Join The Lab

Join

Join the Ensminger lab in the Department of Biology at the University of Toronto. Check out this page frequently and find out what we are up to.

I am a Plant Physiologist. Researchers in my lab study plant-environment-interactions. We use different approaches, ranging from experiments in climate controlled growth chambers, greenhouses, experimental plots in the field or natural field sites. We use biophysical methods to assess performance of plants, and molecular biology and next generation sequencing approaches to study transcriptome dynamics in non-model plant species. We also use remote sensing approaches for high-throughput plant phenotyping and studying vegetation dynamics and estimating biomass. I am always looking for students who are passionate about the physiology of plants and the mechanisms by which plants adjust function to changing environmental conditions.

NEW POSITION immediately open (July 2023):

1 Postdoctoral Fellow

Check out the Open Positions sections below for more details

Send your full application package (1 PDF) to ensmingerlab@utoronto.ca

Applications will be accepted immediately, until the positions are filled.

Postdocs

If you are interested to apply to the NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship program or the European Marie-Curie programme (If you are from the EC you can apply for postdoctoral fellowships abroad!) you are welcome to contact Ingo Ensminger. We are looking for people with new perspectives and skills to join our lab for working on the physiology of plants, global change and photosynthesis. You are the right peson if you have a strong background, interest and passion in the areas of molecular physiology of plants, biochemistry of plants, photosynthesis, boreal forests and trees, global change or bioinformatics.

Grad Students

Contact me at any time if you have questions about graduate studies. You should share our interest in the physiology of plants, global change and photosynthesis. Ideally you have some undergraduate research experience in plant physiology. NSERC has a program in place that helps Canadian students getting supplement support from the University of Toronto. See NSERC Graduate Fellowship Programs for more information. If you are a candidate from the US, you might want to check-out the NSF graduate research fellowship program. It covers 3 years of studies in Canada the Fulbright Canada Stem program which covers 1 year. Make sure you check the deadlines early.

Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate students have a range of options to get involved in my lab and our projects. If you see your future in plant sciences, you should consider Bio481 offered by the Department of Biology. Project are usually done during the fall/winter term. For summer students, NSERC offers the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards program and UTM offers the Reseach Opportunity Program (ROP). We also have students involved in our lab through the Work-Study program.

Open Positions

Postdoc position studying forest dynamics and tree resilience to climate change impacts using high resolution drone-based imagery

The FastPheno project is soliciting applications for a postdoctoral position at the University of Toronto.

The individual will be working as part of a larger team including researchers from the University of Toronto, Université Laval, Natural Resources Canada, and the Ministry of Forests, Fauna and Parcs of Quebec. Our team combines the next generation of high-throughput drone-based phenotyping platforms, plant ecophysiological and genomics approaches to better understand forest dynamics and tree resilience to climate change impacts. The successful candidate will be based in Toronto and work in an interdisciplinary team of researchers of the four participating organizations in a highly collaborative environment.

If you have a background or interest in one or several of the following areas, you should send us your application: High resolution image classification, remote sensing of vegetation, data sciences, computer sciences, bioinformatics, statistical modelling, environmental sciences, ecophysiology of plants, and ecology of trees.

Qualifications

The postdoc will take leads in the FastPheno project activities on drone-based collection and processing of hyperspectral and LiDAR data from multiple experimental field sites and forest stands located in Quebec and Southern Ontario. The focus will be on improving our existing data analysis pipeline, including the identification of trees, assessing health and fitness of individual trees, and estimating structural features of vegetation using deep learning approaches. Candidates must hold a PhD in remote sensing, geoinformatics, plant biology, forestry, or a related field. Strong background in image classification, big data analysis and experience with deep learning algorithms is required.

Preferred skills include:

  • Proficiency in optical (hyperspectral and multispectral) and LiDAR remote sensing, photogrammetry.
  • Experience in preprocessing and analysis of VHR optical and LiDAR remote sensing data.
  • Good understanding of object-oriented programming in Python and C++, sell scripting, relational databases.
  • Experience with GDAL Geospatial libraries, QGIS/ArcGIS and GRASS, point cloud processing tools such as LasTools or CloudCompare.
  • Knowledge in cloud computing platforms such as Azure, cluster computing and job schedulers such as SLURM.
  • Experience with retrieval of plant physiological and structural information using hyperspectral or LiDAR information is an advantage.

Postdoctoral candidates must have received their PhD after January 2019. Candidates must have excellent verbal and written communication skills, willingness to work independently and in a collaborative team environment, and a track record of timely completion of projects and publications.

Applications

Potential applicants should send their CV, a list with the names and contact information of 2-3 references and a max. one1 page motivation letter in a single PDF file to ensmingerlab@utoronto.ca. Use the words Application Postdoc High Resolution Imagery in the subject line of your email. The review of applications will commence immediately until the position is filled.

About the position

The ensmingerlab is highly collaborative, multi-disciplinary and inclusive. We affirm diversity, creativity, integrity and ambition. For questions, please email ensmingerlab@utoronto.ca. For further information on the lab or the FastPheno project please visit the lab website https://ensminger.csb.utoronto.ca/ or the FastPheno website https://www.fastpheno.com/.