Funded 2 yr MSc at UNBC - Glaciers, Snowpacks, and First Nations water security

(click here for pdf version)

Description: First Nations in British Columbia are faced with the prospect of changing water availability and quality as climate change affects mountain snowpacks and glaciers. We are seeking an enthusiastic, self-motivated, and organized MSc candidate to join a research project led by the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN) and funded by the Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to collect, assess, and analyze geospatial datasets and trends related to the water security of First Nations in BC. The successful candidate will be conduct research under the co-supervision of Dr. Joseph Shea (www.moshlab.org) and Dr. Alex Bevington (https://watershedlab.ca/), and will be expected to initiate and facilitate discussions with BCAFN in this first phase of a broader First Nations water security initiative.

Candidates must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and will ideally have an undergraduate degree in physical geography or earth science, and demonstrated skills in GIS, remote sensing, and coding for geospatial analyses (R or Python). All qualified candidates are invited to apply, but we especially encourage applications from: First Nations, Métis and Inuit people; members of racialized communities; 2SLGBTQ+ persons; and persons with disabilities. The anticipated start date for the position is 1 January 2027.

Application Process: Interested applicants must send a CV with their qualifications and a short cover letter indicating their interest and qualifications for the position to Dr. Joseph Shea (joseph.shea@unbc.ca) by 23 October 2026. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed for the position by 30 October 2026, and the selected candidate will be asked to apply immediately through the Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (NRES) graduate program at UNBC.  

Location: UNBC (Prince George), with potential visits to Williams Lake and other communities in BC

Student Stipend: $17,500/year for two years. Students will be expected to apply for additional funding and scholarships, and will be eligible to apply for Teaching Assistantships to supplement their stipend. Funding for conference and research travel will be available through the co-supervisors.   

About UNBC: One of Canada’s top-ranked small universities, UNBC (www.unbc.ca) offers exceptional interdisciplinary research opportunities. Prince George, located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Lheidlih T’enneh near the center of British Columbia, is a diverse, thriving, and affordable community, with a wide range of outdoor recreation opportunities.

New MOSHLab Member: Ben Legree!

A warm MOSHLab welcome for incoming MA student Ben Legree, who will be looking at climate change impacts on water availability and food security in the Robson Valley (co-supervised with Dr. Tristan Pearce in the Environmental Change Research Group).

Ben earned a Bachelor of Science in Geography and Environmental Studies from the University of Victoria in 2023 where he became interested in the field of human geography and community-based research. Before joining the ECRG lab, Ben worked professionally as an Environmental Consultant based on Vancouver Island where he participated in projects involving environmental monitoring, environmental impact assessment, and remediation for clients which included government, First Nations, and the private sector.

MOSH Lab Media Interviews: Snow Situation in Northeast B.C.

Joe was interviewed about the current snow situation in northeast B.C. by Alyssa Currie from Moose Media on Friday January 23rd:

https://energeticcity.ca/2026/01/23/this-week-in-the-peace-unbc-tsekwa-heritage-society/

Kiskatinaw River, summer 2025 (photo: Matt Preprost, CBC News)


And in case you missed it, Joe spoke with CBC’s Matt Preprost about the Kiskatinaw River water shortages, climate change, and industrial activities in the region:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-drought-industrial-water-rates-9.6955740


Summer Research Assistant - Madison Seely!

We are excited to announce that Madison Seely is joining the MOSH Lab team this summer as an undergraduate research assistant. Madison is going into her fourth year at UNBC. Her work this summer is funded, in part, through an NSESRC Undergraduate Research Award, and she’ll be focusing on collecting extremely high resolution digital elevation models (EHR-DEMs) to study recessional moraines at Robson Glacier in Mt. Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia. She’ll also be helping us out with weather station installations and community meetings in the Robson Valley so we are glad to have her aboard this summer!

Samiullah Sofizada - Best Poster Award at WDCAG 2025!

Many congratulations to Samiullah Sofizada, PhD candidate in the MOSH Lab, and recipient of the Best Poster Award at the recent Western Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers meeting held in Kamloops, BC! Sami’s poster summarized his recent work developing low-cost slope monitoring sensors as part of the Robson Valley community adaptation to changing geohazards and snowpacks project funded by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS).

Sami’s poster can be viewed here: link.

Recent Radio Interviews

Dr. Joseph Shea and Dr. Tristan Pearce (Robson Valley Community Adaptation project) were recent guests of Ian Gregg, News Director for the UNBC Campus Radio Station CFUR (88.7 FM in Prince George, or online at cfur.ca). You can catch their interviews here:

joe: https://www.frequencynews.ca/news/winter-fun-dampened-by-return-of-rain-in-prince-george/

tristan: https://www.frequencynews.ca/news/dr-tristan-pearce-a-unbc-climate-change-researcher-reappointed-as-tier-2-canada-research-chair/

And Mackenzie Ostberg, who is completing her MA on water scarcity in the Robson Valley, was also interviewed - we will post the link as soon as its available!