Position Summary:
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Canada (http://www.wcscanada.org) is seeking highly qualified candidates for a postdoctoral fellowship to support the Ontario Northern Boreal Program (https://www.wcscanada.org/wild-places/ontario-far-north), serving as an expert on environmental contaminants, including mercury and arsenic, in fish that are part of subsistence fisheries.
The successful candidate will join the Learning from Lake Sturgeon (http://www.learningfromlakesturgeon.ca) project team, and will work closely with Dr. Constance O’Connor and established project partners, including Dr. Gretchen Lescord with the University of Florida and Moose Cree First Nation Resource Protection, to lead the ongoing environmental contaminant aspects of the Learning from Lake Sturgeon program. The successful candidate will also be encouraged to develop and implement new research ideas related to environmental contaminants that fit within the Learning from Lake Sturgeon program, within the broader Ontario Northern Boreal landscape program, and support the development of WCS Canada’s emerging One Health and watersheds program (https://oneworldonehealth.wcs.org/).
Partnership funding for this position is available for a MITACS postdoctoral fellowship (https://www.mitacs.ca/en/programs/elevate/program-details/postdoctoral-fellows). The selected candidate will co-develop a MITACS postdoctoral fellowship application alongside WCS Canada researchers and established program partners for submission in summer 2023, for an anticipated start date in fall 2023. WCS Canada will provide top-up funding to a salary of $65,000/year. This position will include health benefits.
The successful candidate must have a strong background in environmental contaminants, preferably with knowledge of contaminants in fish that are part of subsistence fisheries. This position will require strong skills in statistical analyses, data management, and writing and other communications for a variety of audiences. The position is highly collaborative, and the successful candidate must have experience working and communicating successfully with a variety of partners. The successful candidate must hold a Ph.D. by the start date of this fellowship and should have a strong record of scholarly publications
Position Objectives:
This position supports the WCS Canada Ontario Northern Boreal Program with the objectives:
Lead the environmental contaminant aspects of the Learning from Lake Sturgeon program in collaboration with academic, government, and First Nations partners; and
Develop and implement new collaborative environmental contaminants research that fits within the broader Ontario Northern Boreal program goals and WCS Canada strategic goals.
Primary Responsibilities:
Serve as the Ontario Northern Boreal program team expert on environmental contaminants, including mercury and arsenic
Lead the ongoing environmental contaminant aspects of the Learning from Lake Sturgeon program in collaboration with existing partners
Develop and lead research on environmental contaminants that fit within the Learning from Lake Sturgeon program and broader Ontario Northern Boreal program
Build and maintain long-term relationships with First Nations and academic collaborators, government scientists, and other project partners
Support community and youth engagement within research programs
Manage data following established partnership agreements in a way that is consistent with OCAP principles (https://fnigc.ca/ocap-training/)
Perform statistical analyses and create data summaries for different audiences
Write reports and publications for different audiences including publications in peer-reviewed journals
Support WCS Canada policy comments and scientific advice on environmental contaminants, including supporting the development and direction of WCS Canada’s One Health and watersheds program in a northern context
Required Qualifications
Ph.D. in biology, ecology, chemistry, ecotoxicology, or a related field
Knowledge of environmental contaminants, particularly in wild fish, and how they relate to other aspects of ecology and the environmental
Competency in software for statistical analyses such as R
Evidence of ability to work positively and successfully with project partners, including collaborating and supporting Indigenous collaborators in a research setting
Excellent oral and written communication skills for a variety of audiences
Strong record of scholarly publications
Other Preferred Qualifications
Knowledge of limnology and river ecology, with experience working with CABIN and water chemistry data
Experience collecting and analyzing samples for stable isotope analyses, and working with the resulting data for trophic ecology modeling
Knowledge of the principles of One Health would be an asset
How to apply:
Please submit your CV with cover letter explaining your interest in this position and relevant skills and experience using this link: https://wcscanada.bamboohr.com/careers/47?source=aWQ9Mjc%3D
For questions regarding the position, please contact Dr. Constance O’Connor ( coconnor@wcs.org ).
For questions regarding the application process, please contact Okechukwu Ezibe at oezibe@wcs.org .