David McCarthy

The University of Guelph’s microSCAPE Lab is recruiting a postdoctoral fellow to join a major program in environmental microbiology and waterborne pathogen surveillance . The project sits within the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Waterborne Pathogens and focuses on urgent challenges at the interface of environmental water systems, infectious disease, and antimicrobial resistance. The fellow will help shape research across several interconnected themes, including pathogen detection and infectivity, microbial source tracking, wastewater-based epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance in environmental systems, and nature-based treatment approaches for pathogen removal. The role is designed for someone who wants to lead original research rather than follow a fixed protocol, with opportunities to develop new directions that have direct practical impact. The appointment is embedded in a highly collaborative environment that links the lab with public health agencies, government partners, municipal partners, and conservation authorities. The team includes graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research staff working across engineering, microbiology, molecular biology, and public health, and the postdoctoral fellow will contribute to this interdisciplinary research culture. Supervision is provided by Prof. David McCarthy , who leads the program and oversees the research environment at Guelph. The position also gives access to a state-of-the-art CL2+ biosafety and molecular laboratory and to an active network of collaborators using the research in practice. The post is closely connected to training and translation: the fellow will mentor graduate students and contribute to a new graduate training program in the environment and antimicrobial resistance space. The overall setting is one of substantial growth at the University of Guelph, with expanding expertise in waterborne disease epidemiology, pathogen sensing, and water treatment for pathogen removal.

The microSCAPE Lab at the University of Guelph is recruiting a Postdoctoral Fellow in Water Sensing to develop and apply expertise in water monitoring technologies across a range of sensing platforms. The research focus is intentionally open, with prior work spanning IoT sensor networks, spectrophotometric systems, hyperspectral imaging, low-cost electrochemical sensors, and passive sampling devices. This position sits within a large, internationally connected water research program focused on translating sensing innovations into real-world use. The fellow will contribute to work that spans urban stormwater and sewer networks, agricultural drainage, recreational water quality, and wastewater surveillance, with an emphasis on building and deploying tools that are adopted in practice. The lab’s technologies have been used in multiple countries and are connected to international research and implementation networks. The successful candidate will join a team of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research staff in a newly fitted sensing laboratory and CL2+ biosafety facility. The role includes independent research leadership, participation in active field deployments with municipal and government partners, mentoring of graduate students, and close interaction with practitioners who use the project outputs. The environment is strongly interdisciplinary and oriented toward open-source and open-hardware development. Supervision will be provided by Prof. David McCarthy in the School of Environmental Sciences. The broader research ecosystem includes national and international collaborations, industry partners, and opportunities for research exchange. The post is designed for a researcher who wants to combine technical depth in sensing with direct impact on how water systems are monitored and managed.

MSc opportunity at the University of Guelph for a student interested in nature-based wastewater treatment , environmental sustainability , water quality , and nature-based solutions . The student will join a multidisciplinary research team and be supervised by Dr. Wenxi Liao and Dr. David McCarthy . Research themes highlighted in the post and supervisor profiles include green infrastructure, stormwater management, environmental monitoring and remediation, pathogen monitoring, and urban water systems. This makes the opportunity especially relevant for students with interests in environmental science, civil/environmental engineering, chemical engineering, and public health-related water research. The post asks for a cover letter , academic CV , full transcripts , and contact information for two references . Applications should be emailed to [email protected] . The position is open until filled , with a preferred start date of May 1, 2026 . No explicit funding, tuition waiver, or scholarship programme is mentioned in the post. For more information, the post links to the supervisors’ academic pages at the University of Guelph. Prospective applicants should review the research interests of both supervisors and contact Dr. Liao directly with the requested materials.