We frequently have opportunities for undergraduate research, graduate research projects, interns, postdoctoral research fellows and visiting scientists. Given the breadth of our work we welcome diverse backgrounds including geography, engineering, physics, mathematics, atmospheric science or computer science. If interested, please contact Stephan Gruber.
Graduate students will usually join the Graduate Program in Geography or the Ottawa Carleton Geoscience Centre. In unusual cases, co-supervision in other Departments (e.g., Engineering) may be arranged.
Current Topics
PhD Topic 1: Quantifying permafrost thaw and subsurface properties
The expected outcome of this project is an improved ability to estimate and measure liquid water and ice content in permafrost and in laboratory experiments. This is important as close to 0ºC, heat gain in frozen soil is manifested more in changes to its composition than in temperature. The applicability of a prototype field sensor will be tested and its calibration and usability will be supported by laboratory measurements of dielectric properties of frozen soil, and possibly other laboratory measurements and experiments. A corresponding laboratory and instruments are available. With more and more of the global permafrost area entering a state of thaw, the importance of methods for quantifying this hidden thaw will increase rapidly, both for the monitoring of environmental change and for early detection of structural integrity changes around infrastructure.
PhD Topic 2: Simulating permafrost thaw
The expected outcome of this project is an improved simulation of permafrost and permafrost change with emphasis on quantifying subsurface ice loss. This is important for (a) the adequate interpretation of permafrost measurements, especially for reconciling measurements of temperature, ice loss, and subsidence; and (b) for simulating the state and change of heterogeneous permafrost landscapes. Especially issues related to model testing, scale, and uncertainty will be important. This work will build on existing Open Source simulation code, access to high-performance computing resources is available.
Funding
- Undergraduate Students
Please visit I-CUREUS for funding opportunities and see if you can make the current deadlines for USRA submissions on the sites of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. We are happy to welcome students from the Faculty Of Science or the Faculty of Engineering. - Graduate Students
Please visit Financial Assistance for Graduate Students and - International Graduate Students
Please visit Funding for International Students and the summary of Fees for International Students. Without adequate financial assistance from either a scholarship in your home country or Canada graduate studies are very costly; the support given by a faculty member will not be enough to cover tuition fees and living expenses.
Application Process for Graduate Students
There is a formal application process via the chosen graduate program. A formal application should ideally be submitted in January/February for beginning graduate studies in September. Later submissions are possible.
It is recommended to be in informal contact with you intended supervisor ahead of time to make sure you fit the topic and program and adequate support and supervision can be given. For this, please send (a) a letter of motivation; (b) curriculum vitae; (c) transcripts; (d) a writing sample such as an article, essay, or thesis to Stephan Gruber. In your letter of motivation, explain why you are the right candidate for your topic, and why this particular topic and Carleton University would be the right choice for you. Explain why you chose to pursue this academic degree. Email your application as one PDF. If suitable, you will be invited for an interview.