Opportunities for Graduate Students

At McGill palynological research is based within the Department of Geography. Most of the physical geographers are members of the Centre for Climate and Global Change Research. This is an multi-disciplinary, multi-university group of faculty, postdocs, and graduate students concerned with the interactive physical, biological, chemical and socio-economic processes that regulate our global environment. The Centre for Climate and Global Change Research, through faculty sponsors, provides support for graduate student and post-doctoral stipends, as well as for travel by students making presentations at professional conferences. Since we are based in Montreal we also benefit from interaction with two other local palynological laboratories: the Laboratoire de palæobiogéographie et de palynologie, at the Université de Montréal directed by Pierre Richard and Anne de Vernal's micropaleontology lab within GÉOTOP at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Most palynological research here at McGill is concerned with coastal systems (nearshore to littoral), which provide relatively high resolution sediment records. Of course, whenever possible our palynomorph studies are complemented by use of other proxy data collected by McGill students or collaborating researchers. Research programs are active in the Bay of Fundy, Mississippi Delta, and Gulf of Mexico where we are using the palynological record to examine the stability of estuarine systems with respect to changing climate and sea level, as well as anthropogenic perturbations which may be expressed as changes in nutrient loadings or sedimentation. To understand these estuarine records it has first been necessary to focus on questions of pollen transport in river and tidal waters. To this end research has been conducted by past post-doc Ian Campbell and M.Sc. student Alexei Smirnov. With their contributions work on river transport is nearly completed. My personal focus is now on the fate of pollen and other palynomorphs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Studies of estuarine stability within the Quaternary can also contribute directly to our basic understanding of the role of estuarine systems in global carbon cycles and global change. Paleoecological and paleoenvironmental research programs are critical in these fields and will be the continuing focus in my lab at McGill.

Students interested in pursuing graduate studies in coastal environments and/or paleoenvironmental research at McGill are encouraged to contact me (at the address below) as funding is expected to be available for the 1995-96 academic year. Our departmental deadline for the 1995-96 academic year is February 1, 1995, so I encourage those interested to write me and request applications forms from our graduate secretary, Ms Maria Marcone (same postal address) as soon as possible.

For more information, please contact: Dr Gail Chmura, Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke St. W, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2K6, Tel: (514) 398-4958, Fax: (514) 398-7437

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Note: This article first appeared in CAP Newsletter 17(2):9-10, 1994.
See also McGill Centre for Climate and Global Change Research