The Global Institute for Water Security (GIWS; www.usask.ca/water) at the University of Saskatchewan (UofS) is leading a new Changing Cold Regions Network (CCRN) that aims to understand, diagnose and predict interactions amongst the cryospheric, ecological, hydrological and climate components of the changing Earth system at multiple scales. With a focus on Western Canada's rapidly changing cold interior, this major initiative links 8 Canadian universities, 4 government agencies and 15 key international academic collaborators. It builds on extensive infrastructure, and more than $24 million of in-kind contributions from existing research programmes, to provide unprecedented capability to integrate Earth system processes and modelling. CCRN will investigate a set of critical cold region environments, including the Western Cordillera, Western Boreal Forest, Lowland Permafrost and Prairies, and their integrated response at the scales of the Saskatchewan, Mackenzie and Peace-Athabasca basins and the regional climate system.

We invite applications for graduate studentships and post-doctoral fellowships for field and modelling research in the following areas:

• Post-Doctoral Fellowship - Modelling for the Diagnosis of Environmental Change
• Post-Doctoral Fellowship and PhD Studentship - Land Surface and Large-scale River Basin Modelling
• MSc Studentship - Diagnostics of Glacier-Hydrological Regime Changes
• Post-Doctoral Fellowship or PhD Studentship - Changing Mountain Snow and Ice Hydrology
• Post-Doctoral Fellowship - Coupled Hydrological-Geochemical Modelling
• MSc or PhD Studentship - Sensitivity of Tree Growth to Climate across Ecotone Boundaries

For all appointments, an ability to work in a team of researchers across multiple projects and disciplines is necessary. Review of applications will be ongoing and will continue until candidates have been selected for each position. See the following pages for a complete list of qualification and application details.

The University of Saskatchewan is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, a city with a diverse and thriving economic base, a strong research cluster, a vibrant arts community, and a full range of leisure opportunities (www.tourismsaskatoon.com). The UofS has a reputation for excellence in teaching, research, and scholarly activities, and offers a full range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs to a student population of about 20,000. The UofS is one of Canada's leading research-intensive universities. For information about the University of Saskatchewan, please visit www.usask.ca. Further details about the UofS-led CCRN, the UofS Canada Excellence Research Chair in Water Security Program, and the Global Institute for Water Security can be found at www.usask.ca/water.

The University of Saskatchewan is committed to employment equity. Members of designated groups (women, aboriginal people, people with disabilities and visible minorities) are encouraged to self-identify on their applications.

Post-Doctoral Fellowship - Modelling for the Diagnosis of Environmental Change (Supervisors: Howard Wheater, John Pomeroy)

Position:

A key theme of CCRN is Improved Understanding and Diagnosis of Local-Scale Change, using high resolution data from state-of-the-art observatories at multiple sites across the region. One element of the work is to develop improved fine-scale process-based models that have the capability to represent observed and potential future change. A second is the use of process-based models to diagnose the causes of change. A Post-Doctoral Fellow is required to develop modelling tools for the representation of uncertainty in cold region hydrological and hydro-ecological process models, both to support model development, including identifiability and uncertainty analysis, and for application to the diagnosis of change. The successful candidate would work within a large modeling group at GIWS, and interact with international collaborators, including in particular Hoshin Gupta, Thorsten Wagener and Neil McIntyre. He/she would also be expected to interact strongly with the broader CCRN network to support the uptake and application of uncertainty and diagnostic tools. This post offers unprecedented opportunity to develop leading edge research in a high profile international project.

Qualifications:

Applicants must have completed, or be near completion of a PhD degree in a relevant discipline that involves environmental modelling and uncertainty analysis, ideally with application to hydrological or hydro-ecological models. The successful applicant will have excellent computational and programming skills and previous experience of algorithm development and analysis of model performance using multi-objective, Monte-Carlo based methods for parameter identifiability and uncertainty analysis.

Venue:

Primary location will be the Global Institute for Water Security, located in Saskatoon, SK, Canada. There will be opportunities to attend international conferences and workshops, and potentially for limited periods of secondment to partner institutions.

Stipend:

A fellowship is available for 2 years in the first instance, with the possibility of extension. Salary will be competitive and depend on the candidate's background and experience.

How to Apply:

Interested applicants should contact Dr. Howard Wheater and Dr. John Pomeroy by email to ccrnetwork@usask.ca, and include in the subject line the position being applied for. Please include a cover letter explaining your motivation, complete CV, examples of papers either in press or published, and contact details for three academic references. Informal inquiries are welcome.

Post-Doctoral Fellowship - Land Surface and Large-scale River Basin Modelling (Supervisors: Andrew Ireson, Howard Wheater, Al Pietroniro)

Position:

UofS/Environment Canada collaboration is developing improved land surface schemes for cold region environments for application in weather forecasting and large-scale hydrological modelling. There is an opportunity for a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow to develop and manage a large scale model of the Saskatchewan River Basin, which couples multiple physical (hydrology, land-surface exchanges etc.) and human (abstractions, reservoirs, irrigation, land use changes, etc.) processes. This person would be a key member of the GIWS research team, working with faculty, research staff and students on a variety of smaller modelling projects. Sub-projects focus on a range of field sites from the Rocky Mountain, the Boreal Forest, the Prairies and the Saskatchewan River Delta, and embrace a range of disciplines, including hydrology, ecology, socio-hydrology, climate, toxicology and so on.

Qualifications:

Applicants must have completed, or be near completion of a PhD degree in a relevant discipline. Excellent computational skills and experience of modelling are essential. Experience with at least one Land Surface Scheme (e.g. CLASS, ISBA, JULES) is highly desirable. An ability to work in a team of researchers across multiple projects and support student activities is necessary.

Venue:

Research will be conducted within the Global Institute for Water Security, located in Saskatoon, SK, Canada, and in close collaboration with Environment Canada's co-located HAL laboratory.

Stipend:

A fellowship is available for 2 years in the first instance, with the possibility of extension. Salary will be competitive and depend on the candidate's background and experience.

How to Apply:

Interested applicants should contact Dr. Andrew Ireson, Dr. Howard Wheater, and Dr. Al Pietroniro by email to ccrnetwork@usask.ca, and include in the subject line the position being applied for. Please include a cover letter explaining your motivation, complete CV, examples of papers either in press or published, and contact details for three academic references. Informal inquiries are welcome.

PhD Studentship - Land Surface and Large-scale River Basin Modelling (Supervisors: Howard Wheater, Murray Mackay)

Position:

UofS/Environment Canada collaboration is developing improved land surface schemes for cold region environments for application in weather forecasting and large-scale hydrological modelling. An opportunity exists for a PhD student to develop improved representation of cold region lake processes, including lake snow and ice cover, within the Canadian Land Surface Scheme (CLASS).

Qualifications:

Applicants must have, or be near completion of a Master's degree in a relevant discipline such as physical science, engineering, or mathematics, and must meet all of the requirements for acceptance into the PhD program in the School of Environment and Sustainability (SENS; www.usask.ca/sens) at the University of Saskatchewan. A strong background in numerate science and computing is required, and knowledge of hydrometeorology is desirable.

Venue:

Research will be conducted within the Global Institute for Water Security and the School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, located in Saskatoon, SK, Canada.

Stipend:

A three-year scholarship is available as base support to a fully qualified candidate at a rate that will depend on the candidate's qualifications and potential. Supplemental support may be available to students based on performance and availability of teaching assistant positions.

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.

Interested students should follow the application procedure explained on the School of Environment and Sustainability webpage at www.usask.ca/cgsr/grad_programs/programs/ENVS.php. Applications are accepted any time for this position.

Interested applicants should also contact Dr. Howard Wheater and Dr. Murray MacKay to discuss the studentship by emailing ccrnetwork@usask.ca before applying, and include in the subject line the position being applied for. Please include a cover letter explaining your motivation and your qualifications. Informal inquiries are welcome.

MSc Studentship - Diagnostics of Glacier-Hydrological Regime Changes (Supervisors: Mike Demuth, John Pomeroy, Al Pietroniro)

Position:

UofS/Geological Survey of Canada/Environment Canada collaboration is focussing on glacier-hydrological regime changes in the hydrological apex of North America, the Columbia Icefield and in the remote Ragged Range/South Nahanni River (NWT) headwaters. The effort requires 1 Masters student to advance the diagnostics of glacier-fed river flows as influenced by regional changes in climate, glacier cover and snow cover. Synoptic climate interpretation, hydrometric data analysis, water isotope methods, field-based sampling and hydrological modelling will feature prominently in the work.

Qualifications:

Applicants must have completed, or be near completion of an undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline, and must meet all of the requirements for acceptance into the MSc program in the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Saskatchewan (www.arts.usask.ca/geography). The successful applicant will have an interest in cryospheric 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 Department 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, Saskatchewan and on the campus of the Biogeoscience Institute in the Kananaskis Valley, Alberta http://bgs.ucalgary.ca/.

Stipend:

A two-year scholarship is available as base support to a fully qualified candidate. Supplemental support may be available to students based on performance and availability of teaching assistant positions in the Department of Geography and Planning and in other academic units.

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.

Interested students should follow the application procedure explained on the Department of Geography and Planning webpage at http://www.arts.usask.ca/geography/graduate/. Applications are accepted any time for this position.

Interested applicants should also contact Dr. Mike Demuth, Dr. John Pomeroy, and Dr. Al Pietroniro to discuss the studentship by emailing ccrnetwork@usask.ca before applying, and include in the subject line the position being applied for. Please include a cover letter explaining your motivation and your qualifications. Informal inquiries are welcome.

Post-Doctoral Fellowship or PhD Studentship - Changing Mountain Snow and Ice Hydrology (Supervisors: John Pomeroy, Al Pietroniro)

Position:

Coordinated, multi-scale cold regions process and physically based modelling studies will be used to study the transient changes to cryosphere, vegetation and hydrology associated with climate change in the Canadian Rockies and mountains of the Yukon and Northwest Territories. This will use a network of instrumented research basins with long term datasets (Marmot & Wolf Creek, Peyto Glacier), remote sensing, field studies and new applications of the Cold Regions Hydrological Model and other models. Model applications will cover the headwaters of the Saskatchewan and Mackenzie River Basins. 1 Post-Doctoral Fellow or 2 PhD students are needed to contribute to this effort.

Qualifications:

PDF applicants must have completed, or be near completion of a PhD degree in a relevant discipline. PhD applicants must have completed, or be near completion of an MSc degree in a relevant discipline, and must meet all of the requirements for acceptance into the PhD program in the Department of Geography and Planning (http://www.arts.usask.ca/geography/graduate/) at the University of Saskatchewan. Field experience, modelling capability and evidence of publishing credible scientific work in cold regions hydrology are essential.

Venue:

Research will be conducted in the Centre for Hydrology www.usask.ca/hydrology with offices on campus in Saskatoon, SK and on the campus of the Biogeoscience Institute in the Kananaskis Valley, Alberta http://bgs.ucalgary.ca/.

Stipend:

A two-year fellowship is available to a fully qualified Post-Doctoral candidate, or a three-year scholarship is available as base support to a fully qualified PhD candidate. Supplemental support may be available to PhD students based on performance and availability of teaching assistant positions in the Department of Geography and Planning in other academic units.

How to Apply:

Post-Doctoral Candidates: Interested applicants should contact Dr. John Pomeroy and Dr. Al Pietroniro by email to ccrnetwork@usask.ca, and include in the subject line the position being applied for. Please include a cover letter explaining your motivation, complete CV, examples of papers either in press or published, and contact details for three academic references. Informal inquiries are welcome.

PhD Candidates: 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.

Interested students should follow the application procedure explained on the Department of Geography and Planning webpage at http://www.arts.usask.ca/geography/graduate/. Applications are accepted any time for this position.

Interested applicants should also contact Dr. John Pomeroy and Dr. Al Pietroniro to discuss the studentship by emailing ccrnetwork@usask.ca before applying, and include in the subject line the position being applied for. Please include a cover letter explaining your motivation and your qualifications. Informal inquiries are welcome.

Post-Doctoral Fellowship - Coupled Hydrological-Geochemical Modelling (Supervisor: Andrew Ireson)

Position:

The Canadian prairie landscape is characterized by complex hydrological processes, involving surface water-groundwater interactions that are highly sensitive to climate variability and change. In addition the subsurface is rich in salts of glacial origins which have the potential to cause salinization of soils and ponds, with adverse impacts of agriculture and ecosystems. Therefore, quantification of the coupled hydrological, hydrogeological and geochemical process of the prairies under various climatic conditions and land use scenarios is needed. A position is available for a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow to develop a physically based numerical model of surface-subsurface processes operating within this system. Field observations from extensively monitored field sites are available.

Qualifications:

The suitable candidate will have a PhD in hydrology, hydrogeology, or similar field, and will have experience of working with numerical models. Excellent mathematical and computation skills are essential, including familiarity with at least one programming language (including MATLAB or R). The candidate will publish findings in the peer reviewed literature, and present work at international conferences.

Venue:

Research will be conducted within the Global Institute for Water Security, located in Saskatoon, SK, Canada.

Stipend:

A two-year fellowship is available. Salary will be competitive and depend on the candidate's background and experience.

How to Apply:

Interested applicants should contact Dr. Andrew Ireson by email to ccrnetwork@usask.ca, and include in the subject line the position being applied for. Please include a cover letter explaining your motivation, complete CV, examples of papers either in press or published, and contact details for three academic references. Informal inquiries are welcome.

MSc or PhD Studentship - Sensitivity of Tree Growth to Climate across Ecotone Boundaries (Supervisor: Jill Johnstone)

Position:

The Northern Plant Ecology Lab (NPEL) at the Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, is looking to recruit an experienced and motivated graduate student for work on dendroecology as part of the new Changing Cold Regions Network (CCRN). We will be making extensive use of tree-ring records to explore patterns of tree sensitivity to climate across environmental gradients and ecosystem transitions. Funding is available to support graduate student research at the MSc or PhD level examining patterns of tree ring responses to inter annual climate variability across ecotonal boundaries in the southern boreal forest and/or alpine treeline. Research activities will involve field research to collect tree rings, stand, and environmental data, as well as lab work and statistical analyses to process and interpret patterns of tree growth. There will be extensive collaboration with hydrologists and atmospheric scientists to support integrating ecological patterns within a systems-framework for the boreal forest.

Responsibilities and Qualifications:

The student will work as part of the multidisciplinary CCRN team and will be responsible for taking leadership on specific elements of a large, collaborative research project. Consequently, good inter-personal skills and a high level of motivation and personal leadership are required. The ideal candidate for the position will have past experience in the outdoors and an interdisciplinary background that includes ecology, physical geography, and basic statistics. A strong academic track record and positive letters of reference from past supervisors is also required.

Venue:

The Northern Plant Ecology Lab at the University of Saskatchewan is a dynamic group of undergraduate and graduate student researchers focused on the ecology of northern ecosystems. We work together as peers and colleagues to create a stimulating environment for research and training in ecology. The GIWS at the U of S also has a diverse community of environmental scientists and hydrologists that create a valuable research network within the larger university. Saskatoon is situated in the northern Great Plains and is a few hours drive from the boreal forest of the Canadian Shield. It is a friendly and inexpensive place to live, with an active arts culture and opportunities for outdoor recreations such as bird-watching, canoeing, and cross-country skiing. Further information about the NPEL and GIWS can be found on the web at: http://homepage.usask.ca/~jfj445/ and www.usask.ca/water.

Stipend:

The successful applicant will be fully funded for two years of study at the standard NSERC rate for graduate students and will have opportunities to obtain teaching scholarships or other support for the remainder of their study program.

How to Apply:

We are particularly looking for applicants able to start their study program in September 2013. This position is open to students of any nationality, although preference may be given to students with field or backcountry experience in North America. Initial applications should consist of a letter of introduction summarizing your interest in the position and relevant background, a CV with contact info for three references, and a PDF (informal is fine) copy of past academic transcripts. Please send application materials electronically to Dr. Jill Johnstone at jill.johnstone@usask.ca. Applications will be reviewed starting on 15 April 2013 and the position will remain open until filled.