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| University of Quebec |
Fully-funded PhD Opportunity at the University of Quebec (UQO) in Outaouais-Canada 2025
The University of Quebec in Outaouais, Canada, is currently looking for PhD students to take up some fully-funded projects starting in 2025.
- Location of project: Laboratoire interdisciplinaire de simulation socio-écologique (LISSÉ), Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO) in Gatineau (Hull sector) or Ripon, Quebec, Canada.
- Regular field trips (St. Lawrence Estuary and Saguenay Fjord).
- Project start date: as soon as possible (autumn 2025 at the earliest)
Project Title: The role of shipping disturbance on the spatial ecology of cetaceans in the St. Lawrence
Scholarship Benefits:
- This opportunity is a fully-funded 3-year fellowship covering tuition and a stipend of $27,000/year with numerous other opportunities for additional scholarships.
Several species of cetaceans frequent the St. Lawrence Estuary and the Saguenay Fjord. The St. Lawrence Estuary beluga population is endangered under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. One of the three main threats to its recovery is underwater noise from shipping, the impacts of which include disturbance, masking of communications, and reduced use of certain habitats. Several species of large baleen whales also actively use this area, including the blue whale, fin whale, humpback whale, and minke whale.
While the impacts of underwater noise have been described for several cetacean populations exposed to chronic interactions with human activities around the world, their characterization for the St. Lawrence cetaceans is very limited.
About the University of Quebec
Situated in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, the Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO) is a division of the Université du Québec. In a multicultural and multilingual setting, UQO provides over 100 academic programs, including 30 master's and 5 doctoral degrees. Programs in education, health sciences, administrative sciences, computer sciences, social work, and psychoeducation are among the many UQO programs that have their roots in the particular demands of the labor market and society.
Administration, arts and heritage, education, engineering, IT, psychoeducation, psychology, industrial relations and human resources, accounting, natural sciences, social science, nursing, translation and writing, and social work are among the fields in which UQO provides undergraduate and graduate programs to almost 7,400 students. Additionally, UQO is the only university in Quebec to offer undergraduate degrees in museology and heritage, comics and social science Ph.D. applied, and the French BA in Industrial Relations and Human Resources (cooperative path).
About the PhD Project
Below is detailed information about the project and what is expected:
- Initially, the student will describe the role played by shipping activities on the spatial ecology of St. Lawrence belugas and large baleen whales in various ecologically sensitive sectors of their summer habitat, based on spatial data from maritime traffic (AIS) and cetacean observations (land-based observations, aerial surveys, telemetric data and acoustic detections). The potential effects of traffic that will be explored include the redistribution of animals, the temporary abandonment of habitats, and changes in cetacean aggregations.
- Secondly, the student will explore the ecological mechanisms underlying the observed decline in the use of certain sensitive habitats by cetaceans in the presence of increased traffic. This part of the project will include the implementation of a specific protocol leading to the collection of in situ data.
- The results of the project will be used to refine the cetacean movement models in the 3MTSim simulator, which models the spatial interactions between traffic and cetaceans in the St. Lawrence Estuary and Saguenay Fjord. The results will also make it possible to recommend realistic conservation measures aimed at reducing the impact of underwater shipping noise on belugas and baleen whales, thereby working towards the recovery of populations of cetaceans with at-risk status.
- The student will work in the highly collaborative and inclusive work environment of the Laboratoire interdisciplinaire de simulation socio-écologique (LISSÉ) at UQO alongside several research professionals and students. He/she will also interact with external partners from the federal (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks Canada) and provincial (MELCCFP) governments, as well as experts from environmental NGOs (GREMM) with expertise in the project's related fields.
What are the Skills Required?
To be successful in this project, one must have the following skills:
- The student should have an excellent background in spatial analysis of ecological data, including spatial statistics and spatial-temporal analysis in R.
- He/she should demonstrate the ability to propose and implement cetacean data acquisition protocols.
- He/she must be comfortable working as part of a team in an interdisciplinary research context, be able to carry out literature reviews on technical subjects in English, and be able to communicate scientifically (orally and in writing) in English.
- He/she must have experience with individual-based modelling (IBM), and hydroacoustic data is an asset.
- The person must also be available to collect data in the field during the summer.
- Initiative, listening skills, intrinsic motivation, and autonomy are key qualities for successfully completing this project.
How to Apply for this PhD Scholarship?
All interested applicants should send copies of their transcripts of all graduate studies, a cover letter, and a CV to this email: clement.chion@uqo.ca and angelique.dupuch@uqo.ca
Important Date
Interested applicants must submit their applications by the close of 30 June 2025 or until the position is filled. That is, by the said deadline, 30th June, if the position is not filled, you can still send in your application to be considered.
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