Current Research Opportunities

Look through the Research Opportunities for M.Sc. and Ph.D. positions below to see the exciting positions that are available to incoming students in the Environmental & life Sciences Graduate Program! You are encouraged to contact the faculty member directly.  If you have any questions, please contact enlsgrad@trentu.ca.

MSc and PhD positions

View the open positions listed below.  Please contact the supervisor listed in the posting.  If you have additional questions please reach out to the ENLS Graduate Program office: enlsgrad@trentu.ca

MSc , PhD & Postdoctoral Fellow (PDF)– Muskox and Bison Conservation Genomics

Position:

MSc, PhD & Post Doctoral positions

Supervisor:

Dr. Chris Kyle

Start Date: 

Summer / Fall 2025, negotiable

Brief Description:

The Kyle laboratory, in close collaboration with partner institutions and agencies (e.g., Parks Canada) is working to understand the adaptive resiliency of large northern ungulates in context of rapid environmental change and acute selective pressures from disease.  Current study systems include muskox and American bison, where archived and ongoing collections of specimens will be examined, comparing host genomic variation (specifically the immunome) and microbiome variation relative to disease status, stress indicators and other phenotypic data (e.g., body condition metrics). We are recruiting at several PDFs and graduate students to assist with this research. There will be some flexibility to adapt projects to candidate interests with opportunities for field and lab work.

Location: 

Successful candidates will join the Kyle lab group at Trent University in Peterborough, ON, and will have access to networking and training opportunities with collaborators at U. Montreal, U. Calgary, Parks Canada, among other partners and stakeholders.

Qualifications and Eligibility:

PDFs - successful candidate must have PhD with relevant experience such as bioinformatic processing of genomic data, metabarcoding, or metagenomics.

MSc/PhDs – successful candidates must have a degree(s) relevant to projects described.

Compensation:

PDF: no less than 60K CAD/year (negotiable based on experience). One year of funding is guaranteed with contract extensions based upon satisfactory progress.

Grad Students: PhDs: 30-35K CAD/year (with graduate teaching assistantship), MScs 25-28K CAD/year (with graduate teaching assistantship) where additional grants/scholarships available at Trent U. could supplement stipends.

To Apply: 

Please send an email to Christopherkyle@trentu.ca) including: a brief statement outlining research interests, previous experience and training relating to this project, C.V., and contact information for two references.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received.

Start Date: Summer / Fall 2025, negotiable

MSc and PhD: Graduate Student Position: Genomic Investigations of Newfoundland Wolf and Coyote Colonization Dynamics and Ecological Impacts

Position:

MSc and PhD positions

Supervisor:

Dr. Chris Kyle

Start Date: 

Fall 2025, negotiable

Brief Description:

 Wolves were once native to the island of Newfoundland (Canis lupus beothucus) where hunting and habitat loss led to declining numbers and ultimately extinction around 1930. Coyotes are not considered native to the island of Newfoundland, nor northeastern North America.  Beginning in the late 1800s, coyote populations expanded quickly into the northeast and were eventually documented on the island of Newfoundland in the 1980s, presumably having crossed via ice floes. Coyote populations have since grown significantly on the island and are now harvested. In the mid 2000s, a small number of wolves were once more confirmed on the island of Newfoundland, with ice floes again presumed to be the likely vehicle of reintroduction, but they have not substantially expanded on the island.

Wild-canid dynamics in Newfoundland, including the possibility of wolf-coyote hybridization, provide a unique system to explore a myriad of ecological and evolutionary questions with direct relevance to wildlife management and conservation. Working with the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture (which collects hundreds of hunter-submitted carcasses each year), wild-canid experts from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Kyle Laboratory at Trent University (Peterborough, ON, CA), the prospective student will use molecular/genomic tools to investigate this system using both archived samples and contemporary collections.

Location: 

Successful candidates will join the Kyle lab group at Trent University in Peterborough, ON. They will also benefit from networking and training opportunities with wolf and coyote experts and collaborators from the governments of Newfoundland and Labrador and Ontario.

Compensation: 

Grad Students: PhDs: 30-33K CAD/year (with graduate teaching assistantship), MScs 25-28K CAD/year (with graduate teaching assistantship). Additional grants/scholarships available at Trent U. could supplement stipends.

Qualifications and Eligibility: 

A strong publication record for the applicant’s career stage is preferred, along with some level of molecular and bioinformatic expertise/experience.  Domestic applications are preferred as international tuition fees cannot be fully covered by the available stipends.

To Apply or Request more Information: 

Please send an email to Christopherkyle@trentu.ca including: a brief statement outlining your research interests and previous experience/training related to this project, an up-to-date C.V., and contact information for two references.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received.

Start Date: Fall 2025, negotiable

* Note: This project is pending budget approval from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

MSc and PhD- Global Change Ecology

Position:

MSc and PhD

Supervisors:

Dr. Andrew Tanentzap and Dr. Erik Emilson

Start Date: 

Ongoing

Brief Description: 

The Ecosystems and Global Change Group (www.ecosystemchange.com) at Trent University jointly led by Prof Andrew Tanentzap (Canada Research Chair in Climate Change and Northern Ecosystems) and Dr Erik Emilson (Research Scientist, Canadian Forest Service sector of Natural Resources Canada, (https://glfc-wet.github.io) is recruiting MSc/PhD students at the intersect of ecosystem ecology, microbiology, and geochemistry in northern waters and soils.

Full Description: Click Here for the full Description

M.Sc. & Ph.D. Graduate Positions – Climate change, wildlife, and their habitat near the arctic-boreal ecotone

Position:

MSc and PhD

Supervisors:

Dr. Glen Brown, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and Canadian Centre for Remote Sensing

Start Date: 

Ongoing

Brief Description: 

Our lab (https://brownecologylab.weebly.com/) investigates the mechanisms driving change in the subarctic, involving interactions among climate, habitat, and wildlife communities. Wildlife adapted to the cold northern climate may be particularly vulnerable at the edge of range near the arctic-boreal ecotone. We study a range of species, including shorebirds, waterfowl, predators (eg. arctic fox), and small mammals. Students will gain experience in field-based research, use of diverse technologies, including remote sensing and drones, and quantitative methods.

Full Description: Click Here for the full Description

MSc and PhD positions

Position:

MSc and PhD

Supervisors:

Dr. Dennis Murray (www.dennismurray.ca)

Start Date: 

Ongoing

Brief Description: 

The IWC lab conducts cutting-edge research on the conservation biology and population ecology of plant and animals, in an effort to address some of the major environmental challenges facing the world today. The lab uses state-of-the-art instruments like GPS transmitters and accelerometers to track animal states and interactions, drones and remote sensors to monitor forest health and the effects of climate change, and genomics and bioinformatics to assess cellularlevel responses to stressors like disease or predation risk. We work on species ranging from Canada lynx to soil microbes and in

Full Description: Click Here for the full Description

MSc and PhD positions- Evolutionary ecology of a widespread invasive hybrid plant

Position:

MSc and PhD positions

Supervisors:

Dr. Joanna Freeland and Dr. Marcel Dorken Dept. of Biology

Start Date: 

Ongoing

Brief Description: 

We have multiple potential research projects involving the cattail hybrid zone of North America. This is an extremely widespread hybrid zone in which the parents - Typha latifolia and Typha angustifolia - interbreed to produce a very successful and invasive hybrid (T. x glauca). We have been using a combination of fieldwork, experimental work, and genotyping to investigate aspects of this hybrid zone. For examples of recent papers please see HERE 

Website: Click Here
Contact: joannafreeland@trentu.ca

MSc and PhD- Woodland caribou conservation

Position:

MSc and PhD

Supervisors:

Dr. Glen Brown

Start Date: 

Ongoing

Brief Description: 

Woodland caribou conservation - The graduate student projects will use long-term forest inventory and animal observation information (abundance surveys & telemetry) to: 1) assess the effectiveness of forest management to support caribou conservation through maintenance or creation of functional habitat for caribou and assessment of caribou response; 2) characterize population structure in relation to adaptive responses of caribou to varying habitat conditions.

Website: Brown Ecology Lab

MSc and PhD- Canada goose movement ecology

Position:

MSc and PhD

Supervisors:

Dr. Glen Brown

Start Date: 

Ongoing

Brief Description: 

Canada goose movement ecology – Use of high-resolution telemetry information to assess patterns and causes of movement strategies and distributions across the breeding, migratory and non-breeding ranges of geese that breed in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, Canada. Supports international partnerships between Canada and the United States under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.

Website: Brown Ecology Lab

MSc and PhD- Climate change, wildlife, and their habitat near the arctic-boreal ecotone

Position:

MSc and PhD

Supervisors:

Dr. Glen Brown

Start Date: 

Ongoing

Brief Description: 

Climate change, wildlife, and their habitat near the arctic-boreal ecotone - 1) food web interactions involving terrestrial vertebrates and how wildlife habitat is affected by changes in permafrost; 2) water bird behavior and breeding success in relation to climate, habitat and predation risk. E.g. dunlin, whimbrel, Hudsonian Godwit, and Canada geese.

Website: Brown Ecology Lab

MSc and PhD- Spatial modeling of wildlife and bird data

Position:

MSc and PhD

Supervisors:

Richard Feldman

Start Date: 

Ongoing

Brief Description: 

Looking for students with interest and experience in spatial modeling of wildlife and bird data. Possible projects include analyzing bird abundances across different types of grassland habitats, exploring the effects of restoring heterogeneous landscapes on wildlife populations, and understanding nutrient flows in alvar ecosystems.

Website: Wildlife research and monitoring

Contact: E-mail:   richard.feldman@ontario.ca

PhD positions

View the open positions listed below.  Please contact the supervisor listed in the posting.  If you have additional questions please reach out to the ENLS Graduate Program office: enlsgrad@trentu.ca

PhD positions- Ecology of Lake and River Ecosystems

Position:

PhD positions

Supervisors:

Dr. Maggie Xenopoulos and Dr. Paul Frost

Start Date: 

Ongoing

Brief Description: 

Graduate PhD positions are available in the Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario to conduct ecological research on lakes and rivers. Research for these positions could range from nutrient effects on animal nutrition and food webs to landscape studies of carbon and nutrients. Field work for these positions could include projects in the Great Lakes and their watersheds, central Ontario in cottage country and the Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario. These graduate positions are funded at the PhD level but we will consider exceptional M.Sc. candidates who are interested in converting to a PhD. Students will be enrolled in the Environmental & Life Sciences Graduate Program at Trent University which takes in new students in January, May and September each year. This posting will remain open until all positions are filled.

Full Description: Click Here for the full Description

PhD - Ecology of Lake and River Ecosystems

Position:

PhD positions

Supervisors:

Dr. Maggie Xenopoulos 

Start Date: 

Ongoing

Brief Description: 

Graduate Ph.D. positions are available to contribute to on-going ecological research on rivers in the Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario and as part of a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Global Change of Aquatic Ecosystems. Research for these positions could range from food web responses to environmental stress to landscape studies of carbon and nutrients. Field work for these positions could include the Great Lakes basin and central Ontario in cottage country.

Full Description: Click Here for the full Description

MSc positions

View the open positions listed below.  Please contact the supervisor listed in the posting.  If you have additional questions please reach out to the ENLS Graduate Program office: enlsgrad@trentu.ca

MSc- Effects of wildfire on fish communities

Position:

MSc Student

Supervisors:

Dr. Graham Raby; Dr. Alyssa Murdoch

Start Date:

May 2025

Brief Description:

Warming and altered precipitation patterns are contributing to increased wildfire frequency and severity.  Following a wildfire, adjacent lakes can change in important ways, including increases in water temperature, increased nutrient and metal concentrations and changes in food webs with potential consequences for fisheries.

Full Description: Click Here for the full Description

MSc - Ontario Lake fish Biodiversity

Position:

MSc Student

Supervisors:

Dr. Graham Raby; Dr. Alyssa Murdoch

Start Date:

January or May 2025

Brief Description:

Freshwater fish biodiversity is increasingly imperiled by multiple habitat pressures worldwide such as urbanization, agriculture and industrial expansion.  As habitat pressures continue to expand, understanding how they may combine to affect fish biodiversity is key for supporting successful and meaningful evidence-based conservation and management decisions.

Full Description: Click Here for the full Description

MSc position- Nutrients and ecosystem health

Position:

MSc

Supervisors:

Dr. Shaun Watmough

Start Date: 

Ongoing

Brief Description: 

Decades of acid rain and timber harvesting have depleted soil nutrient levels and lake chemistry is changing alarmingly. Understanding the key processes involved and mitigation options including the application of wood ash are the focus of this research project.

Full Description: Click Here for the full Description

MSc positions- Microplastics, Biomonitoring and Air Pollution impacts

Position:

MSc positions

Supervisors:

Dr. Julian Aherne, Trent School of the Environment

Start Date: 

Ongoing

Brief Description: 

We have a number of exciting opportunities focused on assessing the abundance and distribution of microplastics in Canadian ecosystems. In addition, we have a number of opportunities focused on the impacts of air pollution on natural ecosystems in Ontario, northern and western Canada, and internationally.

Full Description: Click Here for the full Description