Faculty/Staff positions
Research/Graduate Student positions
The crop physiology research group of Dr Rosalind Bueckert in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan invites applications for a highly motivated prospective Ph.D. student to undertake research in the areas of abiotic stress (heat and drought) resistance in pea. The project will entail the evaluation and validation of the existing Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers in a genetically diverse set of 80 pea accessions. These accessions will be phenotyped for key heat associated traits in field trials over multiple seasons and locations. Phenotypic data and previously generated genotypic data (90K SNP array) will be used to develop marker-trait associations and identify the best molecular markers for future breeding (marker assisted selection) applications. The prospective student will learn and develop various skills in molecular biology and genetics, along with field phenotyping and statistical data analyses.
Stipend: $30,000/year
Start Date: September 2024 or May 2025
Qualifications (Skills and Abilities): Applicants must have completed a thesis-based M.Sc. degree in relevant fields (e.g. Biology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Plant Physiology). Previous experience in plant phenotyping and field-based trials would be beneficial but not required. All candidates should demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills, demonstrated ability to create and foster relationships with people of diverse backgrounds and education levels, and able to work both independently as well as in a team setting.
While preference will be given to applicants available to start in May, non-Canadian applicants must be eligible to study in Canada. Candidates whose first language is not English and whose degrees are not from a university that instructs in English must provide a certificate of English proficiency (TOEFL of 86 or more with 19 or more in each category, or IELTS of 6.5 or more in each category). Applications will be considered until the position is filled.
To Apply:
Applications must include the following documents:
- A cover letter outlining past research experience and career goals.
- An updated curriculum vitae / resume.
- Copies of your degree transcripts.
- English proficiency (if applicable). 5) Contact information for two individuals willing to provide reference letters.
All documents should be submitted as a single PDF document. An application containing separate documents will unfortunately not be considered. Name the pdf file “AbioStress PhD and your name”
Send the file as an e-mail attachment to rouvay.roodtwilding@usask.ca with the subject “AbioStress PhD and your name”.
All students must meet admission requirements to the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan (https://grad.usask.ca/programs/plant-sciences.php#Applicationprocess).
We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those individuals selected for an interview will be contacted.
The University of Saskatchewan is committed to employment equity, diversity, and inclusion, and are proud to support career opportunities for Indigenous peoples to reflect the community we serve. We are dedicated to recruiting individuals who will enrich our work and learning environments. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority.
The Prairie Swine Centre, Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Saskatchewan is seeking passionate, bright, and highly motivated individuals interested in a fully-funded position as a PhD graduate student in the disciplines of swine nutrition, physiology, and health. The successful candidate will join a strong, multidisciplinary academic and research team with expertise in non-ruminant nutrition, feed processing, management, welfare, metabolism, and physiology. The anticipated start date is January 2025.
The successful candidates will lead and assist with projects involving both classical swine nutrition (e.g., growth performance) and advanced (e.g., microbiome, PCR, immunology) techniques. Our current nutrition research program is focused on the impact of early-life nutrition on growth, impact of nutrition on health, and factors affecting nutrient requirements and utilization. The successful candidate’s research program will focus on:
“The impact of pre-weaning nutritional strategies on pre- and post-weaning growth and development of low and normal birth weight piglets”
Qualifications: The desire and ability to lead research projects and work within a team of other highly motivated individuals are of critical importance to this position.
All applicants will be required to meet criteria for acceptance as a graduate student at the University of Saskatchewan as outlined by the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that they meet the minimum requirements and have the necessary financial resources before applying.
A vehicle and driver’s licence is required. For international applicants, ability to obtain the necessary documents for travel and work in Canada will be required upon offer of employment.
Candidates must hold, or will have completed, an MSc in a related discipline such as animal science, animal physiology, nutrition, or veterinary science. Previous experience with livestock, especially swine, and knowledge of nutrition and immunology, nutrient utilization, protein metabolism, and feed formulation is required. A track record of peer-reviewed publications and presentations will be considered an asset.
Information on graduate studies in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science, including stipend levels, can be found at https://agbio.usask.ca/students/graduate/ansc-handbook-2021.pdf
Prairie Swine Centre (www.prairieswine.com) is a non-profit swine production research corporation affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan and located 10 km southeast of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It offers nationally and internationally recognized research programs in nutrition, ethology, and engineering with knowledge transfer and education directed towards the efficiency and sustainability of pork production.
The University of Saskatchewan (www.usask.ca) is located in Saskatoon, a city with a diverse and thriving economic base, a vibrant arts community and a full range of leisure opportunities. The Department of Animal and Poultry Science is well-recognized nationally and internationally as a research-intensive department. The department’s highly-trained and enthusiastic faculty members and adjunct professors have extensive, high-quality applied and basic research programs that cover a wide range of topics in animal science and related areas.
The Prairie Swine Centre and University of Saskatchewan believe equity, diversity, and inclusion strengthen the community and enhance excellence, innovation and creativity. We are dedicated to recruiting individuals who will enrich our work and learning environments. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. We are committed to providing accommodations to those with a disability or medical necessity. If you require an accommodation in order to participate in the recruitment process, please notify us and we will work together on the accommodation request.
For more information or to apply please contact Dr. Dan Columbus. Interested candidates are asked to include in their application package a cover letter including their career interests, their curriculum vitae, and copies of transcripts. International applicants should also include TOEFL score (or equivalent) or proof of post-secondary education delivery in English. Screening of candidates will continue until the positions are filled. Only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.
Dr. Dan Columbus
Email: dan.columbus@usask.ca
The Prairie Swine Centre, Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Saskatchewan is seeking passionate, bright, and highly motivated individuals interested in a fully-funded position as a PhD graduate student in the disciplines of swine nutrition, physiology, and health. Funding for graduate students is at the Department of Animal and Poultry Science rate for PhD students. The successful candidate will join a strong, multidisciplinary academic and research team with expertise in non-ruminant nutrition, feed processing, management, welfare, metabolism, and physiology. The anticipated start date is January or May 2025.
The successful candidates will lead and assist with projects involving both classical swine nutrition (e.g., growth performance) and advanced (e.g., disease challenge) techniques. Our current nutrition research program is focused on the impact of early-life nutrition on growth, impact of nutrition on health, and factors affecting nutrient requirements and utilization. The successful candidate’s research program will focus on:
“The impact of dietary nitrogen content and source and immune stimulation on essential amino acid requirements in growing pigs”
Qualifications: The desire and ability to lead research projects and work within a team of other highly motivated individuals are of critical importance to this position.
All applicants will be required to meet criteria for acceptance as a graduate student at the University of Saskatchewan as outlined by the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that they meet the minimum requirements and have the necessary financial resources before applying.
A vehicle and driver’s licence is required. For international applicants, ability to obtain the necessary documents for travel and work in Canada will be required upon offer of employment.
Candidates must hold, or will have completed, an MSc in a related discipline such as animal science, animal physiology, nutrition, or veterinary science. Previous experience with livestock, especially swine, and knowledge of nutrition and immunology, nutrient utilization, protein metabolism, and feed formulation is required. A track record of peer-reviewed publications and presentations will be considered an asset.
Information on graduate studies in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science, including stipend levels, can be found at https://agbio.usask.ca/students/graduate/ansc-handbook-2021.pdf
Prairie Swine Centre (www.prairieswine.com) is a non-profit swine production research corporation affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan and located 10 km southeast of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It offers nationally and internationally recognized research programs in nutrition, ethology, and engineering with knowledge transfer and education directed towards the efficiency and sustainability of pork production.
The University of Saskatchewan (www.usask.ca) is located in Saskatoon, a city with a diverse and thriving economic base, a vibrant arts community and a full range of leisure opportunities. The Department of Animal and Poultry Science is well-recognized nationally and internationally as a research-intensive department. The department’s highly-trained and enthusiastic faculty members and adjunct professors have extensive, high-quality applied and basic research programs that cover a wide range of topics in animal science and related areas.
The Prairie Swine Centre and University of Saskatchewan believe equity, diversity, and inclusion strengthen the community and enhance excellence, innovation and creativity. We are dedicated to recruiting individuals who will enrich our work and learning environments. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. We are committed to providing accommodations to those with a disability or medical necessity. If you require an accommodation in order to participate in the recruitment process, please notify us and we will work together on the accommodation request.
For more information or to apply please contact Dr. Dan Columbus. Interested candidates are asked to include in their application package a cover letter including their career interests, their curriculum vitae, and copies of transcripts. International applicants should also include TOEFL score (or equivalent) or proof of post-secondary education delivery in English. Screening of candidates will continue until the positions are filled. Only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.
Dr. Dan Columbus
Email: dan.columbus@usask.ca
We are looking for one PhD student interested in how biodiversity influences grassland carbon stocks. This position will be co-supervised between Dr. Hongjie Zhang at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Swift Current Research and Development Center (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hongjie-Zhang-2 ) and Dr. Jon Bennett at the University of Saskatchewan (https://research-groups.usask.ca/bennett-lab/).
Time will be split between AAFC in Swift Current and the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, SK. The successful individual will join a set of highly collaborative and well-funded projects on grassland ecology and identifying management interventions that can enhance grassland ecosystem services, including carbon storage. This PhD position will take advantage of multiple ongoing large-scale surveys and experiments to explore how changes in grassland biodiversity at multiple trophic levels affects organic, inorganic and total carbon stocks via temperature-dependent combustion on a brand new SoliTOC autoanalyzer.
There will be considerable opportunity to collaborate with researchers across an array of fields (ecology, plant breeding, soil science, entomology, and artificial intelligence), and to integrate data generated by other groups into wholistic analyses. While there are defined deliverables for these projects, student positions can be shaped to some extent by the interests of the successful applicant. We are looking for individuals who excel in both team environments and independent roles. Strong oral and written communication skills are essential.
We would like to fill this position as soon as possible but start dates as late as January 2025 will be considered.
Minimum qualifications:
- Master’s degree, or equivalent, from a recognized university in a relevant academic discipline such as environmental science, soil science and so on.
- Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English. A minimum overall TOEFL score of 86 is required with a minimum score of 20 in each area, or a minimum overall IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum score of 6.5 in each area.
- A cumulative weighted average of at least a 70% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of study (i.e. coursework required in master’s program)
Compensation:
Minimum of four years of funding at $29,000/year
To Apply:
Interested candidates must submit the following documents electronically to bahati.chisala-nyekanyeka@usask.ca
- A cover letter outlining past research experience and career goals
- An updated curriculum vitae
- A copy of your undergraduate/graduate transcripts
- Contact information for two individuals willing to provide reference letters
Project description: We are looking for a highly motivated candidate to work on a project aiming to initiate whole genome sequencing of the perennial legume, cicer milkvetch. The successful candidate will be required to work effectively as a team member in the context of lab, greenhouse, and computer-based work, and will carry out research involving plant tissue harvesting, DNA, RNA extraction, library preparation for sequencing and bioinformatics related to whole genome assembly, annotation, comparative genomics and database creation.
Qualifications: Applicants should have a M.Sc. in the areas of molecular biology, plant genetics/genomics, and bioinformatics or a related field. Ideally, the successful candidate will have experience with molecular biology techniques and the bioinformatic analysis of ‘omics data. Excellent organizational, written and verbal communication skills and the ability to collaborate with others are essential. Candidates must pass the minimum requirements for admission into the Ph.D program at the University of Saskatchewan (https://grad.usask.ca/admissions/admission-requirements.php#Minimumadmissionrequirements )
Funding: Includes an annual stipend of approximately $27,000 (CAN)/year for three years, travel to conferences (if applicable) and research costs. Students may also apply for a number of departmental and university scholarships.
Location: The student will conduct genomic research at Dr. Bill Biligetu’s lab at the Crop Development Center and Dr. Andrew Sharpe’s lab at the Global Institute for Food Security at the University of Saskatchewan.
How to Apply: Interested students should submit an updated resume to Dr. Bill Biligetu at Bill.Biligetu@usask.ca.
Start date: September, 2024 or earlier.
MSc in SWINE NUTRITION (Precision Feeding)
The Prairie Swine Centre, Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Saskatchewan is seeking passionate, bright, and highly motivated individuals interested in a fully-funded position as an MSc graduate student in the disciplines of swine nutrition – precision feeding. The successful candidates will join a strong, multidisciplinary academic and research team with expertise in non-ruminant nutrition, feed processing, management, welfare, metabolism, and physiology. The anticipated start date is May 2025.
The successful candidates will lead and assist with projects involving both classical swine nutrition (e.g., growth performance, nutrient utilization) and advanced (e.g., immune status) techniques. Our current nutrition research program is focused on the impact of early-life nutrition on growth, impact of nutrition on health, and factors affecting nutrient requirements and utilization. The successful candidate’s research program will focus on:
Application of precision feeding techniques using blend-feeding technology
Qualifications: The desire and ability to lead research projects and work within a team of other highly motivated individuals are of critical importance to this position.
All applicants will be required to meet criteria for acceptance as a graduate student at the University of Saskatchewan as outlined by the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that they meet the minimum requirements before applying.
A vehicle and driver’s licence is required. For international applicants, ability to obtain the necessary documents for travel and work in Canada will be required upon offer of admission.
Candidates must hold, or will have completed, a BSc in a related discipline such as animal science, animal physiology, nutrition, or veterinary science. Previous experience with livestock, especially swine, and knowledge of nutrition, nutrient utilization, and feed formulation will be considered an asset.
Information on graduate studies in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science, including stipend levels, can be found at https://agbio.usask.ca/students/graduate/ansc-handbook-2021.pdf
Prairie Swine Centre (www.prairieswine.com) is a non-profit swine production research corporation affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan and located 10 km southeast of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It offers nationally and internationally recognized research programs in nutrition, ethology, and engineering with knowledge transfer and education directed towards the efficiency and sustainability of pork production.
The University of Saskatchewan (www.usask.ca) is located in Saskatoon, a city with a diverse and thriving economic base, a vibrant arts community and a full range of leisure opportunities. The Department of Animal and Poultry Science is well-recognized nationally and internationally as a research-intensive department. The department’s highly-trained and enthusiastic faculty members and adjunct professors have extensive, high-quality applied and basic research programs that cover a wide range of topics in animal science and related areas.
The Prairie Swine Centre and University of Saskatchewan believe equity, diversity, and inclusion strengthen the community and enhance excellence, innovation and creativity. We are dedicated to recruiting individuals who will enrich our work and learning environments. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority. We are committed to providing accommodations to those with a disability or medical necessity. If you require an accommodation in order to participate in the recruitment process, please notify us and we will work together on the accommodation request.
For more information or to apply please contact Dr. Dan Columbus. Interested candidates are asked to include in their application package a cover letter including their career interests, their curriculum vitae, and copies of transcripts. Screening of candidates will continue until the positions are filled. Only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.
Dr. Dan Columbus
Email: dan.columbus@usask.ca