Research Associate

About Western

With an international reputation for success, Western ranks as one of Canada's top research-intensive universities. Our research excellence expands knowledge and drives discovery with real-world application. Western also provides an exceptional employment experience, offering competitive salaries, a wide range of employment opportunities and one of Canada's most beautiful campuses.

About Us

The Faculty of Health Sciences is a large, diverse, and comprehensive unit, comprised of seven Schools (Nursing, Kinesiology, Health Studies, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Communication Sciences and Disorders. and Food and Nutritional Sciences), a large Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and four Research Centers. The Faculty has more than 4,000 undergraduate students and more than 900 graduate students (200 PhD students).

The School of Health Studies is a diverse community of students and professors committed to improving human health around the globe. The mission of the School is to nurture the creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking of tomorrow's global leaders, through transformative interdisciplinary research, education, and knowledge mobilization. Delivering a primarily undergraduate program, the School of Health Studies focuses on streams of studies including Health Sciences, Health and Aging, Health Promotion, Biology, and Rehabilitation Sciences.

Responsibilities

The Research Associate will apply their expertise and knowledge to research projects, and carry out or oversee original and independent research under the general direction of a principle investigator. The incumbent may play a lead role in training staff, graduate students, undergraduate students and/or post-doctoral fellows, and in resolving issues that arise in the research environment. The incumbent will develop research and project plans, and design, build and run experiments. The Research Associate will evaluate and interpret experimental results, develop models or correlations, and prepare reports and other written material for presentations and/or submissions to various stakeholders as required.

Position Summary
Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Strengthening Pandemic Vaccine Preparedness in Africa (SPAVPA 2.0) project builds on lessons from COVID-19 to generate actionable, context-specific evidence for pandemic readiness across the African continent. Bringing together partners from twelve countries — Angola, Cameroon, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Malawi, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal — and collaborating institutions such as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), WHO-AFRO, VACFA, and ECAVI, the project aims to identify the structures, relationships, and strategies that enable effective pandemic preparedness in resource-constrained settings. The Research Associate will serve as a senior coordinator and analytical lead, supporting the implementation of SPAVPA's multi-country activities and contributing to the design of frameworks and tools for strengthening pandemic vaccine preparedness. This position is highly interdisciplinary, blending global-health scholarship with practical coordination across academic, governmental, and community partners. It will require exceptional judgment, initiative, and cross-cultural communication skills, as well as the ability to manage complex, interlocking timelines and deliverables in a dynamic international environment.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate SPAVPA 2.0 research activities across twelve African countries, including harmonizing workflows, ethics processes, and reporting across multiple institutions and time zones.

• Lead the design, scheduling, and implementation of expert interviews with national and regional vaccine implementers, ensuring ethical conduct, high-quality data collection, and rigorous analysis (e.g., NVivo).

• Manage communication with regional partners and research leads, facilitating collaboration and ensuring consistent quality in data collection, documentation, and project delivery.

• Synthesize findings across Central, Eastern, Southern, and Western Africa to identify key enablers and constraints in pandemic preparedness, working closely with statisticians and co-investigators.

• Contribute to knowledge translation by drafting academic manuscripts, conference papers, policy briefs, infographics, and executive summaries for agencies such as the Africa CDC and WHO.

Qualifications

Education:

• Master's degree in a relevant discipline; PhD in a relevant discipline preferred

Experience:

• 3 years' working experience in a related academic research environment

Skills, Abilities & Expertise:

• Demonstrated working knowledge of relevant scientific/research principles
• Ability to collaborate across internal and external boundaries to meet common objectives, improve outcomes and support work beyond one's own unit
• Communication skills to describe technical concepts effectively to both novice and sophisticated users, and to complete detailed analytics and reports
• Advanced skills in software and applications used to produce and analyze research outcomes

• Ability to provide solutions and ideas for improvement by using imaginative approaches where constructive thinking and innovation are required

• Detail-oriented with an ability to function and process information with high levels of accuracy- Familiarity with University research policies and practices

• Ability to adhere to legislated safety requirements and Western safety policies

• Commitment to ongoing professional development with a desire to take on new challenges
• Ability to multi-task and maintain an organized and effective personal work environment
• Ability to work in a fluid and evolving work environment with changing deadlines and priorities
• Ability to work independently and maintain direction and focus through proactive planning and organized approaches to work
• Proven ability and natural inclination to develop relationships by interacting with people in a professional, respectful and diplomatic manner
• Ability to work independently and effectively as a member of the team to achieve department goals
• Demonstrated ability to research/investigate issues and resolve problems

Why Western?

Western offers a broad and exciting variety of part-time and temporary employment opportunities with ample room for job exploration and growth. Within our beautiful campus, you are part of a progressive work environment that promotes work/life balance including access to our state-of-the-art recreation centre. Apply for an opportunity to be part of the Western community and contribute to its success

Affirmation Policy

Western, like many postsecondary institutions in Canada, is moving beyond sole reliance upon Indigenous self-identification in its hiring processes. This is to safeguard against the use of incorrect, incomplete, or misleading information in circumstances in which a candidate has made a declaration of Indigenous citizenship or membership. Candidates who are invited for an interview or who are short-listed, and who have made a declaration of Indigenous citizenship or membership for material advantage at Western, including where required or preferred for the position, will be asked to have their declaration of Indigenous citizenship or membership affirmed through a relational accountability process, led by the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII), that is consistent with Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. Please contact the OII directly for details on the affirmation processes: The policy can be viewed at: POLICY Affirming Declarations of Indigenous Citizenship or Membership at Western University.

Applying at Western

To ensure that your application is given full consideration, please complete all relevant sections of the application. In addition, you can choose to supplement your application with a cover letter and current resume.

Consideration of applicants will include an assessment of previous performance, experience, and qualifications. Applicants should have oral communication skills in English.

Western Values Diversity

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Western is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applications from women, members of racialized groups/visible minorities, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation, and persons of any gender identity or gender expression.

Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you require accommodations for interviews or other meetings, please contact Human Resources or phone

Please Note:

This position is an existing vacancy. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those chosen for an interview will be contacted.

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