We are pleased to announce the funding of a prestigious and highly competitive NSERC Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program to train students and young scientists in applied geochemistry.
The Multidisciplinary Applied Geochemistry Network (MAGNET) integrates state-of-the-art analytical laboratories and leading geochemistry researchers across Canada, including four UBC faculty members, in collaboration with specialists at McGill University and the universities of Quebec (Montreal and Chicoutimi), Toronto and Ottawa. PCIGR will be the main training hub in western Canada.
The MAGNET program offers high-impact research projects in geochemistry under three themes: “fragile ecosystems,” “windows into the Earth” and “hidden resources.” For example, MAGNET will promote the development of new techniques to: detect, trace, and mitigate contaminants in the environment; document geochemical fluxes and cycles in the world’s oceans; determine the timing and recurrence of major geohazards; identify and quantify components and their distribution in the Earth’s mantle; and improve geochemical indices/vectors in previously under-explored terrains.
This industry stream CREATE initiative provides internships with internationally recognized companies in the analytical, environmental and resource industries: Acme Analytical, Activation Laboratories, ALS Global, Lorax Environmental, Rescan Environmental, Anglo American Exploration, Barrick Gold, and Teck Resources. The program is also supported by Nu Instruments, who is participating in MAGNET as part of their longer-term partnership with PCIGR.
MAGNET trainees will also benefit from participating in conferences, seminars, professional development workshops, summer schools, university exchanges and annual networking events. MAGNET graduates will be uniquely prepared for careers in academia, government, or with analytical laboratories, environmental consulting firms, water resources development firms, mining and mineral exploration companies, where demand for personnel trained in geochemistry is at an all-time high.
Read the UBC Press Release of the announcement.