Focal project
British Columbia’s coastal ecosystems provide crucial functions and services ranging from serving as habitat for ecologically and economically important species to mitigating climate change impacts. However, coastal environments across B.C., such as seagrass meadows and estuaries, are under threat from the rapid spread of the European Green Crab (EGC), an introduced species known to have significant negative impacts on ecosystem health and commercial activities. In order to monitor and predict European green crab movement throughout the Salish Sea, the Sentinels of Change Alliance is hiring a postdoctoral fellow to conduct research on ECG population recruitment and ecophysiology. Specifically, the postdoctoral fellow will assess ECG movements across the Salish Sea using a variety of methods, including crab-settlement devices, machine-learning techniques and other tools that will be developed by the fellow. Additionally, ecophysiology and thermal ecology approaches will be used to determine the thermal tolerance and physiological plasticity of local European green crab populations at different life stages in order to assess invasion impacts in B.C.
Postdoctoral responsibilities and requirements
The responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to:
- Installing and monitoring crab-settlement devices across specific habitats within the Salish Sea.
- Collecting environmental data across all selected experimental sites.
- Assessing European green crab population abundances using the aforementioned and other methods.
- Collecting European green crab individuals at various life stages and conduct laboratory-based thermal physiology experiments.
- Liaising with researchers from the Hakai Institute and UBC.
Candidates must hold a Ph.D. in a relevant field, such as marine biology, ecology, or environmental science, and possess a strong background in ecological research, population dynamics, and marine species.
Project advising team
The successful candidate will be housed at UBC in the Moore Inclusive Conservation lab. The position will be co-supervised between Dr. Alex Moore at UBC and Dr. Margot Hessing-Lewis and Dr. Iria Gimenez from the Hakai Institute.
Additional details
We encourage applicants to apply for this position; equity and diversity are essential to research excellence. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. Candidates of any nationality are encouraged to apply.
The position is based at the Vancouver campus of the University of British Columbia, which lies on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. Hakai is an independent research organization based in British Columbia with many scientists studying the fish, invertebrates, microbes, and seaweeds of coastal ecosystems. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to be able to travel within the Salish Sea Region to participate in experimental work, and accommodation at field stations will be provided.
Review of applications will begin on November 15th and we hope to fill the position for a start date of May 1, 2023 (negotiable). The position is for two years, with a performance review after one year.
How to apply
To apply, please send a cover letter, CV, the two reference letters, and sample research publications to Kyoko Horiguchi (kyoko.horiguchi@ubc.ca). Your cover letter should address your motivation to excel in this project, and the particular skills and experience you can bring to the work.