Position Information

Position Title

Postdoctoral Fellow

Posting Number

PTAP2901P

Department/Unit

Planning

Location

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Job Summary & Key Responsibilities

Dr. Eric Rapaport and his team are now seeking applications for a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in a research program called A data-driven geospatial planning tool: understanding cumulative climate risks in the Atlantic region. This fellowship position is in partnership with CLIMAtlantic. The successful candidate will have the benefit of advancing scholarly knowledge of cumulative climate risks while collaborating with the charitable non-profit organization.

CLILMAtlantic’s Mission

CLIMAtlantic’s mission is to provide those in Atlantic Canada with information and support to consider climate change impacts in their decisions. Driving this mission is the need for accessible, reliable, actionable climate information to address climate-related risks and support adaptation. These needs are informed by a wide range of key drivers such as:

• social drivers – the impacts of climate change on communities and human health;

• economic drivers – the impacts of climate change on the competitiveness of Atlantic Canadian economic sectors such as agriculture, energy, and insurance;

• environmental drivers – the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, species, and coasts; and the increasing threats to life and property from disasters due to climate-related severe events.

The demand for climate services continues to grow within Canada and internationally, including in our region, so a constellation of players working together is important.

Project Goals

To help deliver CLIMAtlantic’s mission, this fellowship position will contribute to the development of a novel geospatial visualization tool to represent compounding climate impacts at a range of decision-making scales:

• Develop a geospatial tool using ESRI ArcGIS with a publicly facing web application that integrates data sets of key climate variables and hazards available via Climatedata.ca and novel regional datasets i.e., water quality, land use, provincial flood maps, etc. to develop ways of undertaking cumulative impact analysis for five high-priority climate hazards in Atlantic Canada: pluvial flooding, fluvial flooding, sea level rise & coastal flooding, wildfires, and extreme heat;

• Validate the geospatial mapping tool by identifying historical climate hazards and utilize the tool to consider potential high-risk scenarios for community infrastructure and natural assets.

We are seeking an engaged and driven Postdoctoral Fellow who brings spatial data visualization and research experience to this highly collaborative, end-user focused project. In particular, the successful applicant will work with researchers in the School of Planning at Dalhousie University and Climate Adaptation Specialists at CLIMATlantic to mobilize the cumulative risk assessment and visualization tool.

Qualifications/Requirements of Position

Qualifications/Requirements of Position

You must have completed, or soon will complete, a PhD (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study. This may include, but is not limited to: planning, environmental studies, geography, or related disciplines. Ideally you will have conducted doctoral research within the area of climate change modelling, GIS-based risk assessment, visualization, etc.

The ideal candidate should also have several of the following characteristics:

• Strong interest, experience, and success within climate change adaptation spatial and social mapping with the ability to develop methodologies for assessing climate-driven environmental and population changes to understand cumulative climate risks, specifically to produce hazard maps and multi-criteria hazard risk assessment methods integrating multiple parameters to estimate the spatial susceptibility of key climate impacts;

• Strong understanding of, and experience with, Geographic Information Systems and the ability to liaise and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to develop a geospatial decision support tool for non-GIS users, e.g., Enterprise GIS databases, ETL workflows for data sharing, ArcGIS Dashboards;

• Demonstration of intermediate knowledge of python scripting and experience working with NetCDF climate datasets is required, and knowledge or experience of integration into geographical information systems, especially ESRI ArcPro will be an asset.

• Interest and experience advancing climate change risk information visualization and communication; through supporting or directing research on end user needs and experiences with climate data.

• Familiarity with the use of ArcGIS, ArcGIS Online, PAVICS and Python is required

• Knowledge of THREDDS and Java would be an asset

• A strong commitment to upholding pillars of equity, diversity, and inclusion

• Fluency in French and English is an asset as well.

Salary Range/Pay Rate

$61,000 per year plus benefits

Additional Information

Funding will also be made available for travel and conferences. The successful candidate will be located in the School of Planning at Dalhousie University. The School is located in vibrant Kjipuktuk (downtown Halifax), just minutes from the Atlantic Ocean.

The required documents are:

Cover letter (two page maximum)

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)

• Sample publications (three page maximum)

• List of three references

Dalhousie University commits to achieving inclusive excellence through continually championing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. The university encourages applications from Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island (especially Mi’kmaq), persons of Black/African descent (especially African Nova Scotians), and members of other racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, persons identifying as members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community. In accordance with our Employment Equity Policy, preference will be given in hiring processes to candidates who self-identify as members of one or more of the equity-deserving groups listed above. For more information, including details related to our Employment Equity Policy and Plan and definitions of equity-deserving groups please visit www.dal.ca/hiringfordiversity.

If you require any support for the purpose of accommodation, such as technical aids or alternative arrangements, please let us know of these needs and how we can be of assistance. Dalhousie University is committed to ensuring all candidates have full, fair, and equitable participation in the hiring process. Our complete Accommodation Policy can be viewed here.

Posting Detail Information

Term of appointment

The position will be for two years with the possibility of extension. The preferred start date is July 1st, 2025.

Open Date

Close Date

Open Until Filled

Yes

Quick Link for Direct Access to Posting

https://dal.peopleadmin.ca/postings/18793