Description
Geomatics Engineering within the
Schulich School of Engineering invites applications for a
Geospatial Analyst. This Full-time Fixed Term position is for approximately 6 months (based on length of grant funding), with the possibility of extension.
The position reports to the Principal Investigator (PI), and provides skilled computational, geospatial and geophysical data-processing support for a research project on gravity- and magnetic-aided navigation. Work is performed under the PI's general direction using defined project objectives and established geodetic/geophysical processing methods. The incumbent will organize and process large airborne gravity and magnetic datasets, execute numerical processing and simulation workflows, troubleshoot data/software issues, and deliver reproducible processed datasets and technical results according to project milestones.
Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):
- Obtain, organize and catalogue the AER/AGS airborne gravity and magnetic datasets and associated metadata.
- Convert source files as required, verify units and coordinate/reference systems, identify missing or inconsistent records, and perform documented quality-control checks on line and gridded data.
- Execute PI-defined geodetic processing workflows to produce navigation-relevant gravity products. Tasks may include normal-gravity/free-air reduction, terrain-effect processing using digital elevation models, removal/restoration of long-wavelength global-model components, interpolation/gridding, crossover or residual analysis, and preparation of gravity disturbance/anomaly products in standardized formats.
- Analyze the released airborne magnetic data, verify or apply standard reference-field/levelling and coordinate transformations where required by the supplied products, perform quality checks, and generate consistent gridded magnetic-anomaly products suitable for comparison and navigation simulations.
- Bring gravity and magnetic products onto common spatial reference, resolution and file conventions.
- Identify areas of overlapping coverage; compare gravity results with available terrestrial benchmarks and reference models as directed by the PI; calculate summary statistics and uncertainty/quality indicators.
- Adapt and execute PI-provided or open-source computational workflows for synthetic map-matching navigation.
- Generate representative trajectories and sensor/INS error scenarios, and run gravity-only, magnetic-only and combined gravity-magnetic simulations in areas with suitable overlapping coverage using methods such as ICCP and, where applicable, EKF-based estimation.
- Evaluate positioning error and sensitivity to map resolution, sensor noise, trajectory geometry and coverage. Produce quantitative comparison tables, maps and plots for the PI, including comparisons between processed high-resolution reference fields and legacy/reference products where requested.
- Deliver organized processed datasets and grids (for example GeoTIFF, ASCII/CSV and/or Geosoft-compatible formats as appropriate), documented scripts, configuration files, metadata, processing logs and concise technical notes sufficient for the workflows to be reproduced by the research team.
- Provide regular progress updates, flag data or software issues promptly, maintain version-controlled code/data organization where appropriate, and prepare figures, tables and documented findings that may be used in project reports, presentations and research publications.
Qualifications / Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Geomatics Engineering, Geophysics, Geodesy, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related field;
- A diploma in GIS, geomatics, information technology, computer science, or a related technical field, together with at least two years of relevant experience, will be considered.
- Experience with geospatial data processing, scientific programming (e.g., Python or MATLAB), and large spatial datasets is an asset.
- An equivalent combination of education and relevant technical experience will be considered. A graduate degree is an asset but is not required.
- Demonstrated experience with numerical and geospatial data analysis using Python and/or MATLAB, including scripting, data transformation, visualization and quality control.
- Working knowledge of GIS/geospatial software and spatial reference systems. Experience with Geosoft Oasis Montaj, QGIS, GDAL or comparable geoscience/geospatial tools is an asset.
- Knowledge of gravity and/or magnetic data processing, gridding/interpolation, filtering or spectral analysis. Familiarity with physical geodesy procedures such as normal gravity, gravity disturbances/anomalies, terrain effects, remove-compute-restore processing, validation and uncertainty assessment is an asset.
- Familiarity with inertial navigation, map matching, Kalman filtering, ICCP or related navigation-simulation methods is an asset.
- Ability to work with large datasets and maintain organized, reproducible workflows. Experience with Linux, high-performance computing and version-control tools is an asset.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to document technical procedures, communicate results clearly, and work effectively with the PI and research team.
Application Deadline: October 15, 2026
We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.
This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the
Technical Job Family, Phase 2.
For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our
Management and Staff Careers website.
About The University Of Calgary
UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.
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ii' taa'poh'to'p committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.
The university's commitment to the Indigenous Strategy is evident through the oversight of 18 Elders serving on the Circle of Advisors and the many unit-based circles working towards implementation of the strategy including the Faculty Advisory Circle and teams such as the Office of Indigenous Engagement, the Writing Symbols Lodge, and the Indigenous Research Support Team. Many Indigenous-based events and processes are impacting curriculum, programming and polices at the University of Calgary.
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We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada. 