event 30 Mar 2021

Postdoctoral position // Water-Energy-Food-Environment Nexus in Transboundary River Basins

The department of Civil and Water Engineering at Laval University (Quebec-City, Canada) is seeking PhD candidates to join a team of researchers working on the water-food-energy nexus in the Senegal River basin in West Africa. More specifically, selected candidates will investigate relevant nexus issues such as the sequencing new hydropower plants, the impact of altered flow regimes on ethnic conflicts and mass migration, the development of climate-informed water allocation policies throughout the basin. These research activities will be part of a larger project on the water-energy-food-environment nexus in transboundary river basins involving several partners in Europe, Africa and North-America. Working languages will be both French and English.

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position in the project GoNEXUS “Innovative tools and solutions for governing the water-energy-food-ecosystems NEXUS under global change” funded by EU-H2020.

The group at Laval University (Quebec-City, Canada) will:

  1. Coordinate the research activities carried out by the consortium in the Senegal River basin, one of the selected non-European case studies.
  2. Investigate relevant nexus issues: (i) The sequencing of investments in new hydropower plants that contribute to energy security in West Africa without compromising the traditional food production system (fisheries and flood recession agriculture); (ii) The potential impact of a more regulated flow regime, land use change, multi-level droughts and climate change on the livelihoods of riverine communities and on the push factors driving mass migration to urban centers and abroad; (iii) The influence of agriculture and development policies on ethnic conflicts regarding land tenure in the Senegal valley.
  3. Co-develop regional models to analyze the WEFE nexus at the river basin scale, and more specifically to identify trade-offs and synergies between sectors when attempting to achieve water, energy and food security while preserving aquatic and riverine ecosystems.

Interested candidates must hold a PhD in water resources, power system economics, operations research, or a related field. Working languages are both French and English. There will be opportunities to mentor graduate students, to undertake project management, and be involved in a diversity of water resources management projects both in Canada and overseas.

Application

For further information regarding this position or to submit an application, please contact Prof Amaury TILMANT ( amaury.tilmant@gci.ulaval.ca ). In your application email, please include in a single pdf file:

  • Your motivation for the position, research interests and how you see your contribution to this project (max two pages)
  • Curriculum vitae with a list of publications
  • List of graduate courses (MSc & PhD) and the corresponding transcripts
  • Contact information for up to 3 references

Laval U. is committed to the EDI principles (equity – diversity – inclusion). A subset of the candidates will be selected based on the strength of their CV and their fit with the project. They will be invited for an interview and their references will be contacted. The final decision will be determined by the selection committee. The selected candidate can start working on the project as soon as September 2021, or at a later date by mutual agreement depending on the conditions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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