Research assistant in avian molecular ecotoxicology - Research Affiliate Program

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Assessment accommodation

To be considered for the Research Affiliate Program (RAP), you must meet the following criteria:

• you are a full-time student in a post-secondary institution
• you are enrolled in an academic program that requires research as part of your curriculum
• you meet the minimum age required in the province/territory of work

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Duties

The candidate will conduct and publish research on the use of toxicogenomics in a variety of wild avian species in order to provide support of various environmental monitoring programs. The challenges involve developing species-specific toxicogenomics tools for wild species and relating the genomics information to contaminant levels, and suitably presenting the results to inform environmental monitoring efforts. The candidate will be responsible for independently developing this research program and will be responsible for the dissemination of research findings and to provide guidance for further development. The specific tasks involve: developing quantitative real-time PCR arrays for measuring gene expression wild avian species; extracting RNA from wild avian samples; analyzing the RNA samples using the developed arrays; data analysis, including comparison of gene expression data to contaminant concentration, and ; preparation of manuscripts for submission to peer-review journals

Work environment

Research will be carried at Environment and Climate Change Canada’s National Wildlife Research Centre located on Carleton University campus, in the molecular ecotoxicology laboratory. The work is part of a research program that uses advanced molecular biology techniques understand the effects of environmental chemicals and mixtures on avian species. The student will be supervised by a research scientist and a research biologist specialized in toxicogenomics.

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

Contact information for 2 references.

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

The candidate must be currently enrolled in a graduate program in the Faculty of Science, Department of Biology with a specialization in Chemical and Environmental Toxicology at Carleton University.

Degree equivalency

Experience designing and planning laboratory experiments
Experience with molecular biology laboratory techniques
Experience developing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for wild bird species

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge of chemical and environmental toxicology

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

Willingness to work with wild bird samples
Ability and willingness to work flexible hours
Ability and willingness to travel for conferences and other meetings, and possibly field work

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

All employees of the core public administration are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and attest to their vaccination status unless accommodated based on a medical contraindication, religion, or another prohibited ground for discrimination as defined under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

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

Preference

Preference will be given to Canadian citizens.

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