Three Ph.D. Projects – Fish ecology and Habitat Connectivity in a Large Hydropower Regulated River

Three Ph.D. Projects – Fish ecology and Habitat Connectivity in a Large Hydropower Regulated River

The New Brunswick Aquatic Ecosystem Study (NBAES) at the Canadian Rivers Institute (CRI), University of New Brunswick – Fredericton is seeking candidates for 3 new Ph.D. projects.

1. Ecology of fishes below a large hydropower dam. Key skills: ecohydrology, environmental flows, and fish ecology
2. Reservoir fish ecology: understanding the spatial ecology of reservoir residents and anadromous migrants. Key Skills: acoustic telemetry, spatial, trophic, and behavioural ecology
3. Cumulative fish passage: assessing the efficiency of multiple upstream passage facilities in a large hydropower Key Skills: fish passage, ecohydraulics, and telemetry

NBAES represents the third phase of a long-term multi-disciplinary, whole-ecosystem study assessing the structure and function of a large river ecosystem in relation to hydropower infrastructure (previously known as the Mactaquac Aquatic Ecosystem Study-MAES). NBAES will quantitatively assess the impacts of the implementation of catchment wide fish passage and flow management guidance and hypotheses developed in Phases 1 and 2. The geographic scope of Phase 3 will extend beyond Mactaquac dam to include the comprehensive assessment of upstream fish passage among the collective of NB Power facilities on the Wolastoq/Saint John River.

The projects are fully funded opportunities, which will begin in the spring of 2026. The deadline to apply is March 2nd, 2026 and the call will remain open until we have found suitable candidates. For more information contact:

Philip Harrison, Research Associate, NBAES ([email protected]), Canadian Rivers Institute, Biology, Forestry, and Environmental Management. University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB. E3B 5A3. Tel: 506-230-0154

See attached for further details about each project and application procedure.