Concordia is an english-speaking University in the vibrant and diverse city of Montreal. Our lab is based in the Department of Biologyon Loyola Campus - a beautiful green campus in the western part of the city, but within reach of downtown. Students here have numerous opportunities to learn and collaborate outside the lab, especially given the presence of 4 universities in the City of Montreal, as well as affiliations with the Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science and Concordia's new hub for Smart, Sustainable, and Resilient Cities and Communities.
I have diverse interests in the fields of landscape ecology, ecosystem services, sustainability, and biodiversity science, and am always happy to discuss opportunities with creative, enthusiastic, and motivated undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate research projects can be developed with close ties to ongoing research in the lab, or based on particular student interests if applicable to our work and expertise. Research in our lab typically combines field work with laboratory and/or computer analysis, with most data collection occurring in the summer in urban or peri-urban areas. Please take a look through the Research and Publications pages to get an idea of our recent and on-going projects. Interested students are encouraged to contact Dr. Carly Ziter directly (carly.ziter@concordia.ca) to discuss available projects, funding opportunities, or specific research ideas they may have. Please include your CV, (unofficial) transcript, and a description of why you want to join the lab.
Opportunities
Graduate Students While the lab sometimes has funding for new graduate students (see current opportunities, bottom of page), eligible candidates are also encouraged to apply for independent research funding (e.g. through NSERC, FRQNT). Carly is happy to help you work through these applications (but be aware that deadlines are often far in advance of admission!). Concordia also offers fellowships for very strong applicants (considered at time of application). You can read more about the Biology graduate program here. Please note that it is rare that I can support international students (and particularly international MSc applicants) due to funding structures.
Postdocs We currently do not have funding for postdocs, but there are provincial (FRQNT), and national (NSERC) funding opportunities for Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Additional funding opportunities for postdoctoral work in Canada include Liber Ero, and Mitacs. Please contact Carly if you are interested in working on an application together.
Undergraduate Students We often hire undergraduates for summer research, and encourage students to apply for summer research funding through Concordia's Undergraduate Research Opportunities. The best time to contact Carly about summer research is during the Winter semester. Students can also obtain up to 6 credits for independent research done in the lab if you quality and sign up for Concordia's BSc Honours' program. Please contact Ian Ferguson for more information regarding undergraduate research in ecology.
Current Undergraduate Opportunities
Note that we have currently filled all available BIOL490 slots for the 2020/2021 academic year. Please watch this space for any future Fall/Winter research opportunities in the lab.
We have TWO opportunities for Summer 2021 through MITACS Globalinks Internships, which are paid 12 week internships for students from Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Hone Kong, India, Mexico, Taiwan, Tunisia, Ukraine, UK, or US (pending open borders).
Project ID 24086: Assessing biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by urban greening initiatives (focusing on Montreal's Ruelle Vert, or Green Alley, system)
Project ID 24069 Urban forest biodiversity and ecosystem service provision on private land (continuing our field and community science surveys of urban trees on private land)
We have currently filled all open graduate positions for the 2020/2021 academic year. If you are interested in graduate positions beginning May or September 2021, please see the above and below information re: graduate admission, and contact Carly to discuss opportunities, we will likely accept 1-2 MSc or PhD students to the lab for the 2021/2022 academic year.
A general note for applicants:
If you are applying for a specific, advertised graduate or postdoc position, please refer to that position's advertisement for guidance (and mention the opportunity you are applying to in your email). However, if you are applying to the lab generally, read on...
Rather than proposing a specific project, I prefer to work closely with students to develop a project idea they are excited about. Particular project directions may include (but are not limited to):
Characterizing relationships among biodiversity and multiple ES provided by green infrastructure. eg:
Does a variety of urban green space types improve landscape multifunctionality?
Which aspects of biodiversity are most strongly correlated with urban ES?
The role of urban landscape structure in moderating biodiversity and ES provision. eg:
Does configuration of urban green space - especially land sharing vs. sparing approaches to development - drive spatial tradeoffs among biodiversity and ES?
Can we leverage private management to scale up biodiversity and/or ES provision in a high-density city?
Ecosystem services (and particularly climate adaptation) provided by the urban forest. eg:
How will interacting drivers (impervious surfaces, tree canopy, weather conditions) affect urban temperatures in a future warmer climate?
How will direct and indirect changes in biodiversity alter forest-based ecosystem services?
Note: The lab currently has particular expertise in tree/plant biodiversity, and climate and regulating ecosystem services (e.g. those related to soil properties and nutrients, carbon storage, temperature regulation). Studying additional services/taxa may be an option depending on the interests and expertise of the applicant, and funding sources available. Co-supervision is also an option.
Please note that we do not generally study urban agriculture or food systems, specifically, in the lab.