PhD Student – Modeling Arctic Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem Indicators - Research Affiliate Program

Duties
↪ Develop, calibrate, and test joint species distribution models (JSDMs) using regional scientific bottom trawl surveys from Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, Hudson Strait, and Northern Labrador.↪ Use JSDMs to elucidate regional biogeographic patterns in assemblages of epibenthic marine invertebrates, characterize associations with key oceanographic and physiographic gradients, and the impacts of fishing effort on patterns of species co-occurrence.↪ Leverage JSDM model predictions to identify areas of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems and evaluate their susceptibility to climate change under alternative trajectories of shared socioeconomic development.↪ Analyze and interpret data, and publish results in government reports and peer-reviewed journals.

Work environment
✨The candidate will be required to be registered as a PhD student in the Department of Geography at Memorial University (MUN) in St. John’s, NL under the joint supervision of Dr. Evan Edinger (MUN) and Dr. Bárbara Neves (DFO Newfoundland and Labrador). The position also will be affiliated with the DFO Arctic Ecosystem Science Division with additional project supervision provided by Dr. John O’Brien (DFO Arctic Region). The candidate will attend school at Memorial University and be required to fulfill the program requirements for PhD students outlined by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Department of Geography at MUN. The student will work part-time from the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre in St. John’s, NL. Some limited travel may be required to complete analyses at the Freshwater Institute in Winnipeg, MB where they will have the opportunity to work with Dr. John O’Brien for guidance on distribution model development.

Intent of the process
📌 The intent is to staff one PhD student position. Ideally, the student is willing to start the work term at the beginning of January 2026. It is expected that the student will work approximately 20 hours per week (not to exceed the maximum number of hours permitted by their academic program). This work term is only guaranteed to March 31, 2026 with the possibility to extend beyond as funding opportunities arise.A pool of candidates may be established and may be used to staff similar positions in the future.

Positions to be filled
1

Important messages
🚢 Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) characterized by cold-water corals, sponge grounds, or other epibenthic species or habitats sensitive to mechanical disturbance from bottom-contacting fishing gears are a key priority in national and bioregional marine conservation network planning in Canada. This project will address requirements by the DFO for a more refined understanding of biogeographic patterns of deep-sea marine epibenthic invertebrates in the Eastern Canadian Arctic, a quantitative assessment of the distribution of VMEs, associations with key environmental and anthropogenic gradients, and the identification of areas most susceptible to climate change. The selected student will develop joint species distribution models and generate spatially-explicit predictions that will fill large gaps in occurrence records from biological surveys in the region and better integrate VMEs into regional conservation planning and the development of ecosystem-based fisheries management approaches in Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, Hudson Strait, and Northern Labrador.The candidate must meet all essential qualifications in order to be appointed to the position. Some essential qualifications will be assessed through your application. It is your responsibility to provide appropriate examples that illustrate how you meet each qualification. Failing to do so could result in your application being rejected.

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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.✅ Travel.
✅ Work on evenings and weekends, on occasion.
✅ Maintaining your student status is a condition of employment. Once you have defended your thesis you are no longer eligible for the program.

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📚 Possess a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental science or studies, geography, biology, interdisciplinary degree, or related field from a recognized post-secondary institution.

📚 Currently enrolled or willing to enroll in a PhD program at Memorial University with a specialization in Geography.

👉 Experience analyzing, interpreting, and reporting scientific information.

👉 Experience working with programming language(s) (e.g., R, Python, MATLAB) and conducting quantitative statistical analyses.

👉 Research experience in deep-sea benthic ecosystems.

👉 Experience with using Geographic Information Systems (e.g., ArcGIS, QGIS).

💡Knowledge of cold-water corals, sponges, and other deep-sea epibenthic invertebrates.

💡 Ability to communicate effectively in writing.
💡 Ability to communicate effectively orally.

💡 Initiative
💡 Dependability

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Applied / assessed at a later date

English essential

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Preference will be given to veterans first and then to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, with the exception of a job located in Nunavut, where Nunavut Inuit will be appointed first.

Learn more about preference to veterans.

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