Graduate Opportunity

Research Assistantship in Soil-Plant Relations

The position: A PhD assistantship is available for a student interested in Soil-Plant Relations and Land Reclamation in the Department of Renewable Resources at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Edmonton is the most northern major urban center in North America and offers a unique cultural experience including great food, performing arts, museums, and several professional sport teams. The area around Edmonton also includes ample opportunities for outdoor recreation in the Canadian Rockies and boreal plains. Funding for research costs and a generous student stipend are available.

The project: Soil-plant relations in naturally disturbed and reclaimed lands of the Athabasca oil sands region

Large oil sand deposits are found in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR) of Alberta, Canada. Following surface mining, the fundamental goal of land reclamation is to re-establish maintenance-free, self-sustaining ecosystems. A key component of successful land reclamation is the quality of the organic amendment used to cap reconstructed soils, and, in particular, its ability to supply nutrients for plant uptake. In the AOSR, the organic amendment used is predominantly a peat mineral mix (PMM), due to its availability in large proportions of the mining footprint. While vegetation growing on recently reclaimed soils relies on PMM for its nutrient needs, over time these needs should be replaced by in-situ vegetation inputs through litterfall and the build-up of a forest floor layer. This project will directly contribute to the ongoing research efforts in land reclamation by characterizing forest floor development and soil nutrient availability in a range of reclaimed ecosystems. The project will also compare the forest floor characteristics developing in reclaimed lands with those developing in recently burned and harvested ecosystems, the other main disturbance types common in northern Alberta.

Required qualification: Students with training in soil science, forest ecology, or chemistry are encouraged to apply. Candidates with experience in spatial statistics, IR spectroscopy, or isotope analysis will be given preference. Applicants should have a record of academic excellence, good organizational and writing skills, and a demonstrated interest in soil-plant relations or land reclamation.

How to apply: Interested students should apply by sending a CV, a statement of research interests, names of references, and transcripts (scanned or unofficial copies) to M. Derek MacKenzie at mdm7@ualberta.ca. The candidate will begin on or before May 1, 2010.

For more information on the Soil-Plant Relations Lab at the University of Alberta please visit: http://www.ales.ualberta.ca/rr/mackenzie.cfm