Ce projet vise à poursuivre l’analyse de la vulnérabilité socio-spatiale aux vagues de chaleur dans la région du Grand Moncton, en s’appuyant sur les résultats d’un travail préliminaire déjà amorcé. Une première phase du projet a permis de caractériser certaines vagues de chaleur récentes dans la région et d’identifier des indicateurs socio-démographiques et environnementaux pertinents pour évaluer la sensibilité des populations. L’étudiant·e retenu·e poursuivra ces travaux, en consolidant et structurant les bases de données géospatiales existantes, et en intégrant des variables complémentaires, issues notamment de Statistique Canada, des services municipaux et de bases climatiques. Le projet repose sur une approche interdisciplinaire qui mobilise des outils d’analyse spatiale (SIG), des méthodes statistiques (R, Python) et des connaissances en climatologie urbaine. Le but est de construire un indice de vulnérabilité socio-spatiale aux vagues de chaleur à l’échelle des secteurs/quartiers, en tenant compte à la fois de l’exposition, de la sensibilité et de la capacité d’adaptation des populations locales. Ce travail permettra de produire une cartographie multicritère de la vulnérabilité, afin de guider les politiques publiques et les plans d’adaptation dans un contexte de réchauffement climatique.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: Geisa Rocha has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Geography at the Université de Moncton since November 2023. Trained as a geographer at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC, Brazil), she also holds a technical degree in meteorology from the Federal Institute of Santa Catarina (IFSC, Brazil). She completed both her Master’s and PhD in Geography (UFSC and the Federal University of Paraná – UFPR), including a doctoral research stay at the Université Rennes 2 (France). Her current research focuses on urban climatology, environmental assessment, and socio-spatial vulnerability to climate change and extreme events.
Student roles: The student will contribute to the second phase of the project by continuing the identification of heat wave-sensitive areas in the Greater Moncton region. Their main responsibilities will include:
Consolidating and organizing geospatial data collected during the previous phase of the project; Integrating new relevant variables (e.g., sociodemographic data, infrastructure, vegetation cover, etc.); Conducting statistical analyses to explore correlations among vulnerability-related variables; Contributing to the development of a vulnerability index combining multiple factors (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity); Mapping the results using GIS tools and producing clear visualizations; Contributing to the writing of progress reports and/or scientific publications.
Skills required: We are seeking a student with strong proficiency in GIS tools (preferably ArcGIS or QGIS), basic knowledge of statistical methods (R or Python), and a strong interest in climate and social issues. Previous experience working with demographic or climate datasets would be considered an asset.
2. Analyse et modélisation des îlots de chaleur urbains au Grand Moncton
Since 2022, our team has been conducting a Urban Climate Monitoring Network project in the Greater Moncton region (RESCUM), using a dense network of thermal sensors and meteorological stations. After two years of continuous data collection, the main objective of this MITACS internship is to move to the advanced stage of the project: heat island modelling.
The intern will contribute to the in-depth analysis of the collected data, including statistical and spatial modelling approaches. Tasks will include cleaning and organizing databases, performing statistical analyses, developing spatio-temporal urban climate models using GIS tools and programming languages such as R or Python, and producing maps and visualizations.
This project aims to improve the understanding of urban climate dynamics and heat-vulnerable areas in relation to land use, in order to guide climate adaptation strategies at the urban scale.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: Geisa Rocha has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Geography at the Université de Moncton since November 2023. Trained as a geographer at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC – Brazil), she also holds a technical degree in meteorology (IFSC – Brazil). She completed both her Master’s and PhD in Geography (UFSC and UFPR), including a doctoral research stay at the Université Rennes 2 (France). Her current research focuses on urban climatology, environmental assessment, and socio-spatial vulnerability to climate change and extreme events.
Student roles: The intern will be responsible for processing and modelling data from the RESCUM network, analyzing the results, and producing visual representations (maps and graphs). They will also be expected to document the methods used and contribute to a final report, including recommendations for the continuation of the project.
Skills required: Strong proficiency in statistical analysis and programming tools (R, Python), skills in GIS (ArcGIS or Quantum GIS), climate data processing, and spatio-temporal modelling. Experience in environmental analysis or geomatics would be considered an asset.
3. Children's voices for policy change around violence in LMICs
Children all around the world experience violence at home, at school and in their communities. There is significant global spatial variation in the experiences of violence against children, often linked to existing policies and practices, which are in turn shaped by socio-cultural norms. 5 years of data from 5 low and middle income countries tell us a lot about what the issues are; it's time to hear the children's voices to discern next steps for policy and practice change. We will take our time reviewing interview and focus group transcripts from 5 countries, as well as deliberative dialogues with children in Tanzania, to discern how these children would like to move forward to a better future.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: I am a health geographer who focuses on relationships between environment and health and wellbeing. Environment in this case is broadly defined to include the built environment, the social environment and the physical environment.
Student roles: The student will be involved in all stages of design, measurement and analysis as well as write up with the goal to have the student represented on a peer reviewed publication.
Skills required: Qualitative analysis skills would be an asset, but are not required. Very good oral and written communication skills as well as library searching skills along with literature synthesis.
4. Classifying Hydrologically Effective Warm Events in Mountain Headwaters
Short-duration warm events can strongly influence snowmelt, rain-on-snow response, and streamflow generation in mountain headwaters. However, not all warm periods produce measurable melt or runoff. In snow-dominated mountain catchments, the hydrological effect of a warm event depends on its timing, intensity, duration, antecedent snow conditions, and whether the snowpack is physically ready to release water. Understanding which warm events are hydrologically effective is important for interpreting snowmelt timing, flood potential, drought development, and water availability under climate warming.
This project will examine warm-event impacts in the Castle watershed of southern Alberta, a mountain headwater catchment where new hydrometeorological monitoring is being developed. The intern will combine fieldwork with analysis of meteorological, snowpack, operational snow, and streamflow datasets. Field activities may include visits to monitoring sites to download data, help install or maintain sensors, conduct basic streamflow measurements, and document site conditions. These observations will provide practical context for the data analysis and help support the development of a long-term monitoring network.
The analytical component of the project will focus on identifying warm events from temperature records using anomaly- or percentile-based thresholds, then classifying events according to their snowpack and streamflow response. Potential event classes include warm events with limited snow response, events that trigger melt but little streamflow response, and events that produce both melt and measurable runoff. The intern will evaluate how event duration, temperature anomaly, cumulative degree-days, timing, and antecedent snow conditions influence event effectiveness.
The expected outcome is a classified database of warm events, summary figures, reproducible analysis scripts, and a short report or manuscript-ready contribution. The project will improve understanding of event-scale controls on snowmelt and runoff generation and demonstrate how operational snow observations and field monitoring can support mountain water research.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: My research focuses on mountain hydrology, snow processes, climate extremes, and water availability in alpine and headwater catchments. I combine field observations, hydrometeorological monitoring, operational snow data, and data analysis to understand how snowpack, groundwater, and streamflow respond to climate variability and warming. A major focus of my work is identifying the processes that control runoff generation in mountain environments, including snowmelt timing, rain-on-snow events, drought development, and streamflow response to short-duration warm periods. This project is part of a broader effort to develop the Castle watershed as a long-term mountain hydrology observatory in southern Alberta.
Student roles: The student will contribute to both field monitoring and data analysis for a study of warm-event impacts on snowpack and streamflow in the Castle watershed. Their role will combine practical field training with quantitative analysis of hydrometeorological datasets.
During field visits, the student may assist with downloading data from hydrometeorological stations, installing or maintaining sensors, checking equipment, recording site conditions, and supporting basic streamflow or snow-related observations. Fieldwork will be conducted with trained personnel and will follow appropriate safety procedures. These activities will help the student understand how mountain hydrology data are collected and how field conditions influence data quality and interpretation.
The student will also develop a warm-event database using temperature records from the Castle region. They will identify short-duration warm events using temperature anomalies, percentile thresholds, or cumulative positive degree-day metrics. For each event, they will calculate characteristics such as duration, mean and maximum temperature anomaly, timing within the snow season, and antecedent snow conditions.
The student will then link these warm events to snowpack and streamflow response. Depending on data availability, this may include changes in snow depth or snow water equivalent, operational ski-area snow observations, streamflow increases, response timing, and runoff magnitude. The goal will be to classify events into categories such as warm events with limited hydrological response, melt-producing events with little runoff response, and events that generate measurable streamflow response.
The student will be responsible for developing reproducible analysis scripts, producing clear figures and tables, and documenting data-processing steps. By the end of the internship, they will produce a cleaned event database, summary visualizations, well-documented code, and a short written report or manuscript-ready contribution. Through this role, the student will gain experience in mountain field hydrology, sensor-based monitoring, hydroclimatic event analysis, data visualization, and scientific communication.
Skills required: The student should have a background in hydrology, physical geography, environmental science, Earth science, climate science, engineering, or a related field. Experience with data analysis in Python, R, MATLAB, or similar software is strongly preferred. Familiarity with snow hydrology, streamflow, meteorological data, field instrumentation, GIS, or climate extremes would be an asset, but is not required. The student should be comfortable working outdoors in mountain environments, following field safety protocols, documenting field activities carefully, and learning new technical skills. Strong attention to detail, curiosity, and interest in mountain water resources are important.
5. How Weather Data Choices Shape Snow, Glacier Melt, and Streamflow Simulations in Mountain Catchments
Physically based hydrological models are widely used to simulate snow accumulation, glacier melt, and runoff in mountain catchments, but model results can vary strongly depending on the meteorological forcing data used. In remote high-mountain regions, in situ weather observations are often sparse or incomplete, so many studies rely on global reanalysis datasets such as ERA5 or ERA5-Land. However, the effects of using in situ, raw reanalysis, or bias-corrected reanalysis forcing are rarely evaluated consistently across different glacierized mountain environments.
This project will contribute to a cross-basin comparison of Cold Regions Hydrological Model applications in four glacierized catchments: Peyto Glacier Research Basin in the Canadian Rockies, Hintereisferner/Rofental in the European Alps, Quilcay Basin in the Andes, and Langshisha Basin in the Hindu Kush Himalaya. These basins provide a rare opportunity to evaluate forcing-related uncertainty across contrasting mountain regions using comparable modelling frameworks.
The intern will help assemble, harmonize, and evaluate meteorological forcing and model-output datasets. Depending on their skills, they may contribute to quality control of temperature, precipitation, humidity, radiation, and wind-speed data; comparison of in situ and reanalysis forcing; analysis of CRHM simulation outputs; and diagnostic evaluation of snowpack evolution, glacier melt contributions, runoff timing, and model performance. The project will emphasize reproducible workflows in Python or R and will contribute to open, reusable datasets and analysis scripts.
The expected outcome is a structured comparison of how forcing-data choices influence simulated snow, glacier, and streamflow processes across mountain regions. This work will help improve confidence in reanalysis-driven mountain hydrological simulations and support more transparent modelling of climate-change impacts on mountain water resources.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: My research focuses on mountain hydrology, snow and glacier processes, and climate-change impacts on water resources in alpine catchments. I use field observations, meteorological data, and physically based hydrological models to understand how snow accumulation, glacier melt, groundwater storage, and runoff generation vary across mountain environments. A major focus of my work is improving how models represent cryosphere–hydrology interactions in glacierized basins and evaluating uncertainty in simulations of mountain water availability. This project is part of a broader effort to improve comparability, transparency, and reproducibility in mountain hydrological modelling.
Student roles: The student will contribute to the development of a harmonized, reproducible dataset and analysis workflow for comparing hydrological model simulations across glacierized mountain catchments. Their exact tasks will depend on their background and interests, but will focus on data preparation, model-output analysis, and interpretation of snow, glacier, and runoff processes.
The student may assist with assembling and checking meteorological forcing datasets, including in situ observations and reanalysis products. This could include identifying missing data, comparing variables across data sources, calculating summary statistics, and preparing standardized input files. They may also help analyze existing or newly generated CRHM model outputs to evaluate how different forcing datasets affect snow accumulation, snowmelt timing, glacier melt contributions, seasonal runoff, and streamflow performance.
A central part of the student’s role will be to develop reproducible analysis scripts and clear visualizations. Potential outputs include figures comparing observed and reanalysis forcing, plots of snowpack and runoff response under different forcing scenarios, basin-to-basin comparison tables, and diagnostic metrics describing model sensitivity. The student will also help document methods and prepare metadata so that the resulting datasets and workflows can be reused by other researchers.
The student will meet regularly with the supervisor and research team to discuss progress, troubleshoot technical issues, and interpret results. By the end of the internship, the student will be expected to produce a cleaned dataset or analysis product, a set of well-documented scripts, summary figures, and a short written report or manuscript-ready contribution. Through this role, the student will gain training in mountain hydrology, cryosphere–hydrology modelling, climate-data evaluation, reproducible research, and scientific communication.
Skills required: The student should have a background in hydrology, physical geography, environmental science, atmospheric science, climate science, engineering, or a related field. Experience with data analysis in Python, R, or MATLAB is strongly preferred. Familiarity with snow hydrology, glaciers, meteorological data, hydrological modelling, GIS, or climate datasets would be an asset, but is not required. The student should be comfortable working with time series data, learning new computational tools, documenting workflows, and communicating results clearly. Strong attention to detail and interest in mountain environments, climate change, and water resources are important.
6. Identifying pharmacy deserts in Nova Scotia and estimating their impact on access to preventative care.
This project examines how geographic access to community pharmacies shapes preventive healthcare equity in Nova Scotia. As pharmacists take on a growing role in primary and preventive care, pharmacy access is becoming an important public health issue, especially in rural, aging, and underserved communities. The project focuses on identifying pharmacy deserts, i.e., areas where residents face limited geographic access to pharmacy-based care, and assessing how these access gaps translate into broader social costs for individuals and communities.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: Dr. Haorui Wu is the Canada Research Chair in Resilience with an interdisciplinary background, his community-based interdisciplinary research and emerging practice have nuancedly explored disaster-driven redevelopment of human and non-human settlements through the lens of environmental justice and social justice in the global context of climate change, disaster, and willful acts of violence. His innovative socio-ecological protection strategies aim to stimulate the transdisciplinary application of engineering, social, cultural, ecological, economic, and political dimensions into the empowerment of grassroots-led community development initiatives that enhance inhabitants' and co-inhabitants’ health and well-being.
Student roles: The intern will support geospatial data collection, mapping, data cleaning and analysis for policy and academic outputs.
Skills required: Applicants should have training or strong interest in health equity, geography, urban planning, or spatial data analysis. Some experience with GIS (ArcGIS or QGIS) is required. Basic familiarity with R or Python for data cleaning and analysis is a plus.
7. Investigating engagement, communication, support and community confidence at the Atlantic First Nations Water Authority
Supervisor: Chad Walker
University: Dalhousie University (Halifax campus)
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Start date: 2027-05-03 (flexible)
Disciplines: Geography, Environmental Studies, Sociology, Political Science, Statistics
The Atlantic First Nations Water Authority (AFNWA) is Canada’s first Indigenous-owned and operated water utility. Its mission is to ensure self-determination, honor Wabanaki culture and values, and rebuild trust between First Nations and water services. Our research project, partof a 5-year NSERC Alliance grant with Dalhousie University, aims to understand how the AFNWA can best serve member Nations through engagement, communication, and confidence-building. This project seeks to incorporate community voices to improve lived experiences and trust in water and wastewater services. There is a need to engage with AFNWA Nation members to understand their needs from an Indigenous water utility to improve the lived experience of First Nation’s people, build trust and confidence in their water and wastewater services, and ensure their Voices are incorporated into the AFNWA operations.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: Dr. Chad Walker is an interdisciplinary environmental social scientist with particular research interests around justice, equity, and public support for low-carbon transitions. Recent published research includes studying the impact of environmental justice in shaping support for wind energy, critically investigating the meaning of community energy, and using diverse methodologies to better understand pathways for Indigenous-led renewable energy development. He has been fortunate to publish in a variety of high-impact journals spanning several disciplinary boundaries, including: Energy Policy, Environment and Planning A, Environmental Policy and Planning, and Energy Research and Social Science.
Student roles: Depending on qualifications, the student(s) may be responsible for data collection, analysis, and/or writing.
Skills required: Interest and familarity with: a) climate change and/or water b) social science research (qualitative and/or quantitative approaches)
8. Research assistant
Supervisor: Karen Harper
University: St. Mary's University (Halifax campus)
A major consequence of forest fragmentation is edge influence on vegetation in which forest structure and composition differs at harvested or agricultural edges compared to interior forest. Vegetation responses to forest edges are variable and depend on edge type, forest type, geographic location and other stand characteristics. However, it is difficult to make comparisons because of the extensive time involved for field studies. With the advent of remote sensing, especially LIDAR, an understanding of the extent of edge effects on forest ecosystems can be made using quantitative, accurate and repeatable techniques that measure the intensity of the effects on the vegetation structure of forest edges. The project will use LIDAR imagery to retrieve detailed inventory parameters of forest ecosystems and incorporate remote sensing to assess patterns of vegetation structure at forest edges. Details on locations, edge types and forest types are still being determined, but the project will likely focus on forest edges within Nova Scotia, Canada. However, a possible sub-project for the intern could be analysing LIDAR imagery from their own country. The project will likely consist of two components: widely available LIDAR imagery to examine broad-scale patterns and LIDAR imagery collected using a drone. Although the original intent of the project was to investigate harvested edges, fire edges have been added. There have been unprecedented fires burning in Nova Scotia, highlighting the relevance of fire disturbance with respect to climate change; therefore, understanding the structure of fire edges is becoming more important. LIDAR imagery will be used to determine the distance of edge influence or edge width on vegetation structure and structural diversity. Comparisons will be made between edge types and forest types. There may be additional work on updating a database on vegetation across forest edges.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: My research area is plant community ecology with a focus on studies on vegetation at forest edges. Additional expertise includes spatial pattern analysis and plant structural diversity. I have conducted numerous field studies on different types of forest edges in Canada and other countries including Brazil. Some of my research involves putting together and analyzing a database from these studies and conducting a literature survey of global edge studies. I am currently supervising field studies on edge influence on vegetation at edges of burned areas, roads and abandoned mines.
Student roles: The student will be working with my graduate student for most of the time but may also work on their own project. Most of the work will involve processing and analyzing LIDAR imagery. The Maritime Provinces Spatial Analysis Research Centre will provide a technician and assistance with the processing and analyzing of LIDAR data. Another component of the project is to fly a drone equipped with LIDAR to collect data. Although most of the work will be completed by the grad student, the intern will participate in the project and help with preparation and analysis of the drone imagery. The technician from the university will fly the drone, but the intern and grad student will travel to the sites to assist. There may be various sites in forested areas throughout Nova Scotia, which could involve overnight field trips and travel through forested areas; however, field trips are not required. Other possible tasks include searching for literature and databases, compiling and analyzing data, and preparing maps, graphs or reports. The student will write a report on the results of the proposed research and will have the opportunity to follow up after with a manuscript as the first author or as a co-author if the results are appropriate for a journal article. In addition to working closely with the graduate student and other field assistant(s), the student will have the opportunity to meet other students, professors and government researchers.
Skills required: I am looking for a student with a keen interest and a strong background (coursework) in geography or ecology. Some experience or courses in GIS, remote sensing, drone imagery or similar field of study is required. Outdoor field work experience or experience being outdoors for extended periods of time is an asset but not required so this position is open to students with different abilities. Data analysis (statistics) experience is useful. Written and oral scientific communication skills would also be beneficial.
9. Rénovation urbaine, justice spatiale, durabilité et gouvernance territoriale : enseignements des expériences canadiennes pour l’analyse critique du projet Ciudad Paraíso à Cali (Colombie)
Supervisor: Carlo Previl
University: Université du Québec en Abitibi–Temiscamingue (Rouyn-Noranda campus)
Location: Rouyn-Noranda, Québec
Start date: 2027-05-03 (flexible)
Disciplines: Geography, City/Regional Planning, Land Information, Geomatics
Le projet de stage vise à explorer les liens entre rénovation urbaine, justice spatiale, gouvernance territoriale et durabilité environnementale à travers une analyse comparative entre certaines expériences canadiennes et le projet Ciudad Paraíso à Cali (Colombie). Cette initiative s’inscrit dans le contexte des transformations urbaines contemporaines, où les interventions de revitalisation des centres-villes doivent répondre simultanément à des enjeux de développement économique, d’inclusion sociale, de résilience climatique et de qualité du milieu de vie.
Le stage permettra à l’étudiant de documenter et d’analyser des projets de rénovation urbaine réalisés dans différentes villes canadiennes afin d’identifier les mécanismes de gouvernance, les approches participatives et les stratégies de planification durable mobilisés pour accompagner ces transformations. Une attention particulière sera accordée à l’intégration des infrastructures vertes, à l’adaptation aux changements climatiques, à la protection des espaces naturels urbains et aux initiatives associées aux concepts de ville durable et de ville intelligente.
Parallèlement, le projet contribuera à la mise en place d’une base de données territoriale géoréférencée sur le secteur Ciudad Paraíso et son environnement urbain, constituant la première étape du développement d’un futur Observatoire territorial urbain pour l’agglomération de Cali. Cet outil permettra de soutenir les activités de recherche, d’enseignement et d’aide à la décision publique en matière de gouvernance territoriale.
Les résultats du stage serviront également de fondement à un projet de recherche exploratoire portant sur les impacts territoriaux, sociaux et environnementaux de Ciudad Paraíso. À plus long terme, cette initiative contribuera au développement d’une collaboration scientifique entre l’Universidad del Valle et l’UQAT, ainsi qu’à la structuration d’un programme de recherche du Laboratoire MAPDATA consacré à la rénovation urbaine, à la justice spatiale, à la résilience climatique et au développement territorial durable.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: Mes recherches portent sur la gouvernance territoriale, la planification urbaine et le développement territorial durable, avec un intérêt particulier pour les processus de transformation des territoires urbains et les mécanismes d’aide à la décision publique. À travers le Laboratoire MAPDATA, je développe des approches intégrant l’analyse spatiale, les systèmes d’information géographique, la gouvernance multi-acteurs et les enjeux de justice spatiale et environnementale. Mes travaux s’intéressent également à la résilience climatique, aux villes intelligentes et aux infrastructures vertes comme leviers d’adaptation des territoires. Cette expertise offre un cadre pertinent pour analyser les dynamiques de rénovation urbaine et leurs impacts territoriaux.
Student roles: Dans le cadre de cette pasantía, l’étudiant agira comme assistant de recherche au sein d’une collaboration internationale entre l’Universidad del Valle et l’Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT). Son rôle principal consistera à soutenir la réalisation d’une étude exploratoire sur les liens entre rénovation urbaine, justice spatiale, gouvernance territoriale et durabilité environnementale à partir d’une analyse comparative entre des expériences canadiennes et le projet Ciudad Paraíso à Cali.
L’étudiant participera à la recherche documentaire, à l’identification et à l’analyse de cas de rénovation urbaine réalisés dans différentes villes canadiennes. Il contribuera à la collecte, à l’organisation et à la synthèse de l’information relative aux mécanismes de gouvernance, aux stratégies de participation citoyenne, aux approches de revitalisation urbaine ainsi qu’aux mesures favorisant la résilience climatique et le développement urbain durable.
Il prendra également part à la conception d’une base de données territoriale géoréférencée sur Ciudad Paraíso et son environnement urbain. Cette activité impliquera la compilation, l’intégration et l’analyse de données spatiales, socioéconomiques, environnementales et urbanistiques à l’aide de systèmes d’information géographique (SIG) et d’autres outils d’analyse territoriale. Les résultats obtenus contribueront à jeter les bases d’un futur Observatoire territorial urbain destiné au suivi des transformations urbaines dans l’agglomération de Cali.
Par ailleurs, l’étudiant sera appelé à participer à des rencontres scientifiques, à présenter l’avancement de ses travaux et à contribuer à la production de rapports, de cartes thématiques et de documents de vulgarisation scientifique. Cette expérience lui permettra de développer des compétences en recherche appliquée, en analyse spatiale, en gestion de données territoriales et en évaluation des politiques publiques urbaines.
Enfin, les travaux réalisés dans le cadre du stage serviront de fondement à son projet de recherche de fin d’études et pourront éventuellement s’inscrire dans un parcours de formation aux cycles supérieurs associé aux activités du Laboratoire MAPDATA.
Skills required: Nous recherchons un étudiant en géographie, aménagement, urbanisme ou discipline connexe démontrant un intérêt marqué pour les enjeux de gouvernance territoriale, de justice spatiale et de développement urbain durable. Le candidat doit posséder des compétences de base en systèmes d’information géographique (SIG), en gestion et analyse de données territoriales, ainsi qu’une capacité à réaliser des revues documentaires et des analyses critiques. Une sensibilité aux enjeux sociaux, à la participation citoyenne et aux politiques publiques constitue un atout important. Une bonne capacité de communication en espagnol et une connaissance fonctionnelle de l’anglais sont également souhaitées.
10. Small drones for high-resolution environmental remote sensing: a soil moisture case study.
Supervisor: Frederique Pivot
University: Athabasca University (Edmonton campus)
Surface soil moisture plays a fundamental role in hydrology, agriculture, climate modeling, and weather forecasting. However, operational methods for measuring soil moisture, whether in situ or from satellites, have limitations in terms of coverage, cost, and resolution. Drones offer a promising solution by providing high-resolution soil moisture mapping at low cost and over targeted areas of interest.
This remote sensing project focuses on the development of a drone-based GNSS reflectometry (GNSS-R) system to estimate surface soil moisture from reflected signals emitted by Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo. Recent work has focused on selecting and testing low-cost GNSS receivers, developing software for recording and processing raw GNSS measurements, and establishing the foundations of a GNSS-R processing workflow. While substantial progress has been made, additional work is required to further develop, integrate, and validate the system.
The intern will contribute to the continued development of the GNSS-R platform. Depending on progress and project needs, activities may include refining existing data acquisition and processing software, improving GNSS-R retrieval algorithms, designing and testing hardware integration solutions for deployment on a drone platform, and evaluating GNSS-R soil moisture estimates using field measurements and drone-derived observations. Existing open-source Python tools and GNSS-R methodologies will be used and adapted to process raw GNSS observations and convert signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and position data into estimates of volumetric soil moisture.
Depending on progress, drone flights may be conducted over an experimental site in Alberta under varying soil moisture conditions. Field measurements of soil moisture may be collected to support the evaluation of GNSS-R estimates. The project may also investigate the effects of vegetation and surface roughness on GNSS-R retrievals using products derived from drone imagery and existing modeling approaches.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: Dr. Pivot's research area is in remote sensing technology and its applications in physical geography. Specifically, she specializes in monitoring and analyzing changes in Earth's surface processes, in particular snow cover dynamics and surface soil moisture and freeze-thaw state. She develops advanced observing systems, including drones, to acquire precise geospatial data more efficiently. Dr. Pivot also pioneers technology-driven solutions for online education, integrating fieldwork into courses through mobile technology-guided trips and virtual geographic environments.
Student roles: Your role will include:
1. Reviewing the scientific literature on GNSS reflectometry (GNSS-R) and its application to soil moisture retrieval, with an emphasis on drone-based systems.
2. Contributing to the continued development and integration of the GNSS-R system, including GNSS receivers, antennas, onboard electronics, and drone-mounted components.
3. Refining and testing existing data acquisition and processing software, and improving methodologies used to derive volumetric soil moisture estimates from GNSS observations.
4. Depending on progress, participating in field experiments in Alberta to evaluate the system under varying soil moisture and vegetation conditions. Activities may include mission planning, system integration, field measurements, data collection, and the processing and analysis of GNSS-R and drone-derived data.
5. Investigating the effects of vegetation and surface roughness on GNSS-R soil moisture estimates using field observations and products derived from drone imagery.
6. Documenting the system design, methodologies, and results, and contributing to technical reports and scientific publications arising from the project.
Skills required: A solid background in remote sensing, photogrammetry, GIS, or digital image and signal processing is essential. Programming skills in Python are also required. Experience with GNSS technologies or GNSS reflectometry (GNSS-R) is a strong asset, as it could accelerate the development and testing of the system. Familiarity with drones or model aircraft is an advantage but not required.
Applications are welcome from students in physical geography, environmental sciences, geomatics, geoinformatics, or electrical/computer engineering, though preference will be given to candidates from geography or geomatics with strong technical, analytical, and programming skills.
Social prescribing turns the health care world on its head by asking not what's the matter with you but what matters to you? Although the process of social prescribing makes very good intuitive sense, there is very little empirical evidence to support its impact on individual or community health and/or wellbeing. Our team is investigating the impact social prescribing can have in Canada on both chronically ill populations as well as nature based social prescribing in communities. The evidence we provide will provide evidence to support policy and practice change related to the epidemic of social isolation, loneliness and low levels of overall wellbeing affecting our global population.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: I am a health geographer who focuses on relationships between environment and health and wellbeing. Environment in this case is broadly defined to include the built environment, the social environment and the physical environment.
Student roles: The student would be involved in all aspects of design, measurement and evaluation of this work.
Skills required: Good communication skills, both oral and written. Good skills in literature searching and synthesis; qualitative analysis skills an asset but not a requirement.
12. Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Weather-Related Power Outage Vulnerability in Nova Scotia
This project investigates the spatial and temporal patterns of extreme weather-related power outages in Nova Scotia and examines how outage exposure is associated with residents’ physical, mental, and social well-being. The quantitative component uses outage records, nighttime satellite imagery, weather data, geographic information, and survey data to identify communities with higher outage vulnerability and assess how outage frequency and duration vary across Nova Scotia, and its effect on well-being.
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: Dr. Haorui Wu is the Canada Research Chair in Resilience with an interdisciplinary background, his community-based interdisciplinary research and emerging practice have nuancedly explored disaster-driven redevelopment of human and non-human settlements through the lens of environmental justice and social justice in the global context of climate change, disaster, and willful acts of violence. His innovative socio-ecological protection strategies aim to stimulate the transdisciplinary application of engineering, social, cultural, ecological, economic, and political dimensions into the empowerment of grassroots-led community development initiatives that enhance inhabitants' and co-inhabitants’ health and well-being.
Student roles: The intern will support quantitative research activities, including data collection, cleaning, GIS processing, spatial-temporal analysis, survey data preparation, map production, and visualization of results. Depending on skills and interests, may also assist with statistical analysis in R or related software and the preparation of infographics for community and policy audiences.
Skills required: This position is suitable for students with background in spatial analysis, urban and regional planning, or computational social science.
13. Supportive Neighbourhoods for People Living with Dementia
Supervisor: Habib Chaudhury
University: Simon Fraser University (Burnaby campus)
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Start date: 2027-05-03 (flexible)
Disciplines: Geography, Human Ecology, Planning, Public Health, Psychology, Sociology, Design, City/Regional Planning, Architecture
Persons living with dementia (PLWD) often report that they experience a shrinking world, both physically and socially, with the onset of their disease. Providing a supportive neighbourhood environment for those living with dementia in a community context is often recognised as a cost-efficient strategy to support independence, as well as the preferred choice for older adults living with dementia. There is a growing interest in examining the neighbourhood environment for its role in influencing levels of social participation (i.e., involvement in a life situation (World Health Organization, 2001, p. 127)) and activities in later life (Chaudhury et al., 2016; Richard et al., 2009; Rosso et al., 2011; World Health Organization, 2015). The neighbourhood also acts as a source of emotional and practical support for persons living with dementia with opportunities for building social networks, maintaining independence, and fostering a sense of attachment (Keady et al., 2012, Odzakovic et al., 2018). Availability of destinations and amenities in the community can facilitate healthy aging by supporting older adults’ functional abilities and enabling their participation in society, especially for those experiencing declining cognitive, mental, social and physical capacities (World Health Organization, 2015). However, there is scarce empirical evidence on the built environmental features that constitute supportive neighbourhood environments for persons with dementia.
The Project Objectives are:
1) identify neighbourhood destinations that PLWD visit and changes in the patterns of visits over time;
2) identify neighbourhood built environmental features that affect mobility, engagement and social participation among PLWD;
3) develop an easy-to-use environmental audit and advocacy tool to conduct descriptive and evaluative assessment of the neighbourhood environment supportive of PLWD;
4) develop planning and design guidelines to inform decision-makers, such as municipal policymakers, city planners, urban designers and engineers in the creation of a dementia-inclusive neighbourhood environment;
Research area, student roles & skills
Research area: Environmental Gerontology: physical environment for people with dementia in long-term care facilities, dementia-friendly communities, and community planning and urban design for active aging. The particular project is in the area of Dementia-Friendly Communities (DFC) or dementia-inclusive communities, which aim to enable older adults living with dementia to remain active and independent in their communities. We explore the relationship between neighboyrhood environment and cognitive health of older adults.
Student roles: Conducting literature review, qualitative data analysis, writing draft papers for publications, preparing presentations.
Skills required: Excellent written and verbal skills Experience in writing academic papers Skills in qualitative research methods Background in social sciences/health sciences/planning and design Ability to work effectively with team