MSc Thesis Opportunity: Use of satellite imagery to detect non-point sources of pollution in streams

A two-year M.Sc. thesis scholarship is to work with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and Fluvial Systems Research (FSR) on satellite-based monitoring of water quality and detection of non-point source sources of pollution in streams across Canada. The work will focus on development of image processing algorithms, and will primarily be based on already-existing data sets derived from watersheds across Canada that include a range of water quality measurements, high-resolution satellite imagery, acoustics, and GPS. The successful candidate will be co-supervised by Dr. Anders Knudby (uOttawa), Dr. David Lapen (AAFC) and Dr. Stephen Bird (FSR), and will be housed at SWEOL.

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will have:

• Completed an undergraduate degree in Geography or Environmental Science with a focus on Geomatics and Remote Sensing

• Excellent written and oral communication skills,

• Programming experience (Python / R / C++)

• Self-motivation and persistence

BENEFITS

The successful candidate will build a set of valuable and in-demand skills in remote sensing, data science, programming, and scientific research, and he/she will be exposed to the research environment in both academia, the private sector, and the federal government, and will have the opportunity to develop a professional network. Stipends from AAFC will help cover living and student fee expenses up to $17000/year over two years; candidates with good grades will be eligible for an additional scholarship from the University of Ottawa.

TO APPLY

The expected start date for the position is September 1st, 2019. To apply, send your CV, transcripts, and a list of three reference names as a single pdf file to Dr. Anders Knudby at aknudby@uottawa.ca. Deadline for application is May 1st 2019.