Research Assistant (Fish)

at  IISD

IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA) is the world’s freshwater laboratory. A series of 58 lakes and their watersheds in northwestern Ontario, Canada, IISD-ELA is the only place in the world where scientists can research on and manipulate real lakes to build a more accurate and complete picture of what human activity is doing to freshwater lakes. The findings from over 50 years of ground-breaking research have rewritten environmental policy around the world—from mitigating algal blooms to reducing how much mercury gets into our waterways—and aim to keep fresh water clean around the world for generations to come.
IISD-ELA is operated by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)—an independent think tank headquartered in Winnipeg situated on Treaty 1 Territory—the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), Ininiw (Cree), Anisininew (Ojibwe Cree), Dene, and Dakota Nations, and the homeland of the Red River Métis Nation. The IISD-ELA field station is situated on the traditional land of the Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty 3 Territory and the homeland of the Métis Nation.

ABOUT THE POSITION

We are seeking a motivated Research Assistant (Fish) who will spend the 2025 field season at the IISD-ELA research facility to assist with field-based research on fish ecology. The successful candidate will be involved in data collection for whole-ecosystem experiments and our long-term ecological monitoring program. The incumbent will participate in field activities related to fish capture, population estimation (via mark-recapture), morphometry, non-lethal collection of samples to assess various parameters (age, diet, contaminants, etc.), habitat characterization, behaviour, and lethal broadscale monitoring efforts, among other projects. The Fish Crew’s work is highly seasonal, with intensive mark-recapture efforts in spring and fall and a range of other tasks during the summer months.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Enrollment in a university or college program leading to a degree in biology, ecology, environmental sciences/studies, or a related discipline or recent completion (December 2024–April 2025) of such a degree.
• A keen and hard-working individual who can work as part of a team.
• The ability to work safely in a remote field environment.
• The ability to do fieldwork involving manual labour, such as hiking and lifting heavy objects (up to 25 kg/55 lbs).
• Willingness to work long hours in diverse conditions (e.g., hot, cold, rain, snow, buggy, etc.).
• Willingness to work on weekends during intensive spring and fall sampling periods, with compensatory time off.
• Willingness to live in a remote location for up to 6 months in shared accommodations.
• Candidates must possess or be willing to obtain valid certifications for the following prior to the start of their term:
• First Aid/CPR with AED
• Pleasure Craft Operator’s card
• Full driver’s licence
• IISD-ELA will require a criminal record check and vulnerable sector verification.

ASSET SKILLS

• Experience working outdoors and/or in remote locations.
• Experience living in shared accommodations.
• Work experience in environmental sciences.
• Knowledge of field sampling and/or fish identification and dissection.
• Experience operating small, motorized vessels with outboard motors.
• Experience and/or training in the use of all-terrain vehicles.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Access, Excel, and Teams.
• Ability to speak French and/or Ojibwe.

• Work with a small crew of researchers to maintain the IISD-ELA fish research program in 2025.
• Collect, identify, measure, and mark small- and large-bodied fish species in experimental and reference lakes.
• Perform laboratory tasks, including fish dissections, tissue sampling, ageing structure preparation, diet analysis, and sample preservation.
• Conduct broadscale monitoring surveys of remote lakes, including bathymetry and collection of biological/chemical/physical data and samples.
• Download data from various data-logging devices.
• Perform profiles of lakes using multi-parameter field instruments.
• Enter field notebook data and perform quality assurance/quality control checks using Microsoft Access and Excel.
• Use a variety of watercraft, including canoes, zodiacs, and boats with outboard motors.
• Construct/install/maintain field and laboratory equipment as needed.
• Operate field vehicles (i.e., ATVs, trucks, vans) on highways and gravel roads.
• Occasionally assist other field crews.
• Assist with education and outreach efforts as they concern the Fish Crew (e.g., field station tours, Fish Lab demonstrations, artist-in-residence field trips, field courses, etc.), as well as media/communications requests for online materials.
• Work and correspond with technicians, biologists, scientists, and external project collaborators who are seasonally located both on- and off-site.
• Other duties as assigned.