Research Assistant in Ecotoxicogenomics - Research Affiliate Program

Important messages

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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

On October 6, 2021, the Government of Canada announced details of its plans to require vaccination across the federal public service. As per the new Policy on COVID-19 Vaccination for the Core Public Administration Including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, federal public servants in the Core Public Administration and members of the RCMP must attest to their vaccination status. The requirement for employees to be fully vaccinated applies whether they are teleworking, working remotely or working on-site. This is a condition of employment and it applies to indeterminate (permanent), determinate (term), casual, and student hiring. Should you reach the point in the selection process where it is necessary to verify terms and conditions of employment then the hiring manager or a human resources representative will contact you in order to complete an attestation.

ONLY APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED ON-LINE USING THE 'APPLY ON-LINE' BUTTON ABOVE WILL BE CONSIDERED.

Duties

The candidate will conduct and publish research on the use of toxicogenomics, particularly in in vitro models, for estimating the long-term chronic aquatic toxicity of environmental contaminants. The challenges involve developing a bioinformatics analysis pipeline for transcriptomic dose-response analysis of large data sets, optimizing and testing various assumptions of the analysis pipeline, and translating the resulting output such that it can support ecological risk assessments. 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: conducting in vitro dose-response exposures using the zebrafish embro model; Preparing RNA samples for sequencing; Developing the bioinformatics pipeline for analyzing the resulting gene-expression data; 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 and at the University of Ottawa, Mennigen Lab. The work is part of a research program that uses advanced genomics techniques to understand the effects of environmental chemicals and mixtures on wildlife. The candidate will be co-supervised by an ECCC Research Scientist and University of Ottawa Professor that specialize in ecotoxicology and genomics.

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 at the University of Ottawa.

Degree equivalency

Experience with genomics techniques, including RNA sequencing and bioinformatics
Experience planning and executing zebrafish embryo exposure experiments
Experience conducting transcriptomic dose-response analysis

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)

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.