Marine Micro/Nano-plastic Toxicology Research Associate

NRC welcomes all applicants, including people of all races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, national origins, disabilities and including those with diverse households and family commitments. We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. Priority will be given to the following designated employment equity groups: Women, Visible Minorities, Indigenous Peoples, Persons with Handicaps and therefore encourage you to self-declare when you apply.

City: Halifax 

Organizational Unit: Aquatic and Crop Resource Development 

Classification: RO 

Tenure: Term 

Duration: 2 Years 

Language Requirements: English

The NRC Advantage

Great Minds. One Goal. Canada’s Success.

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is the Government of Canada’s largest research organization supporting industrial innovation, the advancement of knowledge and technology development. We collaborate with over 70 colleges, universities and hospitals annually, work with 800 companies on their projects, and provide advice or funding to over 8000 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) each year.

We bring together the brightest minds to deliver tangible impacts on the lives of Canadians and people around the world. And now, we want to partner with you.  Let your expertise and inspirations make an impact by joining the NRC.

At the NRC, we know that diversity enables excellence in research and innovation. We are committed to a diverse and representative workforce, a safe and respectful work environment, and contributing to a more inclusive Canadian innovation system.  We welcome all qualified applicants and encourage you to complete the employment equity self-declaration questions during the job application process.

Please let us know of any accommodation measures required to help you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Please note that the information you provide will be treated confidentially. 

Your Challenge

Help bring research to life and drive your career forward with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Canada’s largest research and technology organization.

We are looking for an early-career Research Associate to support our Aquatic and Crop Resource Development (ACRD) research centre in advancing our understanding of the impact of plastics on marine life. The Marine Micro/Nano-plastic Toxicology Research Associate would be someone who shares our core values of Integrity, Excellence, Respect and Creativity.

The bioaccumulation and fate of micro/nano-plastics and their impact on the marine environment are a growing concern and the Research Associate will join a collaborative project leveraging NRC’s unique capability in zebrafish research to study the uptake, bioaccumulation, toxicity, and tissue distribution of plastic particles in biological systems. 

The Research Associate will work with researchers and technical experts in zebrafish and analytical chemistry to develop models to better and rapidly correlate the physical and chemical properties of plastic particles to biological impacts. This would require the development of protocols and methodologies to extract, isolate and quantify micro/nano-plastics as well as define their chemical structures including size, shape, and chemical composition.

The Research Associate will play an essential role in a team engaged in micro/nano-plastic research and will work closely with partners from other government departments and academic institutions to validate a zebrafish model and apply these findings to the study of environmental samples including fish and marine filter feeders.  

The successful candidate will provide experimental guidance and oversight, as well as efficiently manage assigned resources to meet project milestones. These duties require planning and conducting experimental procedures, overseeing data quality and analysis, preparing research reports and disseminating results in the form of publications.
 

KEY ACTIVITIES
The RA activities in support of the program area objectives may include:

• Develop protocols and methodologies to detect and characterize micro/nano-plastics in Zebrafish and environmental samples (fish and filter feeders).
• Study the fate and accumulation of marine organic pollutants onto micro/nano-plastics and their subsequent effects on zebrafish
• Support the development of zebrafish larvae models to evaluate the toxicity and fate of micro/nano-plastics and associated pollutants.
• Design and conduct innovative experiments, prepare research reports and publications, and work collaboratively with team members and collaborators.

About this project 
Advancing a Circular Plastics Economy for Canada.
Did you know Canadians could ingest several grams of plastic every year? According to the World Economic Forum, plastic could outweigh fish in our oceans and streams by 2050. How does so much plastic get in our ocean. More…

About ACRD

We perform advanced scientific research and provide research services and technology development for the sustainable transformation of Canadian bio-based resources into higher-value products.
More…

Why work with us
We collaborate with industry, academia and government partners to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to transform agricultural and marine bio-resources into food, feed and ingredients, and other high value bio-products. In response to Canada’s Plastics Science Agenda (CaPSA) and the transitioning of Canada’s ocean sectors to a sustainable blue economy, we are also deploying our research capabilities for monitoring Ocean health, while enabling innovation and economic benefits.  

The services we offer include:

• Collaborative research opportunities
• Access to expert researchers and technicians
• Scientific advice and technical services
• Projects tailored to your needs using our specialized facilities
• Research and development support

Screening Criteria

Applicants must demonstrate within the content of their application that they meet the following screening criteria in order to be given further consideration as candidates:

Education

As part of the RA Program you must have received your PhD in Analytical Chemistry, Environmental Science, Marine Biology or a related area within the last five years or you expect to receive the degree within the next six months.

For information on certificates and diplomas issued abroad, please see Degree equivalency

Experience

Condition of Employment

Reliability Status

Language Requirements

English 

Assessment Criteria

Candidates will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

Technical Competencies

Behavioural Competencies

• Research – Communication (Level 3)
• Research – Creative thinking (Level 3)
• Research – Initiative (Level 2)
• Research – Results orientation (Level 2)
• Research – Teamwork (Level 2)

Competency Profile(s)

For this position, the NRC will evaluate candidates using the following competency profile(s): Research

View all competency profiles

Relocation

Relocation assistance will be determined in accordance with the NRC’s directives.

Compensation

The intent of this hiring action is to staff through the Research Associate (RA) Program at the RCO-2/AsRO level, which is an early-career level position with a salary range of $74,230 to $103,093.

NOTE: Salary determination will be based on a review of the candidate’s expertise, outcomes and impacts of their previous work experience relative to the requirements of the level.  As a guide, the current annual PhD recruiting rate is $74,230.

NRC employees enjoy a wide-range of competitive benefits including comprehensive health and dental plans, pension and insurance plans, vacation and other leave entitlements.

Notes

Application Requirements:

In order to be considered for the Research Associate program please include the following in your application. Failure to do so will result in your application being excluded from searches.

• Resume
• Transcript
• Two letters of recommendation

When submitting your application you can include the required documents in any attachment field such as «Second language evaluation results» or «Other attachments».

• Preference will be given to Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada. Please include citizenship information in your application.
• The incumbent must adhere to safe workplace practices at all times.
• We thank all those who apply, however only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Please direct your questions, with the requisition number (17853) to:

E-mail: NRC.NRCHiring-EmbaucheCNRC.CNRC@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

Telephone : 613-299-7051 

Closing Date: 18 October 2022 – 23:59 Eastern Time

For more information on career tools and other resources, check out Career tools and resources

*If you are currently a term or continuing employee at NRC, please apply through the SuccessFactors Careers module from your NRC computer.