The Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary invites applications from emerging leaders in Environmental Toxicology to apply for a Tier II Canada Research Chair. We specifically seek an ecotoxicologist with a strong field-based research program that addresses fundamental, process-oriented questions regarding the fate and consequences of aquatic environmental pollutants on populations. The successful candidate will address the dynamics of contaminants in flowing aquatic ecosystems and their impacts on resident organisms, populations and/or communities. The incumbent will be expected to build a program to investigate a link between environmental contaminants and population-level consequences. The individual should have interest in developing diagnostic tools for the assessment of contaminant effects. Emerging contaminants of interest may include personal care products, pharmaceuticals, veterinary drugs, pesticides and herbicides or other compounds with biological activity.
The incumbent will join an existing team of scholars in ecophysiology, comparative physiology & endocrinology, environmental microbiology, biochemistry, systems biology, and analytical & geochemistry, as well as groups in the Schulich School of Engineering involved in water research. The incumbent will be expected to exploit advanced techniques and novel approaches in ecotoxicology and engineering to address an urgent need in Canada and globally to improve engineering processes to ensure the availability of water free of harmful chemicals. The incumbent will be expected to actively participate in research associated with the Advancing Canadian Wastewater Assets (ACWA) facility, which is a unique, world-class research facility embedded within the City of Calgarys new Pine Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. ACWA is an innovative partnership between the University of Calgary and the City of Calgary, whose main goal is to advance wastewater treatment technologies to address increasing environmental and public health issues. Engineering modules will test novel wastewater treatment technologies at full-scale, thereby avoiding scale translation issues associated with bench and pilot-scale research, and ensuring rapid adoption by wastewater utilities. The engineering component will investigate parallel treatment trains with membrane bioreactors and conventional biological nutrient removal coupled to ozone, advanced oxidation (eg, UV/H2O2), and membrane based approaches (eg, nano-filtration, reverse osmosis). Effluent from the engineering modules will be discharged to 12 replicate, constructed, natural streams to test the impact of emerging pollutants on natural aquatic ecosystems. Four laboratories (one at Pine Creek and three at the at U of C including aquatic, stable isotope and medical laboratories) will enable researchers to analyze samples from the engineering and stream systems for pollutants, water quality, and pathogens. To maximize opportunities that arise from ACWA, we are in the process of establishing a University of Calgary based Institute for Environmental Toxicology, which will provide opportunities for interdisciplinary research within the university as well as partnerships between the university, private sector and governments to address important challenges concerning the health and environmental impact of chemical contaminants. The main objectives of the research team are health-risk assessment, study of environmental impact and remediation to develop effective and sustainable water resource management strategies in Alberta, and globally. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels at loads consistent with other Canada Research Chairs. Good communication skills, and the ability to manage student projects, are expected. This position is designed to add strategic research capacity to existing expertise in the Faculty of Science, the Schulich School of Engineering, and the City of Calgary. The appointee will be expected to develop a research program that contributes to their specific areas of interest and expertise as well as the broader ACWA mission. Applications must include a curriculum vitae, statement of research interests, statement of teaching interests, evidence of teaching effectiveness, five recent publications as well as the names, addresses, phone number and email address of three referees. The application deadline is October 15, 2010. Applications should be sent to: Dr. Robert Barclay, Head, Department of Biological Sciences University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 Fax: (403) 289-9311 Email: head...@ucalgary.ca
