Graduate Research Assistant: Design, Facilitation

OCAD University acknowledges the ancestral territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabeg and the Huron-Wendat, who are the original owners and custodians of the land on which we work, stand and create._

OCAD University, Canada’s largest and oldest art and design university, is a vibrant community of bold, curious and compassionate artists, designers and scholars who are imagining and creating a joyful, equitable and sustainable world. The University is an internationally renowned hub for art, design, digital media, research, innovation and creativity, and arts administration. It embraces collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to change-making through art, design-thinking curriculum and research, making OCAD U a local, regional, national and global leader in art and design.

It is an exciting time to join the OCAD U community. The University is at a key stage in its institutional transformation, with the implementation of its Academic and Strategic Plan and guiding principles—driving positive impact, decolonization, indigenization, and equity, environmental sustainability, emerging as a vibrant hub, student-centered approaches, innovation in learning, teaching, and research, and financial stewardship.

**Project Details**:
This SSHRC-funded project brought together a transdisciplinary research team from across five Canadian universities and five different academic disciplines. The project is focused on the human-side of the circular food economy and unpacking what key challenges and barriers exist towards participating in a circular food economy.

Two positions are available for Master’s level research assistants (RAs) to help with the development, facilitation, and analysis of six workshops that will be held both in-person (three workshops) and online (three workshops) with various stakeholders engaged in the food system in Canada.

A series of six workshops will be conducted. Three will be held in person in Toronto, Vancouver, and Halifax. The other three will be conducted online and engage participants from across Canada, including Calgary, Regina, and Montreal. Stakeholders, as participants, will be brought together in a half-day workshop to co-formulate the problem and co-develop solutions as a group. The goal is to engage various participants from the retail sector as well as key community stakeholders to co-imagine possible food futures and co-design what localized circular food models can look like.

**Responsibilities**:

- Working under the supervision of Co-Investigator, Sarah Tranum, and other research team members, in support of the project’s research goals and objectives.
- Assisting in the strategy and development of six workshops, planning and facilitation of
- these six workshops, documentation and analysis of activities and findings, and creation of visualizations and final report(s) of the outcome from the workshops.
- Travel is required. Both RAs will have the opportunity to travel to the in-person workshops in Toronto, Vancouver, and Halifax (locations and dates to be confirmed). Airfare, accommodation, and meals for each RA will be provided as part of the contract.
- Attend bi-weekly meetings with the supervising faculty member and monthly larger team meetings.
- Collaborate effectively with other RAs and members of the team to leverage knowledge and divide tasks appropriately, communicate regularly, and meet as needed.
- Maintain records of documents and resources used in the shared team folder as well as the sources of these documents/resources.
- Participating in the provision of safe and secure environment for all members of the University community and its facilities

**Qualifications**:

- Completion of a relevant degree or current enrollment in a relevant graduate program and/or equivalent training and professional experience.
- Familiar with workshop design, facilitation, documentation, analysis, and report writing, and other techniques and methods appropriate to the study needs.
- Passion for sustainability/circularity is desired.
- Ability to work independently as well as in a team.
- Strong organization, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Demonstrated commitment to the principles of equity and diversity and experience promoting a respectful work and learning environment for students, staff and faculty

**Hours of Work**: 5-10 hours per week; 90 hours total over the full period of November 2024 to April/May 2025

**Work Environment**:

- Online, bi-weekly and monthly meetings and engaging in three workshops virtually. In-person, including travel to three in-person workshops in Toronto, Vancouver, and Halifax (locations and dates to be confirmed)

**Please note the following**:

- Applicants must be eligible to work in Canada for any employer (with a valid work or study permit, SIN and Canadian bank account).
- This appointment is conditional upon funding of the Project by OCAD U’s external funding partner(s)
- If