Research Assistant 1

Please refer to the How to Apply for a Job (for External Candidates) job aid for instructions on how to apply.

If you are an active McGill employee (ie: currently in an active contract or position at McGill University), do not apply through this Career Site. Login to your McGill Workday account and apply to this posting using the Find Jobs report (type Find Jobs in the search bar).

Hiring Unit:

Department of Geography
 

Position Summary:

• Act as a research liaison with staff at the Gault Nature Reserve (in French and English), as well as farmers and environmental consultants in the Montéregie Region of Quebec (In French).
• Assist with the establishment of 14 new field sites for the RECON project ) Riparian Ecohydrological Connectivity Observation Network) in Quebec
• Oversee the routine maintenance of instruments deployed in the field, as well as data downloads
• Perform soil moisture and soil nutrient surveys in agricultural fields in the Montéregie region of Quebec.
• Produce detailed maps of all new field sites and survey data using field-collected GPS data as well as free available data from Données Quebec (e.g. LiDAR, crop inventories, etc)
• Collaborate with other members of the research group on water sample collection from the field and water sample analysis in the laboratory
• Contribute to science outreach efforts, in French and in English
• Contribute to scientific paper writing (in English)

• Collaborate with other researchers at McGill University, UQAM, Toronto Metropolitan University, Trent University, the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo, Fertilizer Canada, the Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pecheries et de l'Alimentation, the Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contres les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Other Qualifying Skills and/or Abilities:

• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills are required in relation to the fieldwork and data analysis tasks associated with this position
• Teamwork, strong communication and time management are also essential to the position, given the collaboration and external partners.
• A command of French is required, given the required communication with French-speaking farmers in the Montéregie region of Quebec.

Experience and Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Geography, Sustainability, Earth Science, Environment or Civil Engineering
• Successful  completion of at least two (2) hydrology courses at the undergraduate level
• Successful completion of at least one (1) soils course at the undergraduate level
• Successful completion of at least two (2) GIS and/or remote sensing courses at the undergraduate level
• Prior research experience in hydrology
• Prior research experience in soil science
• Coding/programming experience in R, MATLAB, Python, C or other

Before applying, please note that to work at McGill University, you must be both authorized to work in Canada and willing to work in the province of Quebec at the campus where the position is based / located.

Knowledge of English: McGill University is an English-language university where day to day duties may require English communication both verbally and in writing. The level of English required for this position has been assessed at a level #4 on a scale of 0-4.

Hourly Salary:

$29.94

Hours per Week:

28 (Part time)

Location:

Burnside Hall

Supervisor:

Associate Professor

Position Start Date:

2025-03-18

Position End Date:

2026-02-05

Deadline to Apply:

2025-03-28

This position is covered by the Association of McGill University Research Employees (AMURE) collective agreement.

McGill University hires on the basis of merit and is strongly committed to equity and diversity within its community. We welcome applications from racialized persons/visible minorities, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as from all qualified candidates with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities. McGill implements an employment equity program and encourages members of designated groups to self-identify. Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations for any part of the application process may contact, in confidence, accessibilityrequest.hr@mcgill.ca.