Reference number
AGR26J-170898-000023
Selection process number
26-AGR-MBSK-EA-STB-67568
Location
Brandon (Manitoba)
Employment tenure
Indeterminate
Salary
$71,741 to $90,184 - Salary under review
Level
EG-04
Who can
Persons residing in Canada, and Canadian citizens and Permanent residents abroad.
Organization information
For further information on the organization, please visit Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
About the position
Conditions of employment
You need (essential for the job)
Language requirements (essential for the job)
You may need (asset qualifications)
Our commitment
Equity, diversity and inclusion
Preference
How to
Additional links
Hiring organization contact
Duties
The Research Assistant will perform technical duties that require specialized skills, knowledge, judgment, and experience, including:
- Establishing, maintaining, and monitoring field, greenhouse, and growth‑room/chamber plant stress physiology experiments.
- Collecting physiological, phenotypic, and agronomic measurements using specialized plant physiology and phenomics instruments (e.g., gas exchange systems, chlorophyll fluorescence, soil moisture and temperature probes, and digital phenotyping tools).
- Conducting sample processing, laboratory analyses, and data quality control.
- Prepare, review and send reports of laboratory, field and/or greenhouse generated data using spreadsheets and specialized software for data manipulation and calculations.
- Supervise and assign duties on a daily basis to staff, undergraduate and graduate students.
- Maintaining, calibrating, troubleshooting, and repairing research equipment and sensors on your own and using manufacturer’s technical resources.
- Assisting with UAV‑based sensors data collection and phenomics workflows.
- Coordinating seasonal field operations, logistics, and procurement.
- Contributing to the development of SOPs, safety documentation, and experimental protocols.
- Participating in knowledge transfer activities.
Intent of the process
Immediate need: 1 full time permanent (indeterminate) position.
A pool of qualified and/or partially qualified candidates may be established and used to fill similar positions on a temporary or permanent basis.
In the event that an employee of the public service is qualified through this process, and there is a temporary need, they may be considered for acting, deployment, assignment or secondment opportunities.
Positions to be filled
1
Important messages
As one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is proud to celebrate our achievement in creating a diverse, respectful, and positive workplace where all employees are valued and recognized for their unique qualities, ideas, voices and perspectives. We are dedicated to building and promoting a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce, representative of all Canadians regardless of race, ethnicity, colour, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, socio-economic background or lived experience. By embracing diversity and inclusion, our department ensures broader discussions, better decisions, and a more positive workplace. We also have various employee diversity networks dedicated to ensuring that our department continues to grow as an inclusive employer.
Reliability Status security clearance
Learn more about security screening process.
- Ability and willingness to work in a field, greenhouse, growth chamber, and laboratory environment under varying weather conditions.
- Ability and willingness to work with hazardous materials, chemicals, and reagents using personal protective equipment.
- Ability and willingness to travel locally for field research work, perform physically demanding tasks, including bending, lifting objects up to 15 kg, and walking long distances in field trials.
- Ability and willingness to work overtime during peak periods.
- Ability and willingness to control known allergies through the use of personal protective equipment and/or medication and this must not impinge upon the duties to be performed.
- Possession of a valid, class 5 Manitoba driver’s license, or other provincial/territorial equivalency.
- With appropriate safety precautions in place, ability and willingness to work in laboratory environments for extended periods at a time.
Your application must clearly explain how you meet the following
Education:
- B.Sc. degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in a field of natural science with specialization related to the duties of the position, such as, but not limited to: Plant Biology, Plant Physiology, Crop Physiology, Agronomy, OR an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.
If you were educated outside of Canada, you must have your certificates and/or diplomas assessed against Canadian education standards. Click on the link below to contact the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC).
Learn more about degree equivalency.
Experience:
- Experience providing technical support to scientific research projects as it relates to crop or plant stress physiology focusing on the performance of field crops (e.g., oilseeds, cereals, and pulses) under field and controlled-environment growing conditions.
- Experience with controlled-environment and field-based plant physiology experimentation including experimental setup, in-season physiological, phenotypic, and agronomic measurements, plant and soil sampling, and accurate recording of observations.
- Experience organizing, summarizing, and conducting basic statistical analysis of research data using spreadsheet software for data manipulation (i.e., calculating means, standard deviations, standard errors, and generating graphical outputs) and assist in interpretation of results.
- Experience using, calibrating, maintaining, troubleshooting, and repairing field and controlled-environment scientific instruments, equipment, and sensors commonly employed in plant physiology and phenomics studies.
Applied / assessed at a later date
Knowledge:
- Knowledge of fundamental plant physiology concepts related to growth, development, and environmental stress response mechanisms.
- Knowledge of physiological and phenotypic characterization of aboveground and belowground plant physiological mechanisms and traits associated with abiotic environmental stress tolerance.
Competencies:
- Teamwork
- Planning and Organizing
- Problem Solving
- Attention to Detail
- Concern for Safety
- Interactive Communication
Abilities:
- Ability to adapt scientific experimental methods to varying plant research objectives and environmental conditions.
- Ability to assist in the preparation of experimental protocols, reports, posters, fact sheets, and research articles.
Applied / assessed at a later date
English essential - You are entitled to participate in the selection process in the official language of your choice.
Learn more about language requirements.
May be applied / assessed at a later date
Education:
- M.Sc. degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in a field of natural science with specialization related to the duties of the position, such as, but not limited to: Plant Biology, Plant Physiology, Crop Physiology, Agronomy, or a comparable discipline relevant to duties of the position.
Learn more about degree equivalency.
Experience:
- Experience conducting physiological measurements related to abiotic environmental stress in crops (e.g., drought, cold, heat, salinity, nutrient) using plant physiology instruments, tools, and phenomics-based physiological trait characterization.
- Experience working with UAVs or drones and proximal, multispectral and/or hyperspectral sensors in digital phenomics.
Knowledge:
- Knowledge of belowground and aboveground plant physiology concepts and processes and related research tools related to grain yield, grain quality, and overall performance of field crops under abiotic environmental stress conditions.
- Knowledge of instruments and techniques used in plant stress physiology and phenomics studies.
- Supporting employment continuity by prioritizing AAFC employees impacted by workforce adjustment for job opportunities.
We're committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. If you need to be accommodated during any phase of the evaluation process, please contact the hiring organization below to request specialized accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.
Learn more about assessment accommodation.
The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the population it serves. We promote employment equity and encourage you to self-declare if you belong to one of the designated employment equity groups when you .
Learn more about diversity and inclusion in the public service.
Agriculture and Agri-food Canada recognizes that the diversity of its employee population contributes to its strength and integrity. We are committed to achieving employment equity and developing a highly capable workforce that is representative of Canadian Society. We encourage women (especially in non-traditional occupations), Indigenous peoples (Aboriginal peoples), persons with disabilities, and members of visible minority groups to and declare themselves as part of one or more of the Employment Equity groups, as selection may be limited to candidates belonging to one or more of the groups.
Learn more about employment equity.
Preference will be given to veterans first, followed by Canadian citizens and permanent residents, with the exception of jobs located in Nunavut or Yukon. For positions located in Nunavut, qualified Inuit enrolled under the Nunavut Agreement will be appointed first. For positions located in Yukon, qualified Yukon First Nations will be appointed first, followed by qualified Indigenous persons.
Learn more about preference to veterans.
Learn more about ing for Government of Canada jobs.
Information you must provide
- Your résumé
- Contact information for 2 references
We'd like to thank all those who . However, only the people selected for further consideration will be contacted.
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