PhD student – Northern Shrimp in the Arctic - Research Affiliate Program

Important messages

We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. If you need to be accommodated during any phase of the evaluation process, please use the Contact information below to request specialized accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Assessment accommodation

The candidate will be required to be registered as a PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Manitoba under the supervision of Dr. Dirk Weihrauch (Ph. D.) and will conduct lab and field work out of the Freshwater Institute under the joint supervision of Dr. Dirk Weihrauch.(Ph. D.) and Dr. David Deslauriers (Ph. D.) (Fisheries and Oceans Canada).

When submitting an application to this selection process, you will be prompted to answer screening questions concerning the essential education and experience qualifications and, if applicable, other (non-essential) qualifications. When answering these questions, please provide detailed, concrete examples that clearly demonstrate how you meet the requirement. Failure to clearly substantiate how you meet the screening criteria may result in the rejection of your application. Candidates will not be solicited for incomplete or possible missing information.

Duties

- Develop a modeling approach that will integrate data from multiple sources and that will couple bioenergetics modelling with population and spatial dynamics.
- Design and conduct sampling protocols for shrimp throughout their range.
- Transport and care for live shrimp to be brought back at the Freshwater Institute and University of Manitoba for climate change exposure experiments.
- Interact with community members in Nunavut by answering questions, addressing concerns, and presenting results on an annual basis.
- Present main study results on an annual basis at National and International conferences.
- Collaborate and interact with DFO researchers from the Quebec and Newfoundland regions.
- Analyze and interpret data, and publish results in government reports and peer-reviewed journals.

Work environment

The Arctic Aquatic Research Division of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is based at the Freshwater Institute in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Division provides information and advice to support the management of Arctic fisheries resources, their habitat and Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and on the Yukon North Slope. Successful management and conservation of these resources depends on acquiring, interpreting and sharing biological information, the processes affecting them and the ecosystem of which they are part.

Climate change (CC) will lead to more variable oceanographic conditions, that in some cases may enhance and in others compromise, the productivity of commercial fisheries. The main expected outcomes of CC include a decrease in pH and dissolved oxygen and an increase in water temperature. Salinity is also expected to decrease at
both poles. One such fishery in Canada that is expected to be affected by climate change is the Northern Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) fishery. Northern Shrimp are harvested in the Arctic, Newfoundland, Gulf, and Quebec regions and support a $400 million industry annually. Here, we propose to couple bioenergetics modelling with a
population dynamics and biophysical model that will allow us to predict spatially-explicit physiological and biological responses of this species under different climate change and exploitation scenarios.

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

Contact information for 2 references.

A list of the courses you have taken as well as any courses that you are taking now, or that you will be taking this academic year

In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)

Possess a Master's idegree n Biology, Environmental Sciences or Resource Management from a recognized post-secondary institution.

Currently enrolled or eligible to be enrolled in the PhD program in the University of Manitoba’s Department of Biological Sciences.

Note: Applied research must be a requirement of graduation
Maintaining your student status is a condition of employment. Once you have defended your thesis you are no longer eligible for the program.

Degree equivalency

Experience with laboratory techniques
Experience collecting, tabulating, analyzing and reporting scientific data
Experience in communicating research findings in writing and verbally
Experience working with research teams
Experience in collecting, synthesizing and interpreting scientific information.

The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge of ecology, biology, or physiology of common marine organisms

Initiative
Adaptability
Organized
Independent
Critical thinking

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

Valid Health Canada medical
Willingness to travel and work from remote areas for up to a month
Willingness to work on evenings and weekends on occasion

Other information

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the Canadians we serve. We promote employment equity and encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the designated groups when you apply.

Information on employment equity

Interviews may be conducted in Winnipeg, MB or remotely by telephone. Candidates from outside the Federal Public Service will be required to pay for their own travel expenses.

Reference checks may be sought.

An alternative format (such as Braille) of this notice and Statement of Merit Criteria are available upon request.

Candidates invited to attend an interview will be required to bring proof of their education credentials, in the form of a diploma or official transcript (original documents only).

Candidates with foreign credentials must provide proof of Canadian equivalency. Consult the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials for further information at http://www.cicic.ca/indexe.stm.

Candidates will be communicated with via e-mail. In your application, please include the e-mail address that you wish to use for communication purposes throughout this recruitment initiative. It is your responsibility to verify your e-mail account on a regular basis.

Persons with disabilities preventing them from applying on-line, are asked to contact us toll free at 1-800-645-5605 and press '0' for assistance.

Please apply online.

Preference

Preference will be given to Canadian citizens.

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.