PhD or MSc positions in biodiversity evaluation using eDNA

PhD or MSc positions in biodiversity evaluation using eDNA. The University of Prince Edward Island, in cooperation with collaborators at the University of Waterloo and Fisheries and Oceans Canada is seeking graduate students with an interest in pursuing a career in molecular ecology research. The province of PEI, Canada is 100% dependent on groundwater for all of its domestic and industrial water needs, and the ecological impacts of water use in the context of a range of environmental variables is the subject of a 5-year field study. The students would study biodiversity and fisheries in the Maritimes region using eDNA techniques in the context of anthropogenic stress, particularly environmental flows. Aspects under study would include the evaluation of single-species eDNA techniques with regards to fish communities, eDNA metabarcoding applied to fish and invertebrate communities, eDNA techniques for examining inter-species competition of salmonids, and fish population responses to stress and environmental conditions in general. While eDNA is a key component of the research program, aspects of fish ecology outside of molecular techniques are also being examined, for example, habitat modelling in response to flow regime. The successful applicant would enroll in the Environmental Sciences graduate program at the University of Prince Edward Island but would work in collaboration with external scientists. Students must meet the UPEI English language entry requirements to be considered: https://www.upei.ca/admission-requirements/english-language-proficiency-requirements/graduate-programs. Applications including a letter of interest, CV, English proficiency scores, unofficial university transcripts, and the names of three references should be sent to Dr. Mike van den Heuvel, [email protected]. The search will continue until suitable candidates are found.