PhD Studentship Ecohydrology of Canadian Rockies Treelines

Ecohydrology of Canadian Rockies Treelines

The doctoral student will examine the interaction of wind and forest redistribution of snow and melt in complex terrain, water supply and tree growth to determine the hydrological role of mountain treelines and the stability of treelines under a warming climate.  Primary field sites will be in the Canadian Rockies as part of the Canadian Rockies Hydrological Observatory http://www.usask.ca/hydrology/CRHO.php, but sites in the Yukon will also be available.

Qualifications: Applicants must have or be near completion of a Master’s degree in a natural resources or engineering field (preferably with an emphasis on hydrology), and must meet all of the requirements for acceptance into the PhD program in the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Saskatchewan. The successful applicant will have an interest in the intersection of physical and ecological science, be highly motivated, have excellent oral and written communication skills, and have previous wilderness fieldwork experience in cold environments (please clearly outline previous field experience in cover letter). A successful application to the College of Graduate Studies and Research via the Dept of Geography and Planning at the University of Saskatchewan will be required (see below).

Venue: Research will be conducted in the Centre for Hydrology www.usask.ca/hydrology with offices on campus in Saskatoon and on the campus of the Biogeoscience Institute in the Kananaskis Valley, Alberta http://bgs.ucalgary.ca/.  The Centre for Hydrology offers superb facilities for training in hydrological processes and modelling and related ecological, climatological and hydrochemical phenomena.  Marmot Creek Research Basin in the Kananaskis Valley of the Canadian Rockies is one of the most comprehensively instrumented mountain research basins in Canada and has a 50 year history of research.  Fieldwork technicians and computer modellers are available to help with this research.

Stipend: A three-year scholarship is available to aid in the completion of the Ph.D. program.  Base support is $19,129 per year with a notable supplement for good performance.  Normal starting dates are September 2013.

How to Apply:

General admission requirements and an on-line application form can be found at the College of Graduate Studies and Research (CGSR) website:www.usask.ca/cgsr/admission/index.php

In addition to completing the CGSR application, please send a statement describing your research interests and field experience to the Graduate Chair, Department of Geography and Planning following the procedure outlined at http://www.arts.usask.ca/geography/graduate/ .

Deadline for applications to the Department of Geography and Planning is February 15, 2013.

You are encouraged to contact Dr. John Pomeroy to discuss the studentship  centre.hydrology@usask.ca  before applying. Informal inquiries are welcome.