Research Assistant

**Please Note: This is a temporary position ending on or before May 31, 2026, with the possibility of extension.**

The position provides research support to the Food Scientist and Culinary Scientists at the Centre for Culinary Innovation. The primary activity of this position is to execute research directions and procedures devised by senior Centre staff, with an emphasis on prototype development. Under the guidance of the Food Scientist and senior Centre staff, this position will support the creation (or modification) of standard operating procedures (including safety processes), perform analytical procedures to collect data, recipe and/or menu development, prepare complete dishes and foods, create nutritional and balanced recipes and meals that as instructed by food scientist, maintain research kitchen equipment, spaces, and inventories, draft reports and participate in presentations to clients, estimate cost of goods, determine portion size and nutritional value of each portion, train students and assists in the optimization of research kitchen operations and organization.

**Key Responsibilities**:
Personnel support
- Assist senior Centre staff in the development of funding proposals
- Assist senior Centre staff to develop scope of work, project timelines and milestones, technical proposal, and budget estimates
- Carry out development of food formulations and recipes. This would include understanding of food matrices, flavour development, cost of ingredients and optimization in a recipe, nutritional and portion size of these new products
- Present project data to senior Centre staff, and further analyze; includes preparing forms/tables to input data into, creating and/or reviewing presentations/reports for client
- Trains and mentors student researchers and culinary students
- Guided literature reviews and citations/reference acquisition

**Organizational Research Kitchen Tasks**
- Search, selection and request of supplies necessary for projects; ensures an adequate level of materials and supplies are available for projects. Create and maintain inventory, records of food, supplies and equipment
- Ensure adequate stock levels of safety equipment and other frequent use items
- Basic equipment cleaning, maintenance and troubleshooting
- Overseas and optimizes Research Kitchen operations and organization

**Skills & Abilities**:

- Basic understanding of the scientific method and research methodologies
- Intermediate knowledge of culinary arts, including culinary techniques, flavour profile development, and use of a wide variety of commercial kitchen equipment
- Basic knowledge of food science, including hazards analysis and critical control points (HACCP)
- Knowledge of food product development principles and practice
- Good computing skills - in particular intermediate-advanced Excel skills to be able to enter data and generate graphs and reports, intermediate word skills to produce and format data reports, intermediate PowerPoint skills to assist with creating data presentations
- Knowledge of food safety standard and safe food handling procedures
- Lab safety skills (OHS), standard first aid, organizational skills, time management and prioritization skills
- Sound problem solving skills, open communication, ability to work independently and in a team environment
- Knowledge of current food trends, functional ingredients

**Qualifications**:

- BSc food science, food technology, sensory science, food chemistry, food engineering background with strong focus on sensory science
- Culinary diploma with research experience (minimum 3 years) can be considered
- Experience working with industry
- Experience with common lab procedures, analytical chemistry techniques (proximate analysis, water activity, emulsion stability, foam stability and texture profile analysis)
- Experience with social media content generation an asset
- Experience working in a team and some leadership experience

Applicants with education credentials earned outside of Canada should have their credentials evaluated by World Education Services or the International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS).

**Remuneration**: $44,874.44 - $57,272.80 annually, plus a comprehensive benefits package. (Classification - Research Assistant I).
- This position is covered by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) Collective Agreement._

**Please submit a resume and cover letter to be considered for this opportunity.**

**About NAIT**

We are proud to have been named one of Alberta’s Top Employers for 14 consecutive years. Being part of a community that makes a difference in the lives of students, staff, industry clients and partners, NAIT’s culture reflects our shared values of respect, collaboration, celebration, creativity, and accountability.

People are what make NAIT great, and we prioritize the employee experience. We offer benefits and unique perks focusing on health and wellness, work-life balance, recognition, and professional and