Master's research position : Impact of underground abandoned mines on native microbial communities and in surface aquatic habitats
A master's-level research project is available at the Department of Biological Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), to study the microbial ecology of flooded underground mines in Quebec and Ontario. When mines are closed, they are flooded with groundwater. In addition to releasing many trace metals into the soil while they are in operation, when the mine stops its activity and the groundwater rises from the bottom, it carries with it all the waste – including trace metals – resulting from mining. This creates aquatic environments with unique environmental characteristics.