Job and graduate student opportunities
Many people around the world share our passion for sharks, and we receive many inquiries about job opportunities and possibilities for graduate research. Since we are unable to reply personally to all but the most promising inquiries, please use the guidelines below to decide if further contact with us is warranted.
The Shark Research Laboratory is part of a federal government (DFO) laboratory, and thus must follow government hiring practices. Very few permanent positions have been offered in recent years, and we do not expect that situation to change in the near future. If a position becomes available, notification will be posted here so that candidates may apply through the Public Service Commission. Preference is usually given to Canadian citizens. Regretfully, no permanent positions are currently available.
Some people have expressed an interest in volunteering their time on an unpaid basis in order to gain some hands-on experience with sharks. We neither encourage nor discourage this practice, but will generally accept volunteers only if there is a specific duty requiring attention. The shark derbies are usually the only place where volunteers are used.
We regret that we have no further openings for students (interns, Honours or graduate) in our lab. This page will be updated immediately if an opening appears, but no applications will be considered or retained in the interim.
Careers
We receive many enquiries about careers in marine biology or shark research. What courses do you have to take? How much university does it require? Are jobs hard to find? We'll try to answer some of those questions here.
A career in marine biology can take many forms. It can involve work in a laboratory, collections or studies on or under the ocean, computer analysis, or writing of research proposals and scientific papers. Most jobs involve several of the above, and some do all four. Most people are interested in the outdoors aspect of marine biology, so it's important to realize that the outdoor component of a marine biology job is usually a small part of the job. It is unrealistic to expect that you'll spend most of your time cruising the ocean, scuba diving to collect samples, or going out to sea to put satellite tags on sharks. On the other hand, when it does happen, it's very exciting.
A marine biologist can work at one of three different levels: a technician, a biologist or a scientist (they may be called differently). A technician works under the supervision of a biologist or scientist. Examples of the tasks they perform might include analyzing samples in the laboratory, examining samples under the microscope, or collecting plankton samples from a boat. A biologist's job usually has a broader range, and may include the same chores as a technician, but also writing grant proposals, analyzing data and writing reports. The role of the scientist is that of the leader of the research. A scientist will determine what research needs to be done, how it will be done, and then analyze and write up the study for scientific publication at the end. They may or may not take part in the actual conduct of the research, depending on their interest.
All marine biologist or shark research positions require a university degree. A technician usually requires a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree (3-4 years of university), a biologist requires a Master of Science (MSc) degree (BSc plus 2-3 years), and a scientist requires a doctorate (PhD) (BSc plus MSc plus 4-5 years). This sounds like a lot of university, and it is, but most of the time spent at the university after getting a BSc is spent doing research, not courses. After all, a MSc and PhD are being trained to do scientific research. The courses you need to get into university to do a BSc can be obtained from a high school counsellor, and will include some math and science.. The university courses that tend to be most valuable to a marine biologist or shark scientist include math, statistics, biology, chemistry and oceanography. Writing is an important component of a job in science, so good writing skills are always an asset.
Shark research jobs require much the same training as other marine biologist positions. They merely specialize more in fish and sharks at the MSc and PhD level.
Do you need to be an Einstein to be a marine biologist or scientist?
Answer:
Not at all. In general though, the more advanced the university degree, the more committed that person is to a career in science. These people tend to have above-average grades in the last year of high school and through their first few years of university, but some have merely average grades. In general, if a person has the commitment to become a scientist when they enter university, they have the commitment to take their courses seriously and do their best in them, whatever that is.
Are jobs hard to get?
Answer:
There are not as many jobs available for a marine biologist as there would be for, say, a nurse or an office manager. However, there are jobs out there: in government, at universities, at environmental consulting firms and at companies dealing with the ocean. As is the case with many other fields, the better you are, the more likely you are to be employed. Jobs in marine biology have been harder to find over the past 15 years, but that situation is now changing for the better as the "Baby Boom Generation" retires. So the prospects for new graduates are improving. Nevertheless, keep in mind that a job search in a specialized field such as marine biology will not necessarily be easy.
Scholarships
For those who have reached tentative agreement to do graduate research under Dr. Campana, application should be made to the Biology Dept. of Dalhousie University. Since Dr. Campana is an Adjunct Professor there, his name should be listed as the prospective supervisor on the application.
The Biology Dept. requires that all graduate students receive a yearly stipend of $15,000 ($18,000 for foreign students), either from scholarship or the supervisor. This covers their tuition fees ($7000/year; $13,000 per year for foreign students), plus it gives them a modest living allowance. Self-funding is not permitted by Dalhousie, and we receive too many applications to consider taking on students without full scholarship support. NSERC is the primary source of scholarships for Canadian students with an A average. However, there are sometimes smaller scholarships available to specific groups of students (such as through employers). Some of these are listed on the Dalhousie Faculty of Graduate Studies web site. Others can be found through your undergraduate university. Foreign students generally find their best scholarship opportunities at the Canadian embassy, through their own country's government, or through the European Union (for European students). In general, Dalhousie does not offer scholarships to students other than those who already have NSERC support.
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