UBC Masters Research Assistant Position Available: Compost

We have an exciting opportunity to share! Are you or someone you know interested in compost, composting technology and compostable food ware? Do you want to advance material assessments for compostability?

BSI and the University of British Columbia are working together to refine disintegration protocols and quality analysis for compostable food ware and packaging. A position is available for a Masters level graduate research assistant to conduct this project with the Faculty of Land & Food Systems at UBC as the initial seed for a 2 year Master’s program. Details below!

ANTICIPATED START DATE: August 2014
POSITION TYPE: Masters level graduate research assistant
FACULTY: Faculty of Land & Food Systems
GRADUATE PROGRAM: Integrated Studies in Land & Food Systems; Soil Science

The research assistant (RA) will work as part of the Sustainable Agricultural Landscapes Laboratory with an industry partner to develop details for a comprehensive interdisciplinary analysis of compostable packaging, from the establishment of new protocols for the composting industry, to the assessment of the quality of compost products.

The RA will review existing compostable food ware and packaging composting protocols, and survey composting facilities to develop a protocol for various facility types. The RA will then use the protocols to test the disintegration of compostable products from the industry partner at various compost facilities and will conduct a greenhouse study to assess the impact of various compost products on vegetable production. Finally the RA will participate in compost field trials where vegetable yields and nutrient dynamics (e.g. greenhouse gas emission and nitrogen leaching) will be quantified.

For more information and details on how to apply, please see the full description here.