Assistant Professor (Disturbance Ecology)

The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) invites applications for a tenure-track position in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at the rank of Assistant Professor, with a proposed starting date of July 1, 2024. As an institution committed to the fostering of an inclusive and transformative learning environment, UNBC values high quality and growth in both teaching and scholarship.

The Department is seeking a disturbance ecologist with broad interests in forest ecology and management. Relevant research expertise may be in either abiotic or biotic disturbance agents, but with a focus on forest ecosystems. Research interests could include: wildland fire science, fire ecology, forest insect disturbances, disturbance interactions, forest disturbance mitigation, climate change, silviculture, forest restoration, and related fields that incorporate aspects of how forest ecosystems are impacted and respond to natural or anthropogenic disturbances.

We seek candidates who will develop a vigorous, externally funded long-term research program in one or more aspects of forest disturbance ecology. The successful candidate will have a Ph.D. in disturbance ecology, forest science, wildfire ecology, plant ecology, landscape ecology, ecological restoration, physical geography, environmental science, or with relevant experience in a closely allied field such as physics or engineering.

The successful candidate will teach or co-teach several courses a year; which may include: disturbance ecology; forest disturbance agents; resource inventories and management; natural resource planning; and other courses in support of the B.Sc. in Forest Ecology and Management, other undergraduate degrees, and/or the NRES Graduate Program.

This position provides the opportunity to conduct research and teach in the diverse forest ecosystems that characterizes British Columbia. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty from across the university as well as national and international colleagues, First Nations, government, and the forest industry.

As an institution committed to the fostering of an inclusive and transformative learning environment, UNBC values high quality and growth in both teaching and scholarship. UNBC’s Dept of Ecosystem Science & Management oversees BSc. undergraduate degrees in: Biology; Conservation Science & Practice; Forest Ecology & Management; and Wildlife & Fisheries, and a BA. degree in Nature and Resource-based Management. Faculty supervise graduate students (Masters and Doctoral) within the Natural Resources & Environmental Studies (NRES) Graduate Program. The program resides within the Faculty of Environment, alongside the Department of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences and The School of Planning & Sustainability. UNBC is well equipped with modern research facilities, three field research stations, including two research forests.

Students graduating our degree have diverse knowledge and experience in ecological, operational and social/cultural dimensions of professional forestry and other management-related careers. As such, candidates with relevant professional designations and/or with significant professional experience would be considered an asset.