Please see the PhD opportunity in the Department of Soil Science at the
University of Saskatchewan below:
*PhD candidate to investigate the soil ecology of the hydrochar corona
during remediation and restoration*
The restoration and remediation of landscapes degraded by pollutants can
often be ameliorated using biochars. However, biochars are difficult to
produce, distribute and manipulate due to their hydrophobic nature and
ash like properties. In contrast, hydrochars formed using hydrothermal
carbonization, are hydrophilic and easily emulsified. As part of a
project between industrial, college and university partners, the
University of Saskatchewan, Department of Soil Science, is recruiting a
PhD student in soil microbiology, to work on an interdisciplinary team
of engineers, geologists, chemists, toxicologists and ecologists to
explore the use of hydrochar to remediate hydrocarbon polluted subsoils.
We hypothesize that the development of hydrocarbon degrading microbial
communities on hydrochar is linked to the interaction of the hydrochar
corona with clay (or the hydrochar/mineral complex). The PhD candidate
in soil microbiology would investigate the microbial ecology of this
hydrochar corona, focusing on how microbial ecosystems develop on the
interface between organic carbon and minerals (with a focus on
phosphorus bearing minerals). The successful candidates should have some
experience in soil ecosystems, bioinformatics, ecological modelling,
chemistry, and/or microbiology.
The Department of Soil Science is Canada’s premier soil science
department with 13 faculty, over 70 graduate students and a thriving
undergraduate program in renewable resource management and environmental
soil science. The PhD candidate in soil microbiology would join an
applied research laboratory group headed by Steven Siciliano, an
NSERC/COOP Industrial Research Chair in In Situ Remediation and Risk
Assessment. The successful candidate should expect to spend substantial
time interacting with industrial partners, working at field locations
with environmental engineering teams, as well as working at the Northern
Alberta Institute of Applied Technology with chemical engineers and
material scientists.
If interested, candidates are asked to contact steven.sicili...@usask.ca
with a resume, a statement of interest, and a transcript. Exceptional
master’s candidates will also be considered.
--
Steven Mamet, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
5E24, College of Agriculture and Bioresources
Department of Soil Science
51 Campus Drive
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8
E:steven.ma...@usask.ca
P: 306.966.6857
http://www.stevenmamet.com
http://earthwatch.org/scientific-research/our-scientists/steven-mamet
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