NOW RECRUITING:
Master of Planning Studies Student (thesis-based)
(Project: Sharing our knowledge: Incorporating Indigenous knowledge systems to build governance for climate resiliency)
Climate change is driving significant alterations to water systems and associated habitats that are negatively affecting ecological and human communities all over the world. This research project (Sharing our knowledge: Incorporating Indigenous knowledge systems to build governance for climate resiliency) will facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration between two Atlantic Indigenous peoples (Mi’kmaq in Unama’ki; Atlantic Canada, and Sámi in the Deatnu watershed; Norway and Finland) to build a shared understanding of climate change risk perception based on Indigenous and scientific knowledge systems.
The student who joins our project will help to identify community knowledge needs regarding climate change, and co-develop Indigenous-grounded risk assessment and action frameworks to address the five key risk themes central to this research: i) water security; ii) critical infrastructure and services (drinking water and wastewater assets and services); iii) human health (i.e., health impacts arising from the accessibility and quality of drinking water); iv) food security (i.e., water quality impacts on freshwater/estuarine fisheries); and v) coastal socio-ecological systems (i.e., sea level rise, river and coastal erosion).
The start date is September 1st, 2024. The student will join the CLEAN Lab, and be in the thesis-based Master of Planning Studies (MPS) program at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. The ideal student will have an undergraduate degree and interest related to: sustainability, water quality, environmental science, geography, community development, climate change, and/or Indigenous studies.
Funding will be at least $24,000 per year (scholarships and stipends), for two years. Additional funding will be available for research and conference travel.
To apply, please send a CV, academic transcripts, and a one-page letter of interest, as one PDF document, to chad.walker@dal.ca. Applications due June 20th, 2024. If you have any questions, please reach out to Dr. Chad Walker (chad.walker@dal.ca).