Opportunities

In 2023, my research group moved to the Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences in the Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia. We will also retain links to the University of Edinburgh. In 2024, I have recruited 3 MSc students, 2 PhD students and I have a number of positions that are still open: 2 PhDs, 4 postdocs, a research manager and data scientist to Team Shrub now based in Vancouver, BC.

Open posts on Team Shrub:

I am still accepting applications for the following two PhD positions via email through to the end of April or until the positions are filled. Please apply at the links above.

More information about the two PhD positions

PhD position: PhD in Resilience and Vulnerability of Tundra Landscapes to Permafrost Thaw
In this PhD project, you will study spatial patterns in tundra ecosystems, revealing how spatial patterns relate to ecosystems tipping points including permafrost thaw in tundra ecosystems. For this project, you could use a combination of satellite images, aerial photographs, drone imagery and in-situ data from focal tundra research sites and regions around the circumpolar Arctic to quantify how spatial patterns relate to landscape stability and permafrost thaw over time. This research will increase our understanding of tundra ecosystem resilience and will be used to predict rates of permafrost thaw disturbances across tundra landscapes with global change.

PhD position: PhD in Spatial Patterns and Resilience in Tundra Community Composition
In this PhD project, you will study spatial patterns in tundra ecosystems, revealing how spatial patterns relate to tundra plant composition change. For this project, you could use a combination of in-situ plant composition/biodiversity data, satellite images, aerial photographs and drone imagery from focal tundra research sites around the circumpolar Arctic to quantify how spatial patterns relate to changes in the biodiversity, composition and structure of tundra plant communities. This research will increase our understanding of tundra ecosystem resilience and will be used to predict rates of tundra plant biodiversity and composition change with global change.

More information on recruitment

It is an exciting time to be joining the team as we start two new research projects the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Global Change Ecology of Northern Ecosystems and the European Research Council RESILIENCE Synergy Grant with field research in the Canadian North and data synthesis and remote sensing analyses around the circumpolar Arctic.

Please reach out if you have any questions on the different posts. Due to the volume of requests for information, I can only respond to applicants with relevant qualifications for the position (see job descriptions and information below). Due to my schedule, if you do not hear back right away and you are a good fit for the position please go ahead and apply and feel free to send another email.

Applications under consideration will be asked to provide more documents in advance of the interview. I will be prioritizing fit to the position and qualification and there is flexibility with the start times, so please feel free to apply if you are still finishing your PhD within 2024, but you have relevant expertise and research interests for the positions.

Applicants must have a background in ecology or related fields, research experience with interests in the topics listed below. Field research experience, quantitative skills (statistics, remote sensing, programming) and/or experience working/living in the Canadian North would be assets. Positions are fully-funded and full-time and open to international students, though students are encouraged to also apply for external funding. The specific research topics are flexible, but below I describe the areas in which I hope to recruit students and postdocs. Applicants from Northern Canada, Indigenous applicants and those from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Our lab’s research sits at the interface of field ecology, data synthesis and remote sensing and team members usually conduct a combination of field, lab and computer-based research. I am keen to recruit a diverse team of people that are interested in collaborative research, who want to develop quantitative skills and are keen to engage with Northern partners and Indigenous communities. Experience conducting fieldwork or living in the north would be an asset. I encourage students and postdocs to develop their own specific projects inline with their own research interests within our broad research goals.

More information on current recruitment opportunities

I am recruiting for a full-time research manager and a data scientist for the eight-year-long Global Change Ecology of Northern Ecosystems CERC Project. For those positions, I am looking to recruit people with PhD degrees or multiple years of work experience in project management or data management and analysis. For the research manager position, experience working and/or living in the Canadian North would be an asset. For the Data Scientist position familiarity with R and Python as programing languages and GitHub for version control will be required and familiarity with remote sensing analyses including the analyses of drone imagery would be an asset. If interested please get in touch to discuss these opportunities. The positions will be formally advertised in March – April 2024.

Postdocs

I will be recruiting four postdocs in 2024 to lead key elements to our two funded projects. Each postdoc has a particular research theme, but the specific projects undertaken are flexible and would be matched to the interests of the recruited postdoc. I am looking to recruit postdocs with experience in plant ecology with specific expertise in phenology, composition or biodiversity analyses and/or remote sensing and/or statistical ecology. Experience working in Northern ecosystems would be an asset. Postdocs will be expected to have a publication record in international journals and skills in computer programming including data management, statistics, data visualization and version control in the programming languages R and/or Python. Specific expertise in Bayesian analyses and remote sensing would be an asset.

Please write to express your interest and see links above for how to apply. Due to the number of inquiries and my schedule, I may not be able to respond. Recruitment will take place in February – April of 2024 or until positions are filled.

  1. Plant phenology change over time across spatial scales (Northern Ecosystems CERC Project)
  2. Tundra vegetation change and implications for wildlife habitats (Northern Ecosystems CERC Project)
  3. Spatial patterning and ecological resilience across the tundra biome (Resilience ERC project)
  4. Spatial patterning and community assembly across the tundra biome (Resilience ERC project)

PhD positions

I will be recruiting two PhD students in 2024 as a part of the Resilience ERC project.

  1. Spatial patterns and resilience in tundra community composition (Resilience ERC project)
  2. Resilience and vulnerability of tundra landscapes to permafrost thaw (Resilience ERC project)

Please email Isla Myers-Smith to express your interest. Due to the number of inquiries and my schedule, I may not be able to respond to all emails. Applications will be accepted through the University of Utrecht for the deadline of 20th March 2024. Additional applications will still be accepted via email until mid April or until positions are filled.

Already filled:

Capturing wildlife habitat change in Arctic and alpine tundra (Northern Ecosystems CERC Project)

MSc positions

I have already recruited three MSc positions as a part of the Northern Ecosystems CERC Project. More recruitment for MSc positions will occur in 2025 or beyond, so please get in touch if you are interested in a future MSc position.

Undergraduate research positions

Team Shrub UBC will be hiring 2 – 4 summer research positions. See application process for UBC students only through the Work Learn Program.

Application process

The application process for PhD and MSc graduate student positions is now closed via this route, but I have left the information here for those who are interested in applying for projects starting in 2025.

PhD applicants must have a background in ecology or related fields and ideally have some experience conducting fieldwork and statistical and/or remote sensing analyses. A publication record and experience conducting research in Northern ecosystems would be an asset. Successful applicants will have experience conducting independent research, excellent communication skills, demonstrated success in collaboration and a willingness to engage in issues surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in science and Northern Indigenous community engagement.

MSc applicants must have an undergraduate degree in ecology or related fields and ideally have some experience conducting fieldwork and ideally coursework in statistics, GIS and/or remote sensing. A undergraduate dissertation and experience conducting research in Northern ecosystems would be an asset. Successful applicants will work well both independently and as a part of a team and will have research experience, excellent communication skills, and a willingness to engage in issues surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in science and Northern Indigenous community engagement.

  1. Write an email to me to express your interest in graduate studies ideally in the autumn of 2024 in advance of funding deadlines if you are keen to apply for external funding. Clearly indicate in this email your specific research interests as they relate to my team’s research and whether you are interested in applying for an MSc or PhD position or an MSc that you hope to transfer into a PhD position after one year.
  2. When you are ready to apply before the January 2025 deadline, send the following documents to my email using the subject line ‘Application for Graduate Studies on Team Shrub in 2024’.
    • Your up-to-date academic CV – include your degrees, research experience, skillsets including quantitative skills, work experience, other relevant skills and interests including outdoor skills (see https://teamshrub.com/2017/11/24/team-shrubs-tips-cvs-job-applications/)
    • A one-page research statement explaining your personal research interests and how you believe they fit within Team Shrub’s research activities. Within this statement pitch a project that you could undertake as a part of your degree. Please include research questions and hypotheses in this research statement.
    • A one-page team contribution statement on the contributions that you believe you could make to Team Shrub and our research program including your team work philosophy, your approach to collaborative research, your field, lab and quantitative research expertise, your philosophy on EDI in academia and the approach you will take to research in the North with local and Indigenous collaborators. This statement does not need to be comprehensive, but should talk about your personal philosophy and how you approach these topics.
    • Your transcript for your most recent degree – this can be the unofficial transcript at this stage. You can include more transcripts if relevant.
    • References – the contact information including emails for two references who can speak to your research experience.
    • Example Research Project – Please share an example research project that you would like to include as a part of your application. This could be a thesis from a previous research degree, a published or in development manuscript or another piece of scientific writing that shares your previous research experience.

No cover letter is required for the application, as you can include that information in the two statements and cover letter material will not be considered in the evaluation of candidates. Please use a minimum of 11 pt font that is easy to read (Arial or similar) and letter sized paper. Please make sure that all files are uniquely named with the document type, your name and the date. Keep the different files separate rather than combining them into one file.

Applications will be accepted until mid January and selections for interview will be made by the third week of January with interviews during the final week of January and selections for positions will be made in advance of 1st February for a start in September 2025. A small data analysis challenge exercise and project pitch form will be sent to applicants selected for interview for submission before the interview for students to complete. Interviews will consist of standard questions including a discussion of previous research experience and future research interests. The recruitment panels will involve other members of the two research projects and/or existing members of Team Shrub in the selection process.

Selected students may also be able to start before the field season or join as field assistant during the 2025 field season or delay their start until January 2026, if that is of interest.

The research topics that I am particularly interested in supervising include (but are not limited to):

  1. Exploring the impacts of tundra vegetation change with warming on wildlife habitats.
  2. Phenology/growth-climate relationships in tundra plant species using time-lapse photography, ecological monitoring, common garden experiments, dendroecology and/or drones.
  3. Testing the correspondence and scaling between remotely-sensed tundra greening and landscape and plot-level vegetation change using drones, satellite data and ecological monitoring.
  4. Exploring the thermophilization, increase in warming loving plants, of tundra plant communities.
  5. Using camera traps or autonomous recording units (ARUs) to quantify habitat use in Arctic or alpine tundra habitats undergoing shrub encroachment.
  6. Quantifying the drivers of boreal forest vegetation change including shrubification.
  7. Using hyperspectral data to capture biodiversity change in tundra ecosystems.
  8. Impact of extreme weather including heat waves on tundra vegetation.
  9. Below ground ecology in tundra ecosystems.
  10. Vegetation-permafrost-climate interactions using drones, historical ecology, repeat photography and ecological monitoring.
  11. Co-developed questions working with Indigenous communities about climate change impacts in Arctic or alpine tundra of the Yukon Territory.
  12. Testing the links between biodiversity change and climate warming or land use change in tundra or global biodiversity datasets.

Fieldwork at our Kluane and Qikiqtaruk – Herschel Island field sites.