Senior Forest Resource Analyst

This position is a part of the Association of the Academic Staff of the University of Alberta (AASUA).

In accordance with the Trust/Research Academic Staff Agreement , this position offers a comprehensive benefits package found on our Benefits Overview page and annual salary range of $76,135 – $104,709. This position has an initial appointment of 1 year with a possibility of extension.

Location – This role is in person at North Campus Edmonton.

Working for the University of Alberta

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages and cultures of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

The University of Alberta is teeming with change makers, community builders, and world shapers who lead with purpose each and every day. We are home to more than 40,000 students in 200+ undergraduate and 500+ graduate programs, over 13,000 faculty and staff, 260,000 alumni worldwide and have been recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for over a decade.

Your work will have a meaningful influence on a fascinating cross section of people—from our students and stakeholders, to our renowned researchers and innovators who are quite literally curing diseases, making discoveries and generating solutions that make the world healthier, safer, stronger, and more just.

Working for the Renewable Resources Department

The Renewable Resources Department is the home of forestry and forest science scholarship of Canada’s western boreal and Rocky Mountain forests. The department’s undergraduate and professional masters programs in forestry are nationally accredited and graduate student research and faculty scholarship is world-class. Faculty, students, and research associates in the Department benefit from collaborative relationships with provincial and federal government agencies and Alberta’s forest industry. We are the campus leader in addressing complex and intersecting environmental and management issues centred in forested ecosystems.  

Position 

Forecasting tree and stand development and response to disturbance is essential for sustainability. This is especially true in a time of change in climate, increasing impacts of pests and fire, shifts in social expectations of management, and with rapid increase in available data and advanced technologies. The Senior Forest Resource Analyst is a lead member of the team of applied forest science specialists in the Growth & Yield Lab, working to discover, quantify, describe, and explain forest dynamics and forecast tree, stand, and forest response to change. The analyst applies knowledge of forestry, technology, and data science in a dynamic combination to address applied problems in the management of working forests. Working closely with the G&Y Chair, the analyst has a leadership role, developing and executing projects that are supported by external partners, including forest industry, government, and consulting firms. The analyst is also responsible for mentoring team members, supervising seasonal interns, and providing analytical and subject matter expertise and perspective to broaden the reach and impact of applied research in the G&Y Lab.    

Duties 

• Project and proposal development and management
• Forest data collection, curation, summary, analysis, visualization
• Synthesis of current knowledge from peer and professional literature
• Assessing and interpreting the significance of results
• Report and paper writing
• Stakeholder engagement and knowledge transfer activities 

Minimum Qualifications

• M.Sc. in forestry, forest science, or related discipline
• Knowledge of forest ecology, silviculture, growth and yield, and forest management principles
• At least 2-4 years of experience, beyond the M.Sc., in project management and data analysis
• Training in applied statistical methods for analysis of forest science data
• Record of publication in the peer-reviewed literature  

Preferred Qualifications

• Registration, or eligibility for registration, with the Alberta Association of Forest Management Professionals
• Experience with field data collection in forested ecosystems
• Strong skills in data science including programming in SAS, R, or Python
• Demonstrated attention to detail and high level of accuracy
• Skill in application of geospatial technologies including GNSS and GIS
• Record of preparation and delivery of knowledge transfer (extension) activities
• Full (non-GDL) Class 5 Alberta Driver’s License 

At the University of Alberta, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible hiring process for all candidates. If you require accommodations to participate in the interview process, please let us know at the time of booking your interview and we will make every effort to accommodate your needs.

Note: Online applications are accepted until midnight Mountain Standard Time of the closing date.