Research Assistant – Research Affiliate Program - Research Affiliate Program

Important messages

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Assessment accommodation

Duties

The candidate will conduct and publish research to develop allometric equations for tree biomass and leaf area for urban centres in Canada.

Work environment

Research will be carried at Université du Québec à Montréal at the Centre for Forest Research. The work is part of a research project funded by NSERC entitled ‘Resilient Urban Forests for Canadians: Adapting to Climate Change for Enhanced Tree-Related Benefits’. The successful candidate will link remote sensing data with field measurements to produce estimates of urban tree aboveground biomass, hence allowing to better assess the contribution of urban trees to several ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and human health benefit.

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

A covering letter in 2,000 words (maximum) "Please submit a COVER LETTER with your application. It is your responsibility, as a candidate, to submit a cover letter which clearly demonstrates how you meet each of the essential screening criteria for education and experience. Please note that it is not sufficient to only state that the qualification is met or to provide a listing of current or past responsibilities. Rather you must provide a minimum of two concrete examples with dates as to when these experiences were gained for each experience criterion. Please apply the following approach: use each screening qualification as a heading, and provide a description outlining how that qualification is met."

Contact information for 2 references.

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

EDUCATION

The candidate must possess an undergraduate degree from a recognized university with acceptable specialization in physical geography, biology, environmental science, forestry or some other science relevant to the position.

The candidate must be currently enrolled or eligible to enroll in a PhD program with a specialization in Biology or Environmental Science at Université du Québec à Montréal for the Winter 2020 session.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE

• Experience with a model representing forest carbon dynamics recognized by the scientific community.
• Experience analysing dendrometric data from forest inventories.
• Experience designing and planning field and lab experiments.
• Experience writing scientific publications, technical reports or other documents on environmental issues.
• Experience working with programming language(s) R and/or Python.

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

English or French

Information on language requirements

KNOWLEDGE

• Knowledge of tree physiology in relation with the carbon cycle.
• Knowledge of tree growth and architecture.
• Knowledge of linear mixed models.

The following may be applied / assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job)

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Willingness and ability to lift and carry loads of 20 kilos for 50 meters.
• Willingness and ability to work outdoor under diverse weather conditions for long periods.
• Willingness and ability to travel in Canada.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

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

Reference checks will be sought.

An interview may be administered.

A test may be administered.

You must provide proof of your education credentials.

Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice.

A random and/or top down selection of candidates may be used in the determination of those to be given further consideration in the assessment process.

Candidates from outside the public service may be required to pay for travel and relocation costs associated with this selection process.

Successful completion of both a RAP work assignment and your educational program may lead to a temporary or permanent federal public service position for which you meet the merit criteria and conditions of employment.

For this selection process, it is our intention to communicate with candidates via email for screening and assessment purposes. This will include communication of screening results and invitations to written tests and interviews. To that end, candidates must include a valid email address in their application. It is the candidate's responsibility to ensure that this address is functional and that it accepts messages from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email). It is also the candidate's responsibility to ensure accurate information is provided and updated as required.

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled, diverse workforce reflective of Canadian society. As a result, it promotes employment equity and encourages candidates to indicate voluntarily on their application if they are a woman, an Aboriginal person, a person with a disability or a member of a visible minority group.

The Public Service of Canada is also committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. If contacted in relation to a job opportunity or testing, you should advise the Public Service Commission or the departmental official in a timely fashion of the accommodation measures which must be taken to enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.

Preference

Preference will be given to Canadian citizens.

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