Want to get involved in research?
Dr. Metson is accepting Postdoc applications on an ongoing basis, undergraduate research assistants for Fall 2026, and graduate students for Fall 2027.
When you email, please include:
What aspect of our research you are interested in (try to be specific in your interests so we can find areas of overlap)
A copy of your unofficial academic transcripts
Your CV
A writing sample
For fall 2027, the Department of Geography and Environment at Western has an online application process, but you should get in contact with Dr. Metson before using the portal to apply.
Importantly, there are very few international student spots available, and current Canadian visa quotas and requirements further limit the eligibility of prospective students. International students must apply before January 1st for consideration in the program and must consult Canadian immigration rules to determine eligibility.
Current Openings
Net-Zero phosphorus cities and cross-scale consumer impacts (PhD)
Work leverage existing city climate change/carbon adaptation and mitigation plans towards synergies with phosphorus sustainability via the concept of net-zero phosphorus cities. Tools will include policy review, coupled material flow analyses, as well as environmental footprint analysis. Depending on the student’s interest, a focus on green infrastructure or on consumer behaviors could be taken. Work will focus on a Canadian city, but there is room to expand to an international comparison.
Water and nutrient dynamics in urban agriculture (Western undergraduate)
Join our team to help with Living Lab weekly and storm-event sampling, nutrient concentration lab work, and data management.
Flooding as ‘hot-moments’ of nutrient release from green infrastrucutre (MSc)
Green infrastructure in cities can often reduce flooding risks by slowing down water, but what happens when these spaces do flood? Come investigate (via modeling) how gardens may (or may not) turn from sink to source of phosphorus under flood conditions.
Dr. Metson’s Projects
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Embedding nutrients in urban climate thinking
“Over the next 5 years, my students and I will investigate how urban nutrient flows are affected by climate change and how such nutrient flows can be better managed to contribute to meeting climate and other connected sustainability priorities.”
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TOSustain
“In Canada, the potential to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) while increasing food production and access in dense and diverse population centers, strongly positions urban and peri-urban agriculture as pivotal in sustainable food systems now and into the future.“
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Planting Seeds for Urban Indigenous Food Sovereignty
“The Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC) originated twenty-five years ago to offer a blend of biomedical care and traditional healing to Indigenous Peoples living in the city of London, Ontario.”
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Swedish Projects
Learn more about the various ongoing projects Dr. Metson worked on during her time in Sweden.
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Other Projects
Read about the various other projects Dr. Metson is working on.
