Applications are invited for an NSERC Alliance Missions Postdoctoral Fellowship. One fellowship is open to supporting an excellent, highly qualified scholar doing truly interdisciplinary research connecting lab experiments, data analysis, and modeling, in alignment with the ongoing collaboration between ILMEE (Interdisciplinary Lab for Mathematical Ecology & Epidemiology) and groups in Biological Sciences and Renewable Resources at the University of Alberta, together with our provincial government, non-profit organizations, and industrial collaborators.

The project aims to accurately predict GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions derived from oil sands tailings by considering many ecological and meteorological covariates and to estimate specific emissions limits for reducing the effects of climate change. Also, methane produced by these bacteria can harm the animals living in end-pit lakes and the surrounding areas, foiling land reclamation strategies. We, therefore, intend to determine the holistic effects of methanogens on the areas they are found in. The postdoctoral research fellow will be primarily supervised by the PI, Professor Hao Wang at the University of Alberta, in collaboration with two groups in Renewable Resources and Biological Sciences as well as several partners.

The successful applicant is expected to:

• Help with some of the experiments, including oil sands biodegradation, field data collection on cell phones from an array of air quality sensors, or risk assessment of methane on the health and behavior of model organisms;

• Utilize the experimental data to model and predict methane biogenesis and risk assessment via both machine learning and mechanistic techniques;

• Possibly help stakeholders and our partners shape policy on oil sands land reclamation and natural resource stewardship.

A candidate must have a Ph.D. degree in a field relevant to the NSERC Alliance Missions project (e.g., environmental sciences, biochemistry, biological sciences, mathematical/theoretical biology) and excellent communication and writing skills in English.

Application: Review of applications will begin immediately. Applicants must submit a cover letter explaining why you qualify, curriculum vitae, representative papers, and at least two letters of recommendation.

Only successful candidates will be contacted.

Deadline for all applications: December 31, 2023

Term: start as early as possible, 2-3 years (renewal after the first year based on performance)

Contract Type: Full-time

Salary: Competitive, based on the applicant’s qualifications and experience.

The University of Alberta is committed to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from all qualified persons. We encourage women; First Nations, Métis and Inuit persons; members of visible minority groups; persons with disabilities; persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity and expression; and all those who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas and the University to apply.