Research Assistant (Plankton Ecology Group)

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.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Enrollment in a university or college program leading to a degree in biology or environmental sciences.
• Keen and hard-working.
• Ability to do fieldwork involving manual labour, such as hiking and lifting heavy objects (up to 50 lbs).
• Willing to work long hours in diverse conditions (e.g., hot, cold, rain, buggy).
• Ability to work safely in a remote field environment that requires flexibility and teamwork.
• Interested/willing to live in a remote location for up to 4 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
• Driver’s licence
• IISD-ELA will require the completion of a criminal record check and vulnerable sector verification.

ASSET SKILLS

• Work experience in environmental sciences.
• Knowledge of field sampling/water quality or limnological sampling.
• Experience operating small motorized vessels with an outboard motor and all-terrain vehicles.
• Experience working in a laboratory setting.
• Organizational skills.
• Proficiency with R, Microsoft Excel and Access.
• Ability to speak French and/or Ojibwe.

• Collecting and preserving samples and data for a variety of limnological parameters, including water quality, phytoplankton, and zooplankton.
• Collecting, preserving, and preparing algae and invertebrate samples.
• Operating various field vehicles (all-terrain vehicles, trucks, vans) on highways and gravel roads.
• Using a variety of watercraft, including boats with outboard motors and canoes.
• Completing detailed and accurate field notes.
• Assisting in laboratory experiments (e.g., algal photosynthesis).
• Entering data into databases (including Microsoft Excel, LIMS, Aquarius, ArcGIS).
• May occasionally be required to assist other teams (fish, chem lab, hydrolimnology, toxicology) with field sampling and laboratory analyses.
• May occasionally be required to assist on various projects (microplastics, oil spill, etc.) with field sampling and laboratory analyses.
• Perform other duties as assigned.