Research Associate - Peatland Biogeochemistry

Location

Whitehorse, YT | Canada

Job description

Wildlife Conservation Society Canada: 169 Titanium Way, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 0E9

Position Title: Research Associate – Peatland Biogeochemistry

Position Type: Term, Full-time

Language of work: English

Program: Forests, Peatlands & Climate Change national program and Northern Boreal Mountain regional program

Position Location: Whitehorse, Yukon. In-office or hybrid office/remote within Whitehorse. This position will require travel within Yukon for meetings and fieldwork and some occasional travel to other locations within Canada for meetings and conferences.

Date Written/Revised: February 16, 2024

Reports To: Dr Lorna Harris - Director of Forests, Peatlands & Climate Change

Supervises: N/A

Term: 3 years

Salary: $75,000 to $80,000 (plus 3% annual salary increases)

Benefits : Health benefits, Travel and Research expenses, Northern Travel Allowance, RRSP program, Flexible hours.

Start date: May 29, 2024 (flexible)

Application Closing date: March 20, 2024 at 6pm EST

Position Contact: Dr Lorna Harris - Director of Forests, Peatlands & Climate Change [email protected]

Position Summary

WCS Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCS Canada) is a national, non-profit, charitable organization established in 2004. WCS Canada’s national Forests, Peatlands, and Climate Change (FPCC) program focuses on connecting field-based science and policy development for forests and peatlands across Canada, with a particular focus on high-integrity forests and peatlands in boreal and subarctic regions. The program is also closely connected to WCS global conservation programs for peatlands and forests and other international peatland groups. Our national and global work for peatlands is supported by our ongoing research in priority regions in Canada, including in the Yukon in collaboration with our regional Northern Boreal Mountain landscape program. To support our work, WCS Canada is seeking a peatland scientist (Research Associate) with expertise in peatland carbon cycling and particularly in gas fluxes (carbon dioxide and methane) and environmental controls. With a strong attention to detail in data management and technical skills in data analysis, the Research Associate will design and establish new study sites to collect and analyze GHG flux and supporting environmental data on undisturbed peatlands (including permafrost peatlands) and peatlands disturbed by or reclaimed as part of placer mining activities across the Yukon. The Research Associate will also work with partners to collect and analyze data from peat cores from all study sites, including remote locations.

Position Objectives: The Research Associate will support WCS Canada’s national Forests, Peatlands, and Climate Change program and the regional Northern Boreal Mountain landscape program through the following primary objectives:

• Completing critical research for undisturbed peatlands and peatlands impacted by placer mining across the Yukon.
• Identifying key data gaps and priorities for research on peatlands in the region.

Principal Responsibilities:

• Design, organize, and conduct field-based research on peatlands in the Yukon, with partners and communities.
• Research (i.e., literature searches and reviews, data sourcing), compile, and quality assure publicly available and partner data on peatlands in Yukon, including preparing a simple database(s) and accompanying documentation for sharing with partners and for digital data repositories where applicable.
• Analyze all new peatland data and combine with other publicly available and partner data to complete a synthesis report for the study region (e.g., GHG fluxes and carbon stocks and other peat chemical and physical properties and key environmental controls).
• With the FPCC Director, the regional program Director, and other WCS Canada staff, work with partners and communities to co-create and co-develop research and conservation initiatives for peatlands.
• Lead and/or co-author peer-reviewed publications.
• Present research plans and findings at meetings and conferences.
• Contribute to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace that promotes engagement and belonging.
• Support WCS Canada’s goal of transforming WCS Canada’s conservation practice through reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

Required Qualifications/Skills/Experience

• A PhD (or nearing completion of a PhD) in peatland biogeochemistry (preferred).
• Strong research and problem-solving skills, detail oriented, and resourceful.
• An understanding of Indigenous-led conservation and governance across Canada.
• Experience working with Indigenous communities on research and conservation initiatives.
• Experience leading and implementing field research and supervising field staff.
• Experience conducting remote fieldwork in a challenging environment and operating 4x4 trucks on rough access roads.
• Experience with coding in R and geospatial tools (e.g., ArcGIS Pro).
• Knowledge of data management processes, including quality assurance and control.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
• Ability to work both independently and within a team on multiple projects concurrently.
• A passion for the conservation of nature and wildlife.

Preferred Qualifications/Skills/Experience

• Knowledge and experience working in permafrost peatland ecosystems.
• Experience in completing peatlands research in industry settings.
• Experience in completing remote field-based peatland research in Canada or other remote northern peatland landscapes.

How to apply:

Please submit your CV and a cover letter explaining your interest in this position and relevant skills and experience.

For questions regarding the position, please contact Lorna Harris at .

For questions regarding the application process, please contact Okechukwu Ezibe at [email protected] .

Application Closing date: March 20, 2024 at 6pm EST

About WCS Canada

WCS Canada ( was established as a Canadian conservation organization in July 2004. We are committed to championing accessibility, diversity, and equal opportunity. Our mission is to save wildlife and wild places by improving our understanding of and seeking solutions to critical problems that threaten key species and large wild ecosystems throughout Canada. We implement and support comprehensive field studies that gather information on wildlife needs and then seek to resolve key conservation problems by working with a broad array of actors. WCS Canada has a track record of our science being recognized as relevant, credible and legitimate by researchers, NGOs and agencies. WCS Canada is independently registered and managed, while retaining a strong collaborative working relationship with sister Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) programs in more than 60 countries.

Diversity and inclusion are core WCS Canada values. We value the diversity of the people we employ and work with and we strive to provide an inclusive and equitable workplace in which we recognize the unique characteristics, skills and experiences of all employees. We are committed to engaging our employees in our diversity, equity and inclusion work and together we aim to create a workplace where all staff feel they belong and can grow.

WCS Canada’s programs occur on the homelands of Indigenous Peoples whose relationships various governments are described in historic Treaties, modern land claim agreements, and negotiations around unceded lands. We recognize and support Indigenous Peoples in Indigenous-led conservation initiatives as well as the international ecological and social commitments and responsibilities to Indigenous Peoples that Canada has signed, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Our commitment to collaboration with Indigenous Peoples ranges from provision of scientific advice to co-creation of research and conservation priorities. We respect Indigenous knowledge systems and include Indigenous ways of knowing in research and conservation programs. We engage in land use planning and impact assessment processes that affect Indigenous Peoples, seeking ways to advance conservation as well as opportunities to sustain the livelihoods and cultures of Indigenous communities. We seek to motivate positive conservation outcomes by supporting effective governance and decision-making processes by Indigenous communities, particularly by supporting Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas.

WCS Canada is committed to contributing to the field of conservation science and the professional development of its employees. Employees are encouraged to participate in professional societies and present their research at conferences and meetings, as well as participate in relevant workshops and training opportunities. Employees are likewise encouraged to mentor graduate students, participate in relevant graduate student committees, and pursue adjunct status with universities as appropriate.

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