Dr. Eric Nost (Geography, Environment and Geomatics – University of Guelph) is recruiting a Master of Arts student with interests in agri-environmental stewardship, geospatial technology, and science-policy interfaces, to start in Fall 2022.

The MA student will complete a social science research project on best practices for agri-environmental data management and use, conducting focus groups with and surveying stakeholders including farmers, farmer organizations, Indigenous communities, conservation authorities, conservation NGOs, and governments. The thesis research will support colleagues who are developing a WebGIS platform to enable stakeholders to identify agri-environmental hot spots at a field scale in the Lake Erie Basin and prioritize investments in conservation actions (see Liu et al. 2018). The research is funded by the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph via the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.

The MA student will gain research skills related to focus group and Q survey methods (Nost et al. 2019). A key component of the research involves knowledge mobilization alongside collaborators – an opportunity for the student to enhance their project management and public communication skills. A fuller description of the project is available here.

The Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics at Guelph and I aim to foster welcoming and collaborative spaces that value diversity and wellness. I encourage applications from all qualified individuals, including from justice-seeking groups and those underrepresented in higher education.

Prospective applicants should contact me via email – enost@uoguelph.ca – and forward an unofficial transcript, resume or CV, and a brief statement outlining their interests as they relate to the project.

Guelph Agri-Environmental WebGIS Recruitment

Dr. Eric Nost (he/him)

Assistant Professor
Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics
University of Guelph

twitter.com/ericnost | ericnost.github.io | natureculturepolitics.uoguelph.ca | envirodatagov.org