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This project is designed to address the following issue: Increases in mercury (Hg) concentrations have been widely reported in lake sediments, peat, surface waters, and fish throughout northern Canada and are a concern for communities that rely on the land for sustenance and for industry that must follow strict environmental permitting conditions. While anthropogenic emissions of Hg to the atmosphere have decreased in North America in recent decades, continued input of legacy Hg from watershed reservoirs (e.g., soil, wetlands) and climate-induced changes (e.g., increased primary production in surface waters, permafrost thaw, changes in fire regime) have increased Hg fluxes to downstream environments. This study will seek to understand pathways and processes that are affecting Hg concentrations in northern lake sediments, will leverage an existing multivariate dataset from 200 near-surface lake sediment samples, lake sediment cores, and will conduct targeted studies on specific lakes of concern with project partners.
The candidate will be expected to participate in field work to collect samples and metadata. This field work will occur in remote regions and in industrial settings. The candidate will conduct laboratory work to subsample material and to prepare samples for submission to external laboratories and internal laboratories. The candidate will conduct laboratory work in both wet and dry laboratories and including digestion of sample material for micropaleontological research. They will conduct sample management aspects of their work, including compiling sample data and metadata in spreadsheets. The candidate will conduct microscopy work to enumerate and identify microfossils preserved in sample material. The candidate will work with Indigenous organizations, government, industry, and other university institutions as part of the project. The candidate will present research results to stakeholders at community workshops and conferences. The candidate will prepare research results for publication in peer reviewed journal articles, in the form of a thesis dissertation, and as Geological Survey of Canada Open Files. The candidate will produce common/plain language knowledge products and will put data to be publicly available on public databases, such as the POLAR Knowledge Catalogue.
The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) is part of Natural Resources Canada’s Lands and Minerals Sector. It is a national organization for geoscientific information and research. Its world-class expertise focuses on the sustainable development of Canada’s mineral, energy and water resources; stewardship of Canada’s environment; management of natural geological and related hazards; and technology innovation.
The student will be positioned in the laboratory of Prof. Timothy Patterson in the Department of Earth Sciences at Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario. The student will be co-supervised by Dr. Jennifer Galloway, Geological Survey of Canada, and Dr. Timothy Patterson, Carleton University.
The candidate will work in both laboratory and in remote field settings as part of their research program.
The intention is to staff one (1) student position for the completion of a Master of Science or a Doctorate of Philosophy degree at Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario under the co-supervisor of Prof. Timothy Patterson and Dr. Jennifer Galloway.
Positions to be filled: 1
Your résumé.
A covering letter "specifically detailing how you meet the essential qualifications, education and experience, listed below (please include how, when, and where this education and experience was obtained)."
Essential Education:
• Currently enrolled or willing to enroll at Carleton University, in a Master of Science program or Doctorate of Philosophy Program with a specialization in Geosciences or a related discipline that requires research as part of the curriculum.
• Graduation with a Bachelor of Science in Geoscience or another relevant specialization from a recognized post-secondary institution.
In the context of student recruitment in the federal public service, experience can be acquired through studies, work experience or volunteer activities.
Essential Experience:
• Research experience working in micropaleontology and paleolimnology.
•Research experience considering Indigenous land-use history.
• Research experience examining the interplay of forest history, climate change, and land-use change on lake catchment dynamics.
• Experience with the use of statistical analyses to evaluate paleoecological research questions.
• Research experience working in the field of micropaleontology; demonstrated research experience using high powered light microscopy to identify and numerate microfossils.
English essential
Information on language requirements
Organizational Needs:
Natural Resources Canada is committed to establishing and maintaining a representative workforce. This organizational need may be identified as part of the appointment decision. In such cases, qualified candidates who self-declare as members of a visible minority group, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities or women (in non-traditional occupations) could be considered in priority.
• Reliability Status security clearance - NOTE: Each student hired through the Research Affiliate Program (RAP) must meet the security requirements of the position as a condition of employment.
Therefore, the student will be asked by the hiring organization to complete security-related documents.
• For fieldwork, the student must be able to pass a Health Canada medical, and possess or obtain safety courses as needed, including first aid/CPR.
The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the Canadians we serve. We promote employment equity and encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the designated groups when you apply.
Information on employment equity
We thank all applicants for their interest in our position(s). For the purpose of this staffing process, only candidates selected for further assessment will be contacted.
For further information on the Research Affiliate Program (RAP), please visit:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/jobs/services/recruitment/students/research-affiliate-program.html
Successful completion of both a RAP work assignment and your educational program may lead to a temporary or permanent federal public service position for which you meet the merit criteria and conditions of employment.
For this selection process, it is our intention to communicate with candidates via email. Candidates must include a valid email address in their application. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that this address is functional and that it accepts messages from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email).
You must provide proof of your education credentials and a list of courses may be required.
Candidates with foreign credentials must provide proof of Canadian equivalency. Consult the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials for further information at http://www.cicic.ca/.
Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice.
We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.