Careers
Faculty and Staff
We value our faculty and staff members and are always looking for talented people to join our thriving team. Excellent benefits, diverse career opportunities, and a true community spirit are just some of the reasons you should consider joining our team of talented, dynamic faculty and staff. For a full list of current openings, visit UBC’s Staff & Faculty Careers page.
Students
Vacancy for MSc student in Wildfire Hydrology
Start date: Sept. 2023 or Jan. 2024
Many of the most severe wildfire seasons in BC have occurred since 2017, with over 3.6 million hectares of forest and grasslands burned in total. Studies suggest that climate change may further intensify wildfire seasons as air temperatures increase and precipitation amounts and timing change. As a result, there is a need to better understand the impacts of wildfire on the hydrologic regime, hillslope runoff, and sediment erosion from hillslopes in BC as it may have a direct impact on downstream communities and aquatic ecosystem health.
This project is part of a larger research and monitoring effort coordinated by Skeetchestn Natural Resources Corporation to understand wildfire effects on hydrology, geomorphology, invertebrate biology, and fisheries biology and the potential to mitigate impacts to ecosystem health through restoration efforts. Specifically, the MSc student will aim to quantify changes to the hydrologic regime following the 2021 Sparks Lake wildfire and determine the efficacy of hillslope restoration treatments from a hydrologic perspective. This information will help support watershed restoration efforts in burned watersheds in the future and in real time in the Deadman River watershed.
This MSc will be co-supervised by Dr. Adam Wei (Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences) and Dr. Sheena Spencer (BC Ministry of Forests) offering a unique opportunity to collaborate between academia and government.
The applicant should have a Bachelor of Science in earth science, environmental science, biology, physical geography, or a closely related field. We are looking for an enthusiastic, hard-working individual who enjoys working in streams and forests. A stipend will be offered to the successful candidate.
Please send your application including cover letter, CV, an example of your scientific writing (if available) and the names and contact details of two potential references in one pdf file to Sheena Spencer (Sheena.Spencer@gov.bc.ca). Please write “Application Wildfire Hydrology” in the subject line.
For questions, please contact Dr. Sheena Spencer (Sheena.Spencer@gov.bc.ca).
Teaching Assistants
Each academic year, we have openings for Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) and Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) for Earth & Environmental Sciences and Physical Geography courses in the Summer and Winter terms.
The Teaching Assistant duties may include:
- Instruction in labs
- Marking assignments, labs, and exams
- Discussion periods
- Tutorials and lectures
- Invigilation duties
- Academic assistance to students in office hours
- Driving a vehicle for a field course
The hours will not exceed an average of 12 hours per week. Wages, as stated in the current BCGEU Collective Agreement, are as follows:
- Graduate TA (PhD program): $36.82 per hour ($14,137.52 annual rate September – April)
- Graduate TA (Master’s program): $35.48 per hour ($13,623.04 annual rate September – April)
- Undergraduate TA (Bachelors program): $19.54 per hour ($7,503.68 annual rate September – April)
Qualifications preferred include an understanding of the discipline and good grades. UTA’s must be a major in the discipline, have fourth-year standing, and must maintain a minimum of 18 credits in the Winter session (2021W) and a minimum of 9 credits in the Summer session (2022S). Part-time students can also be considered.
Please contact EEGS.okanagan@ubc.ca for inquiries.
UBC Okanagan hires on the basis of merit and is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from women, visible minority group members, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. However, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.