Four Graduate Student Opportunities on Environmental monitoring & change modeling using in situ and remote sensing technology at University of Lethbridge

The Advanced Resolution Terradynamics (ARTeMiS) Lab within the Department of Geography at the University of Lethbridge is accepting applications for new graduate student, postdoctoral fellow and laboratory technician positions. Dr. Chris Hopkinson’s ARTeMiS lab is well-resourced with cutting edge Geomatics, Lidar, Imaging, Ground Penetrating Radar, and Environmental Sensing technologies through the Canada Foundation of Innovation, and currently hosts several research projects addressing applied remote sensing, environmental monitoring and change detection research needs within western Canada. Funded research opportunities are available to support one postdoctoral fellow, four M.Sc. or Ph.D. students and one part-time laboratory technician.
Questions concerning any of the positions listed below can be sent to Dr. Hopkinson via email (c.hopkinson-AT-uleth.ca).
Dr. Chris Hopkinson
Campus Alberta Research Chair in Terrestrial Ecosystem Remote Sensing
Associate Professor
Department of Geography
University of Lethbridge
4401 University Drive,
Lethbridge, Alberta, T1K 3M4
Canada
http://scholar.ulethbridge.ca/hopkinson/
Tel: 403 332 4586
Theme: Environmental monitoring & change modeling using in situ and remote sensing technology
Level: M.Sc. and Ph.D.
Start date: September, 2015 or January 2015
Funding: Guaranteed minimum of $10,000/yr research assistant (RA) funding + graduate teaching assistantships (GTA) + scholarships (if applicant meets minimum eligibility criteria)
All the opportunities listed will require students be willing to work in a collaborative team-oriented lab environment and participate in field-research across a range of landcover and terrain types in Western Canada. In all projects, there is likely to be the opportunity for students to interact with industry and government partners or students from other university labs.
Note: Application deadline for Fall entry is May 1st.
Project opportunities 1 and 2: Building a surface water monitoring portal for Alberta (2 students)
The two talented grad students on this project will join a team of university, government and industry partners to assist in the development of a cloud-based web-enabled multiple data stream surface water monitoring system that utilises a range of remote sensing data products and open GIS search, visualisation and modeling routines. The focus of individual theses will depend on the strengths and interests of the candidates that fill these roles but there is ample opportunity to explore multiple lines of research. The ideal scenario is for one student to focus on researching the implementation of automated remote sensing and webGIS data modeling and quality control routines, while the other candidate takes a more data user approach to study spatio-temporal water body dynamics across a range of ecosystems in Alberta, and then relate these to long-term patterns of environmental change and disturbance. This project is funded and supported by Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resources Development and Alberta Innovates.
Project opportunity 3: 4D characterisation of forest ecosystems to support scaling from plot to globe
Working with other grad students, a postdoctoral fellow and data partners around the World, the ideal candidate will be lidar savvy and keen to study the structure and temporal dynamics of forest ecosystems. The student will have access to existing lidar data and will assist in the collection of new data to support 3D modeling and change routines at several sites with the aim of producing ecosystem-specific 4D signatures that will aid in the calibration of key ecosystem attributes for upscaling to regional satellite coverages. The work will have a strong technical element in the development of new data integration and visualisation methods while also requiring a deep understanding of the ecosystem changes being observed and modeled. This project is funded through a combination of NSERC and the Campus Alberta Innovates Program.
Project opportunity 4: LEDDAR and in situ sensing of environmental parameters
LEDDAR (LED detection and ranging) is the new kid on the block in terms of low cost and low energy 3D mapping. The ARTeMiS lab team is testing this technology for a range of new environmental sensing and monitoring applications. There exists an opportunity for a graduate student to take leadership of some of the development and testing and build this into a technical thesis that bench marks the capabilities of the technology under a wide range of environmental conditions and in support of multiple hydro-ecological monitoring experiments. The ideal candidate will possess a degree in the physical sciences with strengths in small scale electronics, hardware programming combined with a solid understanding of hydrometeorological processes, monitoring and data logging. This project is funded through a combination of NSERC and the Campus Alberta Innovates Program.
Please refer to the University of Lethbridge School of Graduate Studies web site for graduate entry requirements, funding opportunities and application procedure details:
http://www.uleth.ca/graduate-studies/
The Department of Geography M.Sc. Program details can be found here:
http://www.uleth.ca/graduate-studies/master-scienc...
General Ph.D. Program details can be found here:
http://www.uleth.ca/graduate-studies/doctor-philos...