Centre for Hydrology

Global Water Futures Observatories (GWFO) is a national freshwater research facility led by the University of Saskatchewan and supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Through a Canada-wide network of observation sites, field equipment, and laboratories, GWFO advances research on water, climate, ecosystems, and environmental change to help safeguard Canada’s water resources.

Primary Purpose: To support hydrological monitoring and research activities within GWFO, focusing on fieldwork, data management, equipment maintenance, and training.

Nature of Work: Reporting to the Director of GWFO, this position supports hydrological monitoring and research activities at mountain observatory sites across the Canadian Rockies. Based in Canmore, the incumbent works independently and as part of a team of technicians conducting field measurements, maintaining scientific equipment, and managing environmental data. The role requires frequent travel to remote and mountainous field locations, often in challenging weather and terrain, and involves operating specialized vehicles and equipment. Sound judgment, problem-solving skills, and adherence to safety protocols are essential, as work is performed with limited supervision in remote environments. The position involves seasonal variations in workload, physical demands including hiking, lifting, and working at heights, and occasional overnight travel. The incumbent is expected to coordinate field activities, support training and safety initiatives, and contribute to the successful operation of long-term hydrological monitoring programs.

Typical Duties or Accountabilities:

• Conduct and organize hydrometeorological fieldwork.
• Maintain field and lab equipment, vehicles, and data systems.
• Manage scientific data (QA/QC, archiving, graphing).
• Assist with reporting and communication efforts.
• Train staff and students in field techniques and safety.
• Support logistics and safety in remote mountain environments.

Education: BSc or higher in physical environmental sciences or engineering. Specialization in hydrology or related sciences.

Experience:

• Hydrometeorological fieldwork and data retrieval.
• QA/QC of environmental data.
• Programming and data management.
• Operating ATVs, snowmobiles, and 4×4 vehicles.
• Working on tall meteorological towers.
• Glacier travel, backcountry skiing, and wilderness safety.

Skills:

• Independent and team-based fieldwork organization.
• Supervising staff and students.
• Equipment maintenance (sensors, vehicles).
• Data management on Windows systems.
• Programming dataloggers (e.g., Campbell Scientific).
• Safe travel in mountainous and avalanche-prone areas.
• Effective communication with research teams.

Personal Suitability:

• Reliable, physically fit, and safety-conscious.
• Strong interpersonal skills and judgment.
• Initiative and problem-solving in field conditions.

Conditions of Work:

• Valid full driver’s license.
• First Aid and CPR certification.
• Comfortable with remote wilderness work.
• Mountaineering and tower climbing experience preferred.

How to Apply
Inquiries regarding this position can be directed to Joni Onclin at joni.onclin@usask.ca. 

Apply Now ⨠

Internal applicants: Apply here ⨠

Department: Geography and Planning
Status: Term 3 years with the possibility of extension
Employment Group: Research Positions – Non-union
Full Time Equivalent (FTE): 1.0
Salary: The starting salary will be commensurate with education and experience.
Salary Phase/Band: Salary Band 7
Posted Date: 9/2/2026
Closing Date: 9/29/2026
Number of Openings: 1

The University of Saskatchewan aspires to be what the world needs and embraces equity, diversity and inclusion as foundational to excellence and innovation. We actively seek to create a welcoming environment where all individuals feel empowered to thrive, contribute, and grow. Applications from equity-deserving groups are encouraged as part of our ongoing efforts to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve: EDI Framework for Action.
We continue to grow our partnerships with Indigenous communities across the province, nationally, and internationally and value the unique perspective that Indigenous employees provide to strengthen these relationships. Verification of Indigenous Membership/Citizenship at the University of Saskatchewan is led and determined by the deybwewin | taapwaywin | tapwewin: Indigenous Truth policy and the Standing Committee in accordance with the processes developed to enact the policy. Successful candidates that assert Indigenous membership/citizenship will be asked to complete the verification process of Indigenous membership/citizenship with documentation.
The University of Saskatchewan provides an accessible and inclusive workplace. Should you require support through any stage of the recruitment process, please contact us for assistance.

Centre for Hydrology

Primary Purpose: Applicants are invited for the position of Post-Doctoral Fellow to undertake research to apply a new land surface hydrological model in the Canadian Rockies and evaluate its representation of snow and glacier physical processes and ability to predict cold regions hydrology. The researcher will use the observations from the Canadian Rockies Hydrological Observatory of Global Water Futures Observatories and remote sensing products to evaluate model performance and diagnose deficiencies.  Comparisons to model predictions using the Cold Regions Hydrological Model, Canadian Hydrological Model and MESH model will be made. Model diagnostics will be used to identify hydrological change and cryospheric tipping points in headwater river basins of the Canadian Rockies.  This research is part of the MountAInWater Project of the Virtual Institute for Earth’s Water.

Nature of Work: The successful candidate will conduct research under the direction of Distinguished Professor John Pomeroy in the USask Centre for Hydrology’s Coldwater Laboratory in Canmore, Alberta as a contribution to of the MountAInWater Project of the Virtual Institute for Earth’s Water – a program funded by Schmidt Sciences that is headquartered at ISTA in Austria.  The candidate will evaluate and apply the Thethys-Chloris land surface hydrology-cryosphere model and evaluate its process representation against field and remote sensing observations in the Canadian Rockies, compare its simulations to Canadian models such as CRHM, CHM and MESH and diagnose model improvements and tipping points in cryospheric-hydrological system behaviour in the region.  There will be opportunities to participate in fieldwork in the Canadian Rockies Hydrological Observatory at its 40 sites in Banff and Jasper National Parks and Kananaskis Country parks.  This is the most intensely monitored mountain environment in Canada including research basins on glaciers, tundra, forests and wetlands.

The Centre for Hydrology is the premier research group for cold regions hydrology in Canada and is known around the world for advances in snow, glacier and frozen ground hydrology and modelling www.usask.ca/hydrology.  The work will be based out of its Coldwater Laboratory in Canmore, Alberta.  The Coldwater Lab has scientists, technicians, students and professors devoted to better measuring, predicting and understanding mountain cryospheric hydrology. It contributes to the USask Global Institute for Water Security, the top ranked water resources research institute in Canada, and contributes to the World Climate Research Programme’s GEWEX and the UN’s Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences.

Accountabilities:

• The PDF will report directly to Prof. John Pomeroy.
• Work with minimal supervision, multi-task, and prioritize workload.
• Conduct studies that advance the science and practice of hydrological-cryospheric modeling.
• Prepare drafts of papers and reports as necessary.
• Mentor graduate students and junior colleagues as necessary.
• Establish and maintain effective, productive relationships with staff, peers, immediate supervisor and senior management and with the campus community.
• Manage own time effectively and ensure the managers are kept informed of activities, and progress of work.
• Provide technical support for other team members through technical advice.
• Recommend changes to processes or procedures.
• Must be open to learning and development and be willing to accept new challenges and assignments.

Education: The successful candidate will have completed a PhD in a relevant discipline such as hydrology, water resources, civil or agricultural engineering, environmental earth science, physical geography or atmospheric science, within the last 5 years.

Experience: The PDF will have knowledge either in hydrology, water resources engineering, physical geography, environmental earth science, computer science, data science, atmospheric physics, or a related discipline. Experience in cold regions hydrology or water resources engineering and computational methods is essential.

Skills:

• In-depth knowledge of hydrological and water resources principles and modelling in cold regions.
• Experience handling large and heterogeneous geophysical datasets including research basin observations and field data collection.
• Strong competence in data preparation/analysis/visualization with Python, R, or a similar scripting and visualization language.
• Experience with high performance computing.
• Strong competence in programming with C/C++ or Fortran for model development & debugging.
• Competence in software engineering best practices such as unit testing, use of modern version control systems, such as git, use of profilers / debuggers, software development etc.
• Experience and dedication to open science.
• Ability to conduct fieldwork and collect hydrological observations in cold remote environments.
• Ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and effectively in both spoken and written English.
• Sharp analytical abilities and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated leadership abilities and record of positive contributions in a team environment.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision, multi-task, and prioritize workload.
• Interest in mentoring junior team members.
• Interest in science communication (e.g., blog posts, social media, and media interviews).

How to Apply
Interested applicants must include the following in their application: cover letter, curriculum vitae, 3 references and at least one publication from their previous research work showcasing their skills relevant to this posting. Enquiries regarding this position can be directed to joni.onclin@usask.ca.

Apply Now ⨠

Internal applicants: Apply here ⨠

Department: Geography and Planning
Supervisor Job Title: Principal Investigator
Status: Term
Employment Group: Postdoctoral Fellows – PSAC
Full Time Equivalent (FTE): 1.0
Salary Information: The starting salary will be commensurate with education and experience.
Posted Date: 9/2/2026
Closing Date: Open until filled
Number of Openings: 1
Work Location: USask Coldwater Laboratory, Canmore, Alberta

The University of Saskatchewan aspires to be what the world needs and embraces equity, diversity and inclusion as foundational to excellence and innovation. We actively seek to create a welcoming environment where all individuals feel empowered to thrive, contribute, and grow. Applications from equity-deserving groups are encouraged as part of our ongoing efforts to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve: EDI Framework for Action.
We continue to grow our partnerships with Indigenous communities across the province, nationally, and internationally and value the unique perspective that Indigenous employees provide to strengthen these relationships. Verification of Indigenous Membership/Citizenship at the University of Saskatchewan is led and determined by the deybwewin | taapwaywin | tapwewin: Indigenous Truth policy and the Standing Committee in accordance with the processes developed to enact the policy. Successful candidates that assert Indigenous membership/citizenship will be asked to complete the verification process of Indigenous membership/citizenship with documentation.
The University of Saskatchewan provides an accessible and inclusive workplace. Should you require support through any stage of the recruitment process, please contact us for assistance.