Incoming students may work on pre-established research objectives or may develop their own research project ideas that fit within the theme of my funded research work.  Of particular interest are projects that relate to the measurement, modelling and application of urban surface temperatures.  Accepted students receive base funding in the form of Teaching Assistantships from the University and where available, summer research support.  Students are encouraged to apply for external funding (e.g. NSERC scholarships) that can provide additional support.

For details on the application process see the Graduate Program - Application Process Webpage. 

Project:  Surface Urban Heat Island Analysis / Urban Thermal Anisotropy Analysis (PhD, MSc or BSc)

Funding Agency: NSERC

A number of potential projects are available that seek to better understand the surface urban heat island and its relation to urban climate.  Projects range from analysis of existing tower and remotely sensed datasets from aircraft and satellites to those that may involve a substantial modeling component. 

Requirements: Ideal candidates will have a background that includes courses in microclimatology/micrometeorology and/or urban climates.  Depending on the specific project, students may require some experience in: use of spreadsheets to analyze data, use of remote sensing software, programming skills (Fortran), or field data collection (instrumentation/datalogging skills).

Project:  Time series analysis of thermal imagery for urban surface property characterization (MSc). 

Funding Agency: NSERC

Time series of remotely-sensed urban surface temperature, used in conjunction with micrometeorological theory and numerical models may be used to determine various properties of the urban surface.  This project will use existing and possibly new data to explore the application of this technique to urban environments.

Requirements: A BSc or equivalent in Physical Geography, Environmental Science, Engineering or Science with courses in micrometeorology or surface hydrology, a good knowledge of surface-atmospheric exchange processes and theory, and the ability to analyze image and numerical data.

Project: Green Roof Measurements and Modelling

Funding Agency: NSERC Strategic

As part of an NSERC Strategic Research Project, an MSc student is required to perform evaluations of numerical models of urban climate that incorporate green roof simulations and to undertake simulations of how select Canadian cities may be impacted by green roofs.  The project calls for testing of the Town Energy Balance (TEB) model, originally described in Masson (2000) using data collected from project roof test sites.  We will then use the model to represent typical areas of Canadian cities to evaluate the potential impact of green roofs on Canadian urban climates.  Part of this work calls for use of the new Canadian off-line urban modeling tool developed at Environment Canada. 

Requirements: BSc or equivalent from Physical Geography, Environmental Science, Science, or Engineering. Required: familiarity with micrometeorology.  Desired: some experience working with computer models and programming; knowledge of urban climate.

Note: This position may not start until summer 2012.