GRADUATE STUDENT POSITION (MSC OR PHD) IN BOREAL WILDLIFE MONITORING (DEADLINE: JUNE 21, 2020

The Wildlife Coexistence Lab (WildCo) at the University of British Columbia, K’asho Got’įnę, Fort Good Hope Renewable Resources Council and Guardians of Fort Good Hope, Government of the Northwest Territories(GNWT), and Government of Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service, CWS) are seeking an outstanding graduate student to start a two year MSc or a four year PhD position in January 2021. The research will be pursued under the guidance of Prof. Cole Burton at UBC, with support from multi-agency collaborators, including Claudia Haas (GNWT), Samuel Haché (CWS), and Christopher Beirne (UBC).

The key motivation for this position is to work with local project partners to develop an effective monitoring approach for boreal wildlife communities, and to provide recommendations for their future management. The immediate focus will be on Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta Indigenous protected area near Fort Good Hope, however there may be opportunity to expand to other protected areas in the territory. The successful applicant will help design, implement and analyze data from wildlife surveys using remote cameras(camera traps) and acoustic recording units (ARU’s).

The position(s) will be shared between the Wildlife Coexistence lab in the Faculty of Forestry at UBC’s Vancouver campus and field sites in the Northwest Territories (based in Yellowknife, NWT). Funding is available to support this position, but preferred candidates will also be eligible for scholarship support (e.g. NSERC; see Grants page

Qualifications

We will consider applicants for this position(s) at the MSc and/or PhD level. All applicants should have a BSc in ecology (or related field), experience and interest in wildlife biology, boreal ecology, Indigenous knowledge, and conservation science, and a desire to conduct applied research to inform wildlife management. We particularly seek candidates with the following experience and skills: remote fieldwork in northern environments, collaborating with Indigenous communities, wildlife surveys including camera trappinga nd/or audio recording, Geographic Information Systems (e.g., ArcGIS, QGIS), and statistical analysis (e.g. using R software).

PhD-level requirements

In addition to the skills outlined above, applicants for a PhD position should have an MSc in ecology (or related field), direct experience preparing and managing large datasets, conducting advanced analytical procedures in R (or similar) and publishing in the primary scientific literature. There is considerable scope to develop this research program in a direction dependent on the interests of the applicant, so PhD applicants must be comfortable working independently and be highly self-motivated.

How to Apply for this Graduate Student Position in Boreal Wildlife Monitoring

Interested applicants should send an email by June 21, 2020 to c.w.beirne@ubc.ca with the Subject: “WildCo MSc/PhDposition in Northwest Territories: Your Name” and include the following details: a) brief statement of interest, b) Curriculum Vitae, and c) academic transcripts (copies sufficient at this stage). Full applications to the Faculty of Forestry graduate program will be due by July 15, 2020.

 

You can visit the scholarships page Here