The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carleton University is accepting applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in Soil moisture monitoring for a multi-sensor green roof and green wall systems. The anticipated start date will be January 2023 with a duration of one year. The postdoctoral fellow will be involved join Dr. Drake’s green roof and green wall research team. Team members consist of engineers, landscape architects and graduate students from Carleton University, the University of Toronto and Ginkgo Sustainability.
Department Background Information
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carleton University (located in Ottawa, Canada) More information is available here: https://carleton.ca/cee/
Research Project Overview
The postdoctoral fellow will work closely with the team to develop calibration curves for capacitance volumetric soil moisture sensors as part of a multi-sensor green roof and green wall system. The optimized sensors will be field tested in experimental and operational green roofs both at UofT’s green roof innovation testing laboratory (Gritlab) and on selected GTA green roofs and green walls.
The 12-month position will be based in Ottawa, with occasional travel to Toronto and will work closely with Ginkgo Sustainability technical staff.
Ginkgo Sustainability Inc. (Ginkgo), an Ontario-based company, was founded in 2010 with the mission to connect the living and built environment through the installation of living (green roofs) and the installation and manufacturing of living walls. Ginkgo has completed over 250 green roof projects. Operational and inspections services are an increasingly significant component of their offered services, and Ginkgo currently manages over 300 properties.
Research Project Supervisor and Principal Investigator: Dr. Jennifer Drake
Prof. Drake has distinguished herself as one of Canada’s leading experts in stormwater management, low impact development (LID) and green infrastructure. Her work draws heavily on principles of sustainability, best management practices and holistic, interdisciplinary design, and she has made significant contributions that have advanced stormwater design, operations, and maintenance for the unique climate and urban environments of Canadian cities. She is distinctive in that her research has advanced the state of knowledge for a broad and diverse range of stormwater systems including conventional conveyance and end-of-pipe controls, vegetated or living infrastructure and infiltration-based technologies.
Salary
The postdoctoral fellow will be offered a salary of $60,000 per annum, with the additional ability to opt into an extended health and dental benefits plan. The postdoc will be considered unionized and will be a member of PSAC Local 77000. Information on this bargaining unit can be found here: https://psac77000.ca/.
Position Duties and Responsibilities
The focus of this project is soil moisture data, which is essential to ensure that green installations are healthy and thriving and for planning maintenance. The incumbent of this position will, under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Drake, be responsible for leading the research activities of the project, including but not limited to the following core responsibilities:
- project coordination
- sensor calibration and validation in a laboratory analysis
- soil analysis (e.g. lab work with HYPROP, KSat, sieve analysis)
- developing sensor servicing plan
- fieldwork on green roofs
- data analysis with scripting languages (e.g. R, Python, MATLAB)
- report writing
Job Requirements
A doctoral degree in Engineering (Civil, Environmental, Water Resources, Electrical), Environmental Sciences, Physical Soil Sciences or a related field.
Valuable Skills & Experience
- Preferences will be given to candidates with strong quantitative skills and a proven publication record in one or more of the following areas: green infrastructure, low impact development, stormwater systems, soil science, environmental soil physics, real-time data and sensors.
- Experience with soil analysis methods and equipment, environmental data sensors and loggers (e.g. Campbell Scientific)
- Experience managing large inter-related environmental datasets and using a scripting language(s) such as Python, R or MATLAB would be an asset.
Accommodations and Accessibility
Should you require a copy of this posting in an alternate format, please contact us as soon as possible, and we would be happy to get one to you in a timely manner. We believe in the importance of supporting on-the-job success for the incumbent and are pleased to discuss and/or provide specific tools, resources or other requirements for day-to-day work requirements, as needed.
About Carleton University:
Carleton University is a dynamic and innovative research and teaching institution with a
national and international reputation as a leader in collaborative teaching and learning, research
and governance. To learn more about our university and the City of Ottawa, please visit
www.carleton.ca/provost.
Carleton University is committed to fostering diversity within its community as a source of
excellence, cultural enrichment, and social strength. We welcome those who would contribute
to the further diversification of our university including, but not limited to: women; visible
minorities; First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples; persons with disabilities; and persons of
any sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression. Carleton understands that career
paths vary. Legitimate career interruptions will in no way prejudice the assessment process and
their impact will be taken into careful consideration.
We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. If contacted for an interview, please inform us should accommodation be required,
and arrangements will be made in a timely manner. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.
How to Apply
Candidates that would like to apply for this fellowship opportunity are invited to submit their cover letter along with a resume/CV to Jennifer Drake at jennifer.drake@carleton.ca.
Contact information for a minimum of 2 references. References will only be contacted in case of short-listing.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.