Professional and Graduate Student Opportunities

Background: Microplastics are increasingly recognized as contaminants of concern in agricultural soils, with concentrations expected to rise as plastic use and organic waste recycling continue to expand. Municipal composts and biosolids are among the primary pathways by which microplastics enter agricultural soils through land application. The Gillespie lab at the University of Guelph is seeking an MSc student to start on a project on terrestrial microplastic characterization and detection. The MSc will work closely with and be mentored by Dr. Serra-Willow Buchanan (postdoctoral researcher).

Project summary or objective of the position:This project aims to develop and validate innovative methods to detect and characterize microplastics in composts, biosolids, and agricultural soils by combining simultaneous thermal analysis (STA–FTIR), synchrotron X-ray computed tomography (CT), and FTIR microscopy. We aim to improve the accuracy and efficiency of microplastic detection while benchmarking these methods against conventional approaches. The project will establish a reference database of thermal and spectral signatures for consumer plastics commonly found in compost and bio-solid streams and apply these tools to characterize plastics in real-world organic amendments and agricultural soils. The research will generate validated analytical workflows and open-access reference datasets to support future terrestrial microplastic monitoring.

Ideal qualifications: Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree in Soil Science, Environmental Science, or a related discipline. Experience with soil sampling, field and laboratory research, and a valid driver’s license are considered assets. Experience with FTIR, STA or terrestrial microplastics research is not necessary but is useful. The successful candidate will be highly motivated and detail-oriented.

Background: UVic’s Environmental Governance Group (envirogov.org) at the University of Victoria (UVic) in British Columbia, Canada and the Department of Renewable Resources at the University of Alberta (UofA) are seeking applications for a postdoctoral fellow focused on integrating the latest science on forest soils into Canadian policy. The postdoc will join a collaborative project team funded through the five-year Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Alliance Society grant Carbon under Canadian forests – Why soils matter. This NSERC Alliance project develops a pan-Canadian perspective on forest soils by bringing together researchers and practitioners working at 17 forest sites across Canada to understand variation in forest soil properties, carbon dynamics, biodiversity, and resilience to disturbance. The postdoc will work closely with Dr. Sophia Carodenuto (UVic), Dr. Sylvie Quideau (University of Alberta), and Dr. Charlotte Norris (Canadian Forest Service) to synthesize the project’s scientific outputs and explore options for integrating these findings into Canadian policy.

Project summary or objective of the position: The overarching objective of the postdoc’s position is to generate policy-relevant knowledge to effectively integrate forest-soil carbon in Canadian policies. The postdoctoral fellow will play a central role in integrating and synthesizing research across the NSERC Alliance project’s network of 17 forest sites. This will involve working across multiple MSc and PhD projects to develop a coherent, pan-Canadian understanding of forest soil systems, including patterns in soil carbon stocks and fluxes, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience to disturbance. The fellow will lead and contribute to multi-author synthesis outputs, including academic publications, reports, and conceptual frameworks that bridge sites, disciplines, and methodological approaches. The successful applicant will divide their time between the UofA and UVic, while working with a larger interdisciplinary team of researchers based across the country in order to achieve the project objectives.

In addition, the fellow will work at the science–policy interface by analyzing the policy and governance landscape relevant to forest soils and forest management in Canada. This includes examining how project findings relate to climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, forest management guidelines, and carbon accounting approaches, including the treatment of soil carbon in national and international reporting frameworks. The fellow will conduct policy analysis and contribute to the development of policy-relevant insights and options, while working in close collaboration with partners such as the Canadian Forest Service.

The postdoctoral fellow will also contribute to the project’s broader societal impact in collaboration with project partners. This may include supporting the development of educational materials, contributing to public-facing outputs such as web content or explainer materials, and helping to identify key messages emerging from the scientific synthesis.