Research Assistant

Staff - Union

Job Category

CUPE 116

Job Profile

CUPE 116 Hourly - Research Assistant /Technician 1

Job Title

Research Assistant

Department

Research Group | Dr. Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen | Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education | Faculty of Education

Compensation Range

$25.52 - $26.77 CAD Hourly

Posting End Date

July 9, 2025

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

Job End Date

Jul 15, 2026

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.

Job Summary

The Healthy Families Laboratory, led by Dr. Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen (Associate Professor), conducts research on stress, mental health, and family wellbeing. We are seeking a Research Assistant to support the day-to-day operations of the lab and ongoing projects.

The Research Assistant will work under the supervision of the lab’s Research Coordinator and Principal Investigator. This position will provide administrative and research support for two projects:

- Pregnancy During the Pandemic (PdP): a longitudinal study on parent and child wellbeing.
- Sleep Health Equity Reimagined: a CIHR-funded project examining sleep health from an intersectional public health perspective.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone interested in gaining experience in health or psychological research.

Organizational Status
The Research Assistant will be supervised by and report to the Research Coordinator and Principal Investigator. In accordance with the UBC hybrid work guidelines, the position will offer a flexible workplace environment that includes both remote work and onsite work at UBC and may include some onsite work at the BC Women’s and Children’s Research Institute.

Work Performed
- Support day-to-day research and administrative activities for the PdP and Sleep Health Equity Reimagined project and related studies under supervision.
- Conduct literature searches and assist in summarizing relevant scientific articles.
- Assist in preparing study materials and documentation, including ethics submissions and amendments, following guidance from senior staff.
- Communicate professionally with patient partners and external collaborators, with oversight as needed.
- Work collaboratively with members of the Healthy Families Lab, including students and staff.
- Provide general support to volunteers and research assistants, as assigned by senior staff.
- Attend and take notes during team and project coordination meetings.
- Support grant management under direction of the Principal Investigator.
- Follow established workflows and procedures to help maintain organized and confidential research files, records, and project materials.
- Assist with survey data collection, entry, cleaning, and basic organization.
- Support data tracking using spreadsheets or databases under supervision.
- Help with general administrative tasks such as ordering supplies, scanning, and photocopying.
- Assist in preparing content for knowledge translation efforts (e.g., web updates, participant communications, social media), under guidance.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

Training will be provided to ensure that the Research Assistant will have a strong understanding of the established lab and research protocols. Errors made could influence the ability of the research team to meet deadlines, compromise the results of research projects, and relationships with participants, and therefore impact the credibility of the investigators and the lab.

The Research Assistant is required to conduct all research activities in an ethical manner and with adherence to the Tri-Council Policy Statement concerning Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS-2). Any procedures or data recorded as part of this research must be accurate and must accurately reflect the work performed. Strict confidentiality of all study participants must be adhered to. All activities involving participants are accountable to the Research Assistant, Principal Investigator, the Department Head, and the Research Assistant’s governing professional organization (if applicable).

Supervision Received

Most aspects of the work will be done under the supervision of the lab’s Research Coordinator and Principal Investigator, while some other aspects will be done independently. The Research Assistant will work closely with the Principal Investigator, project co-coordinators, students (undergraduate, graduate), staff, and collaborators in the Healthy Families Lab.

The Research Assistant will attend weekly supervision meetings with the Principal Investigator, weekly Healthy Families Lab meetings and study coordination meetings, which will be