Professor Pascal Audet installing research equipment on a land.

Graduate Studies in Earth and Environmental Sciences

Drive solutions for a changing planet

Conduct innovative, field-grounded and data-driven research in Earth and Environmental Sciences in the heart of Ottawa — Canada’s leading technology hub. Work alongside internationally recognized researchers, access advanced laboratories and field sites, and collaborate across disciplines to tackle real-world environmental challenges. Graduate with the expertise, professional network, and experience to lead in government, industry, consulting, and research — in Canada and around the world.

Student on a field trip
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Earth and Environmental Sciences at uOttawa

Conduct leading-edge research

Students pursue their research with the support of award-winning supervisors. The team includes cross-appointed faculty members and adjunct professors from other Departments in the faculties of Science, Engineering and Medicine, and from National Resources Canada and Health Canada.

As a joint graduate institute, the Ottawa-Carleton Geoscience Centre offers advanced courses from both uOttawa and Carleton University. Students can conduct research in the following areas:

  • Environmental Geosciences
  • Sedimentary Systems
  • Earth Materials and Geodynamics

Access state-of-the-art laboratories

  • André E. Lalonde AMS Laboratory
  • Electron Microprobe/SEM Laboratory
  • Experimental Sedimentology Laboratory
  • Geochemistry Laboratories
  • Ján Veizer Stable Isotope Laboratory
  • Laser Ablation Laboratory
  • Optical Microscopy Laboratory
  • Rock Preparation Laboratory
  • Submarine Mineral Deposit Laboratory
  • X-Ray Laboratory

Explore Earth’s natural laboratories with field courses in Hawaii, Greece, Death Valley, Bahamas, Iceland, Scotland, Lesser Antilles, Abitibi region and Canadian Maritime provinces.

Research Themes

State-of-the-art laboratory facilities support research in a broad range of disciplines, including: hydrology, hydrogeology, hydrochemistry, geomicrobiology, environmental health, biogeochemical cycles, isotope tracing and provenance studies, waste management, paleoclimate reconstruction, and the development and application of new geochemical and isotope techniques. Many MSc and PhD projects in these research areas include both a field and laboratory component.

Programs

Master's

Doctorate

Short course

Geothermal spring on sandy terrain near fir forest on sunny day

GEO5306 Geochemistry of Hydrothermal Ore Deposits Short Course

This is an intensive 8-day graduate course (3 un.) on the geochemistry of hydrothermal ore deposits, focusing on the fundamentals of mineral-chemical systems, ore element geochemistry, alteration mineral assemblages, and water-rock interactions in a variety of ore deposit types. Concepts that are critical to understanding ore formation will be studied, including mineral stabilities and controls on metal solubility in hydrothermal systems. Case studies of different ore deposit types will be covered, including magmatic-hydrothermal, sedimentary and seawater-dominated systems. Practical aspects will include a guide to ore element behaviour; analyzing rocks, minerals and fluids in hydrothermal systems; and processes of hydrothermal alteration and their application in mineral exploration.

Find your research mentor

Professor and student on a field trip.

Finding a thesis supervisor

Get practical advice to identify and connect with a thesis supervisor.

Professor Danielle Fortin doing an experiment in a lab.

Professor Directory

Explore the faculty and their research areas.

Graduate research experience

Taylor Tracey Kyryliuk with research equipment on a vessel.

Exploring the Earth’s Hidden Depths through participation in a NSERC-CREATE pro…

PhD student Taylor Tracey Kyryliuk explores Earth's depths through NSERC CREATE, gaining hands-on field skills and global research experience.
Scientifict equipment at the top of a snowy mountain.

From Tehran to Greenland: How one scientist’s journey could help predict sea le…

PhD student Parviz Ajourlou studies Greenland ice to improve sea-level predictions, gaining hands-on field experience and global research exposure.
Victor Garcia on a field trip.

Rock-solid research: A quest to uncover Earth’s early history

PhD student Victor Garcia uses ancient rocks to uncover Earth’s earliest history, advancing geoscience and building expertise for a research career.

Contact us

Graduate Studies Office

30 Marie-Curie, Ottawa ON
Canada, K1N 6N5
Book an appointment online
E-mail: [email protected]

Director of Graduate Programs

Pascal Audet
E-mail : [email protected]