Climate change is making the Arctic susceptible to biodiversity loss and to increases in sub‐Arctic/temperate species. The potential loss of native fishes is of outsized importance as they are foods for Arctic seabirds and marine mammals. Marine fish, and animals that eat them, also represent essential local foods and culturally important species for Inuit communities. Most marine fishes in Canada’s Arctic are not well enough known to assess how they will be affected by climate change, information which is urgently needed to reduce Arctic biodiversity loss and protect northern cultural and food systems. FISHSENS will combine genomics data with dietary and movement assessments to develop tools needed by federal and Inuit co‐management partners to establish Arctic marine fish monitoring strategies and assess their sensitivity to climate change. Recruited candidates will develop projects combining laboratory and data analysis approaches and will collaborate with Canadian academic, government, and Inuit organizations in Nunavut and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Northwest Territories.

McGill University is committed to diversity and equity and welcomes applications from Indigenous persons, women, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, visible minorities, and others who may contribute to diversification. For more information on support, funding, and community for Indigenous students at McGill consult the Undergraduate Admissions' and the First Peoples' House's pages. 

McGill University is Canada’s premiere university for research excellence and teaching, is one of the top 50 universities worldwide, and was recently named the International Sustainability Institution of the Year. The Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is located at McGill’s Macdonald Campus, just 30 km from vibrant downtown Montreal, providing students with both urban culture and recreational opportunities. Graduate students at Mac campus are 1⁄4 of the student body and the campus houses 8 graduate programs and 100+ faculty members. For more information: https://denisroy.weebly.com/ ; http://mcgill.ca ; http://mckinneylab.weebly.com ; http://mcgill.ca/nrs. 

Ideal candidates will have a strong work ethic, enthusiasm for the research, independent and team‐work skills, and suitable academic training in a relevant discipline: natural resources, ecology, evolution, genetics, bioinformatics, environmental chemistry, environmental science, or a closely related field, and experience in at least one of the following:

  • DNA extractions, library preparations, quality screening, PCR, extraction robots, gel docs and associated instruments
  • Stable isotopes or fatty acids extraction and analysis (GC‐FID, IRMS)
  • Statistical analysis of biological or environmental data (e.g., in R), bioinformatics tools (e.g., VCFtools, genome assemblies and annotation)
  • Fieldwork, fish identifications, working in Inuit communities and organizations

Potential graduate students will have to apply to the Department of Natural Resource Sciences at McGill, which has strict admission standards (minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0, or 3.2/4.0 in the last two years). Transcripts, letters of support, CV, and a strong personal statement are part of the application. Deadline for fall 2021 admission is May 31st for Canadian applicants and March 15th for international applicants.

Annual graduate student stipends will be provided, with opportunities for supplementation through applications for scholarships and teaching assistantships. Postdoctoral and research technician positions include salary plus benefits. Please note that position availability is contingent upon funding.

Please send a cover letter indicating your research experience and goals, a CV, and, for PhD student positions, unofficial transcripts. For genomics/bioinformatics positions, send application materials to Dr. Denis Roy, Assistant Professor, at denis.roy5@mcgill.ca. For dietary/chemical tracers positions, send application materials to Dr. Melissa McKinney, Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair, at melissa.mckinney@mcgill.ca. Please ensure to write “FISHSENS positions” in the subject line.

Deadline is 15 February 2021.