Opportunity for a Masters in Soil Science position supervised by AAFC-Agassiz and co-supervised by JT Cornelis!

Topic: Soil Carbon Stabilization of Longterm Manure Trials.

Hiring Manager: Derek Hunt  – derek.hunt@agr.gc.ca

Location: Agassiz Research and Development Centre (Ag-RDC), Science and Technology Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Position title: MSc Student – Research Affiliate Program

Salary/Stipend/Bursary: 24.62$ to 30.99$ per hour. (Annual Stipend of 30,00$ which includes rates of pay. Salary is determined by the student’s education and relevant experience.

Hours per week: 24.

Projected start date: January 3rd 2025.

Projected end date: December 31st 2027.

More info:

The successful candidate will measure the effect of nutrient management and cropping practices soil carbon in three long-term dairy trials. The work will involve field sampling at Ag-RDC and lab work at Ag-RDC and UBC-Vancouver; to conduct this work, physical presence at both locations is a necessity.
The successful candidate must register or be registered in a Master’s program in Soil Science at the Vancouver, BC, campus of the University of British Columbia because they will be co-supervised by Dr. Derek Hunt (Agassiz-RDC) and Dr. J.T. Cornelis (UBC-Vancouver).
The successful candidate must possess a Bachelor of Science from a recognized university (National and/or International) and register/be registered in a graduate program at UBC-Vancouver. Preference will be given to Canadian citizens, followed by permanent residents. If no suitable candidate is found, international students will be considered.
The RAP position will be advertised externally as a part-time position.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of science around climate change and climate change mitigation
• Knowledge of greenhouse gas dynamics in agricultural production systems
• Knowledge of soil science and environmental science
• Knowledge of agriculture practices and implications on environmental quality is an asset
Abilities
• Ability to communicate comfortably (orally and written)
• Ability to process data, present and interpret results in graphical format (e.g., Excel, Sigmaplot, R)
• Ability and willingness to work in laboratory, greenhouse and/or field environments for extended periods of time.
• Ability and willingness to control allergies, through the use of personal protective equipment and/or medication without impinging on the duties to be performed
• Ability and willingness to work in two locations: Agassiz Research and Development Centre and University of British Columbia – Vancouver.

Duties: RECOMMENDED

The successful candidate will leverage three long-term research trials (maintained at AAFC RDCs) exploring the effects of nutrient management, alternative cropping and advanced production practices in dairy systems on soil carbon dynamic and storage. Increased soil organic carbon storage is widely seen as a promising climate change mitigation strategy but more work is required to understand the stability of cycling of soil organic carbon in dairy production systems. The work will involve collecting and processing soil and soil solution samples and fractionating the soil samples into pools of increasing stability. These data will be used to identify best management practices to supporting climate change mitigation on-farm. Additional duties will include:

• Compile measurement data into clear and organized datasets

• Analyse data from above; present results in manuscript(s) for publication in peer-reviewed journal(s) Fulfill any requirements to complete MSc at UBC-V, including taking courses, participating in seminar and committee meetings, and writing and defending MSc thesis.