Enthusiastic, team oriented, and self-motivated students are encouraged to apply for a Ph.D. and MSc positions to conduct research on habitat offsetting for freshwater fishes in the Oil Sands Region of Alberta, Canada. This project is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between the University of Alberta, and industry and government sponsors. Main project goals include: i) identifying food-web dynamics of newly created compensation lakes, ii) determining best practices in monitoring and measuring newly created compensation lakes, and iii) developing field based studies to determine causative relationships between age and growth and other life history characteristics in relation to differing lake environments. These research projects are fully funded and will provide key insights into the role of how to develop habitat offsets, a new and emerging field in restoration and conservation biology. Candidates will be under the supervision of Dr. Mark Poesch but will interact regularly with scientists and team members in industry, provincial and federal governments.
Ph.D. candidates must have a graduate degree in Biology, Ecology, Zoology, Evolutionary Biology, or a related field. Candidate must also have a high overall GPA (especially in related courses). Experience with ecological modeling, freshwater fish ecology, database management, and programming skills are considered an asset. Candidates should clearly articulate how this research will build on your existing experience, specific skills and provide a date of availability. Candidates interested in this position should send an email to Dr. Mark Poesch (poesch(at)ualberta.ca) with a cover letter identifying research interests, CV, transcripts (unofficial accepted), writing sample and a list of three references. Please note review of applications will commence on November 30, 2015 and the competition will remain open until the position is filled. Ideal start date is spring 2016, but other arrangements can be made. The University of Alberta was recently rated as Canada’s fourth best university, and 86th across universities worldwide. Located in Alberta’s capital city, Edmonton (population of 1.2 million people), the University of Alberta provides a dynamic mixture of a large research intensive university, urban culture and recreation. More than 39,000 students from across Canada and 144 other countries participate in nearly 400 programs and 18 faculties. Contact Information: Dr. Mark Poesch Assistant Professor, Conservation Ecology University of Alberta, Department of Renewable Resources 751 General Services Building, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H1 Ph: 780-492-4827 Email: Poesch(at)ualberta.ca Website: www.markpoesch.com
