Research Associate

AcademicJob CategoryFaculty Non BargainingJob TitleResearch AssociateDepartmentPrystajecky Laboratory | Centre for Disease Control | Faculty of Medicine (Natalie Prystajecky)Posting End DateMarch 11, 2025

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End DateMar 31, 2026

The expected salary range for this position is $105,000 to $115,000 per annum. The Faculty of Medicine is committed to offering equitable and competitive salaries, commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career. ​​​​​​

David McVea, Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Population and Public Health and Dr. Natalie Prystajecky Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at The University of British Columbia (UBC) invite applications for a full-time faculty position Research Associate for a 12-month term, with the possibility of extension.

Drs. McVea and Prystajecky are located at the British Columbia Center for Disease Control (BCCDC) in Vancouver, BC. Canada ). They collaborate on an applied research program of wastewater surveillance, with a focus on the value of genomic surveillance of pathogens in wastewater for public health intelligence. Working with an interdisciplinary team of microbiologists, scientists, epidemiologists, and analysts at BCCDC and UBC, the Research Associate supports a wide scope of genomic surveillance and epidemiology.

The incumbent is responsible for overseeing the integration of genomic data into wastewater surveillance systems and models. The Research Associate is also responsible for supporting the development of a toolbox based on the existing wastewater surveillance system, to enable rapid surveillance of novel pathogens. Additional responsibilities include leading an evaluation of the surveillance system, liaising with external and internal project team members, drafting manuscripts and routine reporting to project funders. The Research Associate works as a team player, collaborating and building relationships with medical, clinical and scientific staff as well as with national and international collaborators. This position is grant-funded.

Required duties will include:

• Provides technical consultation, advice and instruction to research staff in the appropriate use of models and analytic techniques in area of expertise
• Provide analytic support for analyzing pathogen genomic and integrating into surveillance systems
• Responsible for developing, optimizing and troubleshooting models of disease cases and outcomes
• Integrate genomic data and metadata for downstream analyses
• Evaluating the utility, accuracy and effectiveness of wastewater surveillance
• Reviews papers and/or new protocols and provides comment in area of expertise
• Contribute to preparation of manuscripts and grants
• Interact with external stakeholders, partners and granting agencies; provide assistance in project coordination, data sharing and achieving project milestones
• May attend scientific meetings and present posters and papers
• Manages the day-to-day experimental operations of research
• Ensures accurate and detailed records are maintained
• Ensures adherence to standards for security, access and storage and management of large health administrative datasets
• Follows best practices for maintaining data in a secure environment
• Carries out any other related duties as required, in keeping with the qualifications and requirements of positions in this classification

Qualifications

• PhD (Microbiology or Epidemiology preferred). Minimum 5 years' experience working in a research environment.
• Experience in developing models of disease cases and outcome
• Experience with sequence data analysis and proficiency in at least one modern computer language (i.e. Python (preferred), R, Java, Perl, Shell)
• Ability to work independently in the execution and interpretation of analytic protocols
• Excellent English language writing and speaking skills
• Excellent computer skills
• Biosafety certificate
• Effective oral and written communication, interpersonal, problem solving and organizational skills
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to exercise judgment, tact and discretion
• Ability to work both independently and within a team environment
• Ability to prioritize work to meet deadlines
• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one's own.
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one's own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The expected salary range for this position is $105,000 to $115,000 per annum. The Faculty of Medicine is committed to offering equitable and competitive salaries, commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate.

Application packages should include a letter of application outlining the applicant's research interests, accompanied by a detailed curriculum vitae and the names of three references.

Should you have any queries around this position, please contact David McVea at

Review of applications will begin on Mar 7, 2025 and continue until the position is filled. The anticipated start date for this position is April 1, 2025 or upon a date to be mutually agreed.

We invite applications from qualified candidates who share our commitment to employment equity and inclusive excellence, and we welcome applications from candidates belonging to historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized groups: Indigenous (First Nation, Métis, Inuit) Peoples, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and trans and non-binary people.

The University is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and equitable work environment for all members of its workforce. An inclusive work environment presumes an environment where differences are appreciated, recognized, and integrated into current structures, planning, and decision-making modes. Within this hiring process we are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable process for all candidates (including but not limited to people with disabilities). Confidential accommodations are available on request. Please contact David McVea via email at . If you have any questions regarding accommodations or accessibility during the recruitment and hiring process or for more information and support, please visit UBC's Centre for Workplace Accessibility website at or contact the Centre at

With gratitude, we acknowledge that the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and its distributed programs, which include four university academic campuses, are located on traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of First Nations Peoples and communities around the province.

Our Vision: To Transform Health for Everyone.

Ranked among the world's top medical schools with the fifth-largest MD enrollment in North America, the UBC Faculty of Medicine is a leader in both the science and the practice of medicine. Across British Columbia, more than 12,000 faculty and staff are training the next generation of doctors and health care professionals, making remarkable discoveries, and helping to create the pathways to better health for our communities at home and around the world.

The Faculty - comprised of approximately 2,200 administrative support, technical/research and management and professional staff, as well approximately 650 full-time academic and over 10,000 clinical faculty members - is composed of 19 academic basic science and/or clinical departments, three schools, and 24 research centres and institutes. Together with its University and Health Authority partners, the Faculty delivers innovative programs and conducts research in the areas of health and life sciences. Faculty, staff and trainees are located at university campuses, clinical academic campuses in hospital settings and other regionally based centres across the province.

UBC - One of the World's Leading Universities. As one of the world's leading universities, the University of British Columbia creates an exceptional learning environment that fosters global citizenship, advances a civil and sustainable society, and supports outstanding research to serve the people of British Columbia, Canada and the world.

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. All qualified persons are encouraged to apply. Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

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