of effluent in receiving water bodies; coordinate with contractors to arrange work schedules, sampling protocols and related procedures, participate in site inspections and other field work as required; provide assistance to internal contacts as required.

• Collect samples, evaluate and analyze field and laboratory data; validate and interpret results submitted by others, prepare reports as required; calibrate or set up scientific equipment and instrumentation as required by project demands.

• Liaise with various internal and external contacts and government agencies on environmental protocols, data requirements and regulatory program requirements.

• Monitor the day to day operations of assigned projects; provide direction and oversight of private contractors; review practices for conformance to specifications; ensure that relevant monitoring commitments outlined in the District’s Liquid Waste Management Plan are met; certify contractors' invoices and follow up on any noted identified discrepancies or problems; follow up with contractors to ensure adherence to project schedules and that project deliverables are met.

• Perform related work at any of the Metro Vancouver locations as required.

Please follow this link http://www.metrovancouver.org/about/careers/ to our Careers page where you can submit your application by February 27, 2019.

MSc Researcher in Clastic Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, University of Manitoba

The clastic sedimentology research group in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Manitoba is seeking two highly motivated and talented MSc students to study outcropping fluvial and shallow marine deposits from the Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada. The successful candidate should have a 4-year Bachelor's of Science or Arts degree in Geological or Earth Sciences (or equivalent). They should have solid background in sedimentology, stratigraphy, and experience in the field. Completion of an undergraduate thesis is an asset. The successful candidate should have a GPA >3.0 out of 4.5 (University of Manitoba scale). The position is fully funded by a research assistantship; qualification for NSERC graduate scholarship is an asset.

Development of a research proposal, conduct field work for primary data collection, laboratory analysis, data analysis, 3D mapping and modelling, thesis writing, course work, and conference participation.

To apply, please send a CV, transcripts, and a letter outlining your interest in these opportunities to Dr. Paul Durkin at Paul.Durkin@umanitoba.ca.

Postdoctoral Research Scholar in Paleoclimate Data Synthesis and Model Comparison, Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in paleoclimatology, with a specific focus on data-model comparison with water isotopic archives (e.g., speleothems, ice cores). The successful applicant will contribute to a new NSF-funded project investigating the Walker circulation and other features of tropical climate during the past millennium using the new PAGES Iso2k database (http://www.tinyurl.com/iso2k-pages) and upcoming simulations with the water isotope-enabled Community Earth System Model (iCESM). The Postdoctoral Research Scholar will be based at Washington University, but will collaborate closely with grant partners at the University of California at Santa Barbara and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, as well as with the 50+ members of the PAGES Iso2k Project. The successful candidate will join Washington University’s growing Climate and Paleoclimate Lab, and will interact closely with other group members, students, and collaborators. In addition to working with the Iso2k database and iCESM, there will also be opportunities to contribute to ongoing model-, field-, and laboratory-based research on water isotope hydroclimatology in both modern and ancient contexts, depending on interests and funding.

Candidates must have a Ph.D. in earth sciences or related field at the time of appointment; strong coding skills (Matlab, Python, R, or NCL preferred); and a strong interest in hydroclimatology. Preferred qualifications include a demonstrated skill in manipulating and analyzing large datasets; experience with analyzing either paleo or modern water isotopic data; experience with tropical climate dynamics; and familiarity with analysis of climate model simulations.

The anticipated start date is summer 2019 (exact date is flexible). Application review will commence immediately, and the position will remain open until filled. Initial appointment is for 1 year, with extension by another year contingent on successful performance. Postdocs at Washington University receive a competitive benefits package and plentiful opportunities for professional and career development through the department, the College of Arts & Sciences, and the Washington University Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (https://postdoc.wustl.edu/).

For more information, please visit https://sites.wustl.edu/climate/opportunities/. To apply, please submit a CV, cover letter explaining research interests, and the names and contact information of three references to the following website: http://www.tinyurl.com/wuclim-postdoc. Please feel free to contact Dr. Bronwen Konecky at bkonecky@wustl.edu with any questions.

Miscellaneous

Special Issue in Water Journal on Hillslope Hydrology

If you are working on hillslope hydrology projects, consider to have contribution to the special issue in Water journal on "Hillslope Hydrology: Towards Improved Process Understanding Using Modeling and/or Field Observations".

Special Issue Information

The hillslope is a fundamental spatial unit of headwater catchments. It is recognized that hillslopes are of key importance for a reliable description of both catchment runoff generation and biogeochemical processes. However, understanding hillslope processes has been limited by problems posed by the presence of heterogeneity. Quantifying the threshold hydrological responses of hillslopes to rainfall as controlled by soil heterogeneity, preferential flow, and the spatiotemporal connectivity of soils’ saturated patches requires distinct and multi-scale monitoring procedures which are rare in most environments. The inability to measure or map heterogeneity has restricted the development of robust physically based models, critically required for getting the right answer for the right reason in hydrologic predictions as well as for understanding the interplay between hydrology, biogeochemistry, and ecohydrological feedbacks. To advance the current models, heterogeneity should be replaced by the ecosystem function that it performs, instead of characterizing and specifying its exact details. This would allow to move from a micro-scale Newtonian response to a hillslope-scale, functionally based response. The recent literature indicates that the residence times of water and the landscape transit time distribution are the crucial macro-scale descriptors of how catchment functions, providing a fundamental basis for studying hydrological and biogeochemical transformations in the subsurface. Flux partitioning of water and dissolved substances occurring along various flow pathways (e.g., above and on the soil surface, above the soil–bedrock interface, evaporation, and transpiration) with different residence times plays a major role in the overall hillslope water and material balance. The connectivity of hillslope soil water with the riparian zone and the underlying geological structures remain also poorly understood. To address the above-mentioned challenges, novel monitoring and observation techniques, as well as new modeling approaches, are needed to foster a better quantification of hillslope hydrologically functioning descriptors, including water transit time, residence time, and flow pathways.

Water journal link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/water

Special issue link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/water/special_issues/hillslope_hydrology