Research Assistant (HydroLim)

International Institute for Sustainable Development; Northwestern Ontario; On-site; CAD 30,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading environmental research institute is seeking a motivated Research Assistant (Hydrology and Limnology) for the 2025 field season in Northwestern Ontario. Responsibilities include collecting data from lakes and watersheds, operating various field vehicles and watercraft, and assisting with research operations. Candidates should be enrolled in a relevant program and be prepared for manual labour and living remotely for several months. Competitive compensation provided.

Benefits

On-site living accommodations

Food provided

Team environment with other researchers

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in or recently completed a relevant program.
• Ability to perform fieldwork involving lifting heavy objects (up to 25 kg).
• Willing to live in a remote location for 4-6 months.

Responsibilities

• Operate field vehicles on various terrains.
• Collect and analyze samples for hydrological parameters.
• Download data from logging devices.

Skills

Fieldwork

Data collection

Teamwork

Manual labour

Education

Relevant college or university program

Tools

Watercraft operation

Meteorological instruments

Job description

IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA) is the world’s freshwater laboratory. A series of 58 lakes and their watersheds in northwestern Ontario, Canada, IISD-ELA is the only place in the world where scientists can research on and manipulate real lakes to build a more accurate and complete picture of what human activity is doing to freshwater lakes. The findings from over 50 years of ground‑breaking research have rewritten environmental policy around the world—from mitigating algal blooms to reducing how much mercury gets into our waterways—and aim to keep fresh water clean around the world for generations to come.

IISD-ELA is operated by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)—an independent think tank headquartered in Winnipeg situated on Treaty 1 Territory—the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), Ininiw (Cree), Anisininew (Ojibwe Cree), Dene, and Dakota Nations, and the homeland of the Red River Métis Nation. The IISD-ELA field station is situated on the traditional land of the Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty 3 Territory and the homeland of the Métis Nation.

About The Position

We are seeking a motivated Research Assistant (Hydrology and Limnology) who will spend the 2026 field season at the IISD-ELA research facility to assist with field‑based sample and data collection from the watersheds and lakes of IISD-ELA. The successful candidate will be involved in data collection for whole‑ecosystem experiments and a long‑term ecological monitoring program. The Hydrology/Limnology/Meteorology (HydroLiM) program is responsible for collecting hydrometric data as well as water quality and biota samples from numerous research and long‑term monitoring lakes and streams at IISD-ELA. The HydroLiM program is also responsible for collecting meteorological data at the research facility. The research assistant will work with other technical staff at IISD-ELA to ensure that research and facility operations are conducted and completed daily. The incumbent may also assist with data analysis and data entry.

Responsibilities

• Operating various field vehicles (all‑terrain vehicles, trucks, vans) on highways and gravel roads.
• Using a variety of watercraft, including boats with outboard motors and canoes.
• Collecting samples and data for a variety of limnological and hydrological parameters (physical, chemical).
• Collecting samples and performing daily checks at the meteorological station.
• Constructing / installing / maintaining field equipment as needed.
• Downloading data from various data‑logging devices.
• Completing detailed and accurate field notes.
• Entering data into databases/software (including Google Forms, Survey123).
• May be occasionally required to assist other field crews (fish, zooplankton, autotrophic ecology).
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in or recent completion of (December 2025 – April 2026) a college or university program relevant to freshwater research or equivalent of such a degree.
• Keen and hard‑working.
• Ability to do fieldwork involving manual labour, such as hiking and lifting heavy objects (up to 25 kg).
• Willing to work long hours in diverse conditions (e.g., hot, cold, rain, snow, buggy).
• Ability to work safely in a remote field environment that requires flexibility and teamwork.
• Willing to live in a remote location for up to 4–6 months (alternating weekends excluded).
• Willing to live in shared accommodations.
• Candidates must possess or be willing to obtain valid certifications for the following prior to the start of their term:
  • First Aid/CPR with AED
  • Pleasure Craft Operator’s card
  • Driver’s licence
• IISD-ELA will require the completion of a criminal record check and vulnerable sector verification.

Asset Skills

• Work experience in environmental sciences or hydrology.
• Experience with meteorological instruments or meteorological data.
• Experience operating small vessels with outboard motors and all‑terrain vehicles.
• Knowledge of field sampling/water quality sampling.
• Organizational skills.
• Ability to speak French and/or Ojibwe.

Work Conditions

The IISD-ELA research site is located remotely in northwestern Ontario, off the Trans‑Canada Highway 17, at the end of a 30 km gravel road (maintained, with restricted access). Transportation to and from the field station to Kenora and Winnipeg will be available on weekends. The IISD-ELA provides on‑site living accommodations and food. Accommodations include a shared bedroom, gender‑inclusive showers and toilets, and common lounge areas. Bed linens and laundry facilities are provided on‑site.

There will be ~60 students, staff, and researchers living and working at the IISD-ELA research station over the course of the field season, with our Education & Relations team supporting additional day tours and overnight field trips/courses, along with our Communications team arranging media presence (i.e., photographers, videographers, and journalists) at the site. Currently under construction is our Centre for Climate and Lake Learning, which also involves numerous building professionals, materials, and equipment coming to and working on the site.

More information about the IISD Experimental Lakes Area organization and our research facility can be found at https://www.iisd.org/ela/.

Term: The contract is for a full‑time position from May to August or May to November, 2025.

Compensation: CAD $726.06 to $1,119.75 per week, depending on experience and education.

Employment Type: Existing position (recurring seasonal role).

Application Procedure

All submissions must be in English. Accommodations for job applicants with disabilities are available on request.

Candidates must hold appropriate work authorization for Canada.

Applications will only be accepted through Bamboo HR.

Please include the following:

• A CV (required; no longer than two pages)
• A cover letter (required; one page)
• IISD Voluntary Self‑Identification Questionnaire (optional)

Resumes will be kept on file for one year.

IISD is committed to fostering a more equitable and sustainable world and welcomes candidates who uphold our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition, to correct the conditions of social injustice and disadvantage in employment around the world, we encourage candidates from historically marginalized groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and those who identify themselves as 2SLGBTQIA+, to apply for this position. Preference will be given to the equity‑deserving groups during the hiring process. We offer reasonable accommodations in our recruitment process and seek applicants' advice on how best to accommodate their needs. Please self‑identify and answer our employment equity questionnaire when you apply.