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Nutrient Management & Greenhouse Gases
Soil Ecology & Nematology
Undergraduate Summer / Co-Op Research
DEPARTMENTAL POSITIONS
Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Water Resource Management for Sustainable Agriculture
The Department of Soil Science is looking for a full-time, tenure-track position in Water Resource Management for Sustainable Agriculture at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor.
The succesful candidate will join the Department of Soil Science of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS), which promotes a collaborative and supportive workplace and is committed to advancing the University of Manitoba as a leader in the use and management of land and water resources. The Chair will address many of the most critical issues limiting our understanding of how precipitation is partitioned and impacts agricultural lands across the Earth’s Critical Zone (the near-surface environment where rock, soil, water, air, and life interact). The Chair’s research program is expected to focus on the long-term impacts that agricultural water use has on the hydrological processes. Specific areas may include but are not limited to examining how land use affects soil water storage spatially and temporally, and what the implications are for runoff and erosion risk, snowmelt, water redistribution and infiltration, flood and drought hazards, and wetland services.
The successful candidate will be expected to develop an innovative and well-respected research program related to Water Resource Management. The potential areas of focus may include but are not limited to: (1) water flow mechanisms during snowmelt infiltration; 2) water management in marginal and degraded lands; 3) best management practices in arable lands; and/or 4) digital technologies to assess hydrological processes in soils. The Chair will maintain a primary focus on improving the sustainable management of water in agroecosystems to enhance adaptation to climate change and resulting extreme moisture conditions. The Chair will be expected to contribute to provincial and national strategies aimed at improving climate resilience in western Canadian agriculture. In addition to CRC funding, the Chair will be expected to secure funding from provincial and national sources. Although the Chair will have a reduced teaching load, they will contribute to both undergraduate and graduate teaching in their area of expertise. The Chair will also be expected to contribute to service activities within the department, the faculty and beyond.
READ MORE & APPLY
(Requisition No 25281)
GRADUATE STUDIES
The Applied Soil Ecology Lab at the University of Manitoba is seeking highly motivated and talented candidates for training leading to M.Sc. or Ph.D. degrees in nutrient management, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil ecology and nematology.
For more information on a specific project, e-mail Mario directly, using the subject indicated in the research project’s description. Include a detailed CV, statement of relevant experience, your availability, and contact information for three referees.
For more information on the application process, see the Department of Soil Science or Faculty of Graduate Studies Graduate Programs webpages.
Nutrient Management & Greenhouse Gases
Nitrification Inhibitors to Reduce Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Anhydrous Ammonia Applied to Soils
M.Sc. or Ph.D. students will undertake graduate research in 4R Nitrogen Practices to reduce N2O emissions from anhydrous ammonia applied to agricultural soils. The students will lead research on farmer fields examining several newly available inhibitors of nitrification applied with anhydrous ammonia. (READ MORE)
Micro-meteorology of Gas Exchange in Cover Crop Systems
M.Sc. or Ph.D. students will undertake graduate research in the area of development of cover cropping systems in the Red River Valley region of Manitoba and benefit to fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency of crops. Benefits to be examined include reduced emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O), net CO2 uptake by soil, lowered residual fall soil nitrate tests, and improved coincidence of nitrogen mineralization and crop uptake. Methods of N2O flux determination include the flux-gradient, automated chamber and static-vented chamber techniques. (READ MORE)
Micro-meteorological Fluxes of N2O and CO2 on Light Texture Soil
M.Sc. or Ph.D. students will undertake graduate research in 4R Nitrogen Practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (N2O and CO2) from agricultural fields near Brandon, Manitoba. The students will assist in the setup and operation of the field site with a micrometeorological flux-gradient approach to continuous monitoring of gas exchanges. (READ MORE)
Benefit of 4R Nitrogen Management on Micro-meteorological Fluxes of Ammonia
M.Sc. or Ph.D. students will undertake graduate research in 4R Nitrogen Practices to reduce NH3 volatilization from agricultural fields near the cities of Winnipeg and Brandon, Manitoba. The students will assist in the setup and operation of the field sites with flux towers and use of the backward Lagrangian Stochastic approach to estimate NH3 losses. (READ MORE)
Soil Ecology & Nematology
Biology and Epidemiology of the Stem Nematode, Ditylenchus weischeri
M.Sc. or Ph.D. students will undertake graduate research in understanding the life-cycle development and reproduction of the stem nematode, Ditylenchus weischeri in a range of horticultural crops. The students will lead growth chamber and greenhouse studies using traditional isolation and identification as well as molecular analyses of nematode populations in plants. In situ staining and visualization of nematode in plant parts will be done to localize the development stages of the nematode. (READ MORE)
Field Studies with the Root Lesion Nematode, Pratylenchus neglectus
M.Sc. or Ph.D. students will undertake graduate research in understanding the crop host preference and damage potential of the root lesion nematode, P. neglectus to crops grown in the Prairies. The students will lead field studies in Manitoba and Alberta using microplots containing varying population densities of the nematode planted to soybean, chickpea and canola. Traditional and molecular analyses of nematode populations in soil and the crops will be conducted. (READ MORE)
UNDERGRAD SUMMER & CO-OP
We are not accepting applications at this time. Stay tuned – the undergraduate lab and field student competition for our next growing season will open in early January, 2024.
See below to learn more about the Plant Disease Lab Technician and Agronomy Field Technician positions and how to apply.
Plant Disease Lab Technician
The Soil Ecology & Plant Disease Research Program includes projects that examine yield loses from Potato Early Die Complex, a disease complex caused by the fungus Verticillium and root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus, identify host and environmental preferences, yield damage, and control strategies of plant-parasitic nematodes, including Pratylenchus and Ditylenchus, and surveys of the Canadian Prairie Provinces for the presence of the parasitic soybean cyst nematode. The program includes major field, pulse, and horticultural crops grown on the Canadian Prairies, and involves microscopic and molecular identification of pathogens and nematodes.
Duties and Responsibilities: Indoor: assist graduate students and senior technicians in laboratory studies; count and identify soil organisms using compound / dissecting microscopes; make culture media and reagent solutions; extract pathogens and nematodes from soils; potentially basic molecular biology analyses such as PCR, qPCR, and gel electrophoresis. Outdoor: soil and plant sampling, visual plant disease ratings. Other duties as required. Successful applicant reports daily to the Soil Ecology & Plant Disease Lab Director.
Skills and benefits you may gain from this position: Microscopic and molecular pathogen and pest evaluation, extraction and isolation methods, conventional and real-time PCR, culturing, disease rating, field sampling
Qualifications: Enrolled in an undergraduate Agroecology, Agronomy, Biology, Microbiology, Environment, or Soil Science program, or a related field (preference given to those in senior years with excellent academic achievement); highly motivated; organized; able to follow complex instructions and pay attention to detail; good critical thinking skills; can work independently and in a group; excellent verbal and written communication skills; good manual dexterity; able to sit or stand for long periods; prepared for occasional manual labour and strenuous outdoor activity over rough terrain; able to lift and carry 20kg. A valid Manitoba Driver’s licenseand previous lab experience are assets.
Number of Jobs: TBD
Job dates: May 1 through September 1, 2023
Hours per week: 35
Salary: Faculty pay scale dependent on program year
Location: Ellis Bldg, UM and occasional day trips to rural field sites
Other info: Transportation vehicle provided
How to Apply: Please send the following application materials to Soil.Ecology@umanitoba.ca using the subject line “summer lab tech”: (1) Cover letter including a statement indicating the school, program, and year you are currently enrolled in, (2) resume, (3) academic transcript, and (4) the names and contact info of three references whom have agreed to be contacted.
Click here to see the Undergraduate Plant Disease Lab Technician advertisement for job terms and how to apply.
Agronomy Field Technician
The Greenhouse Gas Research Program studies the relationship between nutrient management and greenhouse gas emissions, with the goal of improving fertilizer use best management practices to reduce emissions from soil and animal manures. Projects include studying the effect of cover crops on emissions, cattle diet on manure properties and emissions, and fertilizer placement, timing of application, and/or fertilizer type on emissions.
Duties and responsibilities: Outdoor duties: assist graduate students and Senior Technicians in small scale research field plot maintenance; collect soil, manure, plant and greenhouse gas samples; measure spectral reflectance from crops; adhere to biosecurity protocols. Indoor duties: preparation of gas storage vials; soil grinding and extraction; plant threshing and grinding; proper documentation of soil, plant, and greenhouse gas samples; maintaining field equipment. Other duties as required. Successful applicant reports daily to the Gas or General Lab Director.
Skills and benefits you may gain from this position: Methods for analysis of various greenhouse gases; determination of greenhouse gas fluxes using chambers; soil sampling, plant sampling / preparation for analysis; trouble shooting techniques and working in teams; introduction to the set up and maintenance of small-scale agricultural research plots.
Qualifications: Enrolled in an undergraduate Agroecology, Agronomy, Biology, Engineering, Environment, Physical Geography, or Soil Science program, or a related field (preference given to those in senior years with excellent academic achievement); highly motivated; organized; able to follow complex instructions and pay attention to detail; good critical thinking skills; can work independently and in a group; excellent verbal and written communication skills; prepared for manual labour and strenuous outdoor activity over rough terrain; able to lift and carry 20kg; able to sit or stand for long periods; good manual dexterity; valid Manitoba Driver’s license. Enjoys working outdoors and previous farm/field experience is an asset.
Number of Jobs: TBD
Job dates: May 1 through September 1, 2023
Hours per week: 35
Salary: Faculty pay scale dependent on program year
Location: Ellis Bldg, UM and frequent day trips to rural field sites
Other info: Transportation vehicle provided
How to Apply: Please send the following application materials to Soil.Ecology@umanitoba.ca using the subject line “field lab tech”: (1) Cover letter including a statement indicating the school, program, and year you are currently enrolled in, (2) resume, (3) academic transcript, and (4) the names and contact info of three references whom have agreed to be contacted.
Click here to see the Undergraduate Agronomy Field Technician advertisement for job terms and how to apply.
Last Updated: December 14, 2022