Research Associate

Research Associate

About Queen's University
Queen’s University is the Canadian research intensive university with a transformative student learning experience. Here the employment experience is as diverse as it is interesting. We have opportunities in multiple areas of globally recognized research, faculty administration, engineering & construction, athletics & recreation, power generation, corporate shared services, and many more.

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Job Summary
The ISF (Institute for Sustainable Finance) is a multi-disciplinary network of research and professional development that brings together academia, the private sector and government to shape Canada’s innovations in sustainable finance. The Institute’s mission is to align mainstream financial markets with Canada’s transition to a prosperous sustainable economy. ISF is first of its kind in Canada to fill the gap of relevant data, expertise and business-oriented solutions for sustainable finance.

The ISF will implement this mission through the following set of objectives:
1. Generate innovative and relevant research on sustainable finance and effectively communicate this research to all pertinent stakeholders.
2. Serve as a platform for collaboration between government, academia and industry.
3. Provide educational opportunities and develop capacity in the field of sustainable finance.

Reporting to the Director, ISF and working closely with the Executive Director, the Research Associate will conduct, coordinate and oversee the development, implementation and completion of research associated with the ISF mandate as well as record results and make adjustments to protocols as necessary. The incumbent will be responsible for advising the leadership team of potential initiatives related to the work in ISF. Delegates and coordinates work flow and acts as a liaison to internal and external stakeholders to formulate and/or adjust current research plans as necessary in light of new information. Incumbent will perform some administrative duties and participate in other special projects as required.

**Job Description**:
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Collaborate with faculty and research staff on data-intensive projects and tasks.
- Complete a variety of research projects in coordination with the Director, the Executive Director (Academic), and independently. These projects include but are not limited to: a mix of academic research, white papers, benchmarking studies, policy studies, environmental assessment, financial analysis and industry-facing reports.
- Develop and train machine learning models to analyze ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) related data, financial markets, and sustainability trends.
- Advance and coordinate methodologies for research with the team and be willing to incorporate novel techniques into research
- Stay up to date with academic literature and best practices in sustainable finance
- Curate and clean complex datasets including climate risk disclosures, satellite imagery, sustainability ratings, and corporate financials.
- Automate data pipelines using tools like Python, SQL, and cloud platforms
- Support the building of in-house data portal that can be utilized by Canadian researchers
- Write, edit, prepare reports, white papers, and policy briefs and briefing notes on behalf of ISF.
- Collaborate with the team in writing grant proposals for research projects

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

- Master’s degree in a research-focused program in Finance, Economics, Accounting or Environmental Studies preferred (with several years of experience) or an undergraduate degree in Mathematics.,
- Experience with data collection and analysis methods using Python, R, Stata, including web scraping and machine learning.
- Preferred background in statistics, computer science, or mathematics.
- Strong programming and data collection skills or familiar with data challenges would be a plus.
- Modelling experience (formulating and solving) and working with large amounts of financial data.
- Climate finance and/or environmental economics research experience preferred.
- Professional experience within the finance industry considered an asset.

SPECIAL SKILLS:

- Data Analysis: Proficiency in statistical analysis techniques (e.g., regression analysis, time-series analysis, factor analysis) and the ability to interpret results is crucial.
- Programming: Knowledge of programming languages such as R, Python, or SAS is often required for data manipulation, analysis, and visualization.
- Statistical Software: Familiarity with statistical software packages like SPSS, Stata, or R is important for analyzing quantitative data.
- Data Visualization: The ability to create clear and informative visualizations (charts, graphs) to present research findings is essential.
- Data Management: Skills in data cleaning, organization, and management are necessary to ensure data quality and integrity.
- Communication: Effectively communicate research findings through written rep