Natural Resources Canada - Geoscience and Earth Monitoring Sector – Geological Survey of Canada - GSC-Québec

Closing date: August 28, 2026 - 23:59, Pacific Time

Reference number
RSN26J-085095-000597

Selection process number
2026-RSN-EA-GEMS-676641

Location
Québec (Québec)

Employment tenure
This PhD will start in January 2027 and will last 3 years.

Salary
Student will receive up to 35 700$ per year, payable in equal instalments three times a year

Who can
You are eligible for this program if you meet these 3 requirements:

1. You are a full-time student in a post-secondary institution;
2. You are enrolled in an academic program that requires research as part of your curriculum;
3. You meet the minimum age required in the province/territory of work;

This includes students with physical or emotional disabilities deemed to have full-time status by their academic institution. Adult students registered in education and retraining programs at the secondary level may also be eligible for student employment programs.

Note: Preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents who meet the job requirements.

Duties
Project Rationale:
Coastal zones are on the front line of climate change and anthropogenic pressures. While rivers are recognized as major vectors of material transfer to the ocean, coastal groundwater remains a key component that is still poorly quantified. These diffuse fluxes, occurring through littoral sediments, transport nutrients, carbon, contaminants, and fine particles to coastal waters, thereby contributing to deoxygenation, eutrophication, and acidification of coastal waters, as well as sediment dynamics.

Project Description:
This PhD project aims to understand the role of groundwater discharge in the functioning and health of coastal ecosystems and addresses emerging challenges in coastal hydrogeology. It seeks to investigate and quantify the contribution of groundwater to coastal water chemistry and sediment dynamics by combining hydrogeochemical and hydrosedimentary budgets.

By integrating hydrogeological, geochemical, and coastal dynamics data, this project proposes a holistic approach that will deepen our understanding and contribute to the management—and thus the preservation—of this fragile ecosystem.

Objectives:
More specifically, the PhD project is structured around three main objectives:

- Quantify groundwater discharge at the scale of an island system in the St. Lawrence River, integrating different hydrostratigraphic contexts ;




- Evaluate major element fluxes derived from water–rock weathering and assess their role in the coastal carbon cycle, with particular emphasis on the impact of alkaline and nitrate inputs on the chemistry and biogeochemical balance of the St. Lawrence coastal waters;
- Examine the role of groundwater discharge in hydrosedimentary budgets to improve understanding of its impact on fine-particle dynamics and coastal morphodynamics.

Methods:
The PhD project will combine hydrogeological and oceanographic approaches and will include:
1) Seasonal fieldwork, including installation of piezometers; sampling of surface water, groundwater, soils, and sediments; LiDAR surveys; and thermal drone imaging;
2) Laboratory analyses, including general and isotopic geochemistry (stable isotopes of water, naturally occurring radon and radium isotopes) and biogeochemistry, with their interpretation using statistical software, among other tools; and
3) Hydrogeological modeling.

Intent of the process
The intention is to staff one student position for the completion of a PhD.

Positions to be filled
1

Conditions of employment

Conditions of employment
Reliability Status security clearance
Learn more about security screening process.

- The student will need to be registered at l’Institut des sciences de la mer de l’Université du Québec à Rimouski (ISMER-UQAR) for this PhD degree, where his/her advisor will be located, and reside in or close to Rimouski due to the location of the laboratories and fieldwork.
- The student must be ready to do regular field and lab work and irregular work hours.

You need (essential for the job)

Your application must clearly explain how you meet the following

EDUCATION

- The candidate must hold a master’s degree from a recognized university with a specialization in one of the following disciplines: Earth or Environmental sciences, hydrogeology, geology or geological engineering.
- The candidate must be currently enrolled or willing to enroll at the l’Institut des sciences de la mer de l’Université du Québec à Rimouski (ISMER-UQAR).

Learn more about degree equivalency.





Learn more about degree equivalency.

EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE:

- Experience and knowledge in hydrogeology and/or costal environments.
- Experience and knowledge in surface and/or groundwater quality.
- Experience and knowledge in recharge estimation.
- Experience and knowledge in contaminant transport.
- Experience and knowledge in numerical modelling.
- Experience and knowledge in fieldwork.
- Experience and knowledge in water resources management.
- Experience and knowledge with PHREEQC, Python and R.

COMPETENCIES:

- Motivation
- Work efficiently in a team-oriented team
- Autonomy
- Scientific rigor, curiosity, and strong motivation for environmental issues ;

ABILITIES:

- Ability to communicate effectively orally
- Ability to communicate effectively in writing

Language requirements (essential for the job)

Applied / assessed at a later date

English or French

Learn more about language requirements.

Our commitment

We're committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. If you need to be accommodated during any phase of the evaluation process, please contact the hiring organization below to request specialized accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Learn more about assessment accommodation.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the population it serves. We promote employment equity and encourage you to self-declare if you belong to one of the designated employment equity groups when you .

Learn more about diversity and inclusion in the public service.

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans first, followed by Canadian citizens and permanent residents, with the exception of jobs located in Nunavut or Yukon. For positions located in Nunavut, qualified Inuit enrolled under the Nunavut Agreement will be appointed first. For positions located in Yukon, qualified Yukon First Nations will be appointed first, followed by qualified Indigenous persons.

Learn more about preference to veterans.

How to

Learn more about ing for Government of Canada jobs.

Information you must provide

- Your résumé
- A cover letter

We'd like to thank all those who . However, only the people selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Hiring organization contact

Name: Maya Crisostomo - HR advisor
Email address: [email protected]

📌 Groundwater Discharge and Coastal Ecosystem Health (Canada)
🏢 Government of Canada
📍 Canada