One of the most perilous threats to providing safe access to drinking water comes not from the release of industrial contaminants, but from naturally-occurring, geogenic contaminants which are already globally abundant in Earth’s soils and sediments. Manganese, arsenic, chromium, uranium, vanadium, and selenium are all common geogenic contaminants. This project will survey critical groundwater resources for native contaminants, a critical step to reduce public exposure and identify vulnerable areas for monitoring and management in order to prevent costly contaminant mobilization. The project includes applying state-of-the-art field techniques to conduct intensive field studies to quantify manganese and co-occurring contaminants within both groundwater and soils/sediments in Southern Quebec. This research will provide valuable insight into the subsurface processes controlling contaminant mobility that can be used to prevent future groundwater contamination from natural sources. The results will provide water managers with valuable information on whether aquifer geology or pedogenic and biogeochemical processes serve as better predictors of susceptibility to natural contamination. Responsibilities will include designing and executing field experiments, analyzing geochemical parameters, and running laboratory experiments.
Funding category: Financement public/privé
Funded by the Canada Research Chair Program
PHD Country: Canada
Offer Requirements
Specific Requirements
- Degree in environmental or chemical engineering, Earth science, chemistry, materials science or a closely allied field
- Field work experience and journal publications will be considered an asset
- Previous laboratory or field research experience in chemistry, aqueous geochemistry, mineralogy, microbiology, biogeochemistry, or geochemical modeling or geospatial analysis is advantageous.
- Exceptional organizational, time management, and communication skills.
- Prepared to work in a team-oriented and multidisciplinary research environment
