Undergraduate Research Assistant, Sustainable Studio Practices: Model Making

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:

• The Undergraduate Research Assistant(s) will support Paul Aloisi, Assistant Professor, Environmental Design, in the initial research phase of his project "Sustainable Studio Practices: Model Making".
• The project's long-term objective is to identify best sustainable practices in architectural scale model fabrication (through making) and to understand how students can be guided to work with more sustainable materials in their design process (through knowledge synthesis).
• This project builds on Aloisi's earlier investigation "Sustainability Considerations for Materials and Processes" published on the OCADU Sustainability Resources page.

This project is in collaboration with OCAD U Sustainability within OCAD U Facilities & Studio Services.

Project lead: Paul Aloisi is a Teaching Stream Permanent Assistant Professor with a teaching focus in Environmental Design. His interdisciplinary practice explores objects and environments at a range of scales and is situated in diverse contexts. His ongoing interest in the confluence of typography and architecture motivates works which reflect on rights of ownership and expression in public space. He undertakes this research on sustainability as part of his commitment toward building a studio culture of sustainable design practices.

Material Research and Fabrication Research Assistant Role - 64hrs

Responsibilities:

• Working under the supervision of the Principal Investigator, Paul Aloisi, in support of the project's research goals and objectives
• Work with 2D and 3D CAD drawings towards manual and digital fabrication of model parts.
• Assist with fabrication experiments in architectural modelling techniques; fabricate exemplar sustainable architectural model samples.
• Assist with documenting best practice exemplars and creation of a visual display of materials and techniques supporting sustainable studio practices.
• Participating in the provision of safe and secure environment for all members of the University community and its facilities

Qualifications:

• Current enrollment in an undergraduate program at OCAD University or a recent graduate of OCAD University.
• Sound knowledge of, and commitment to, healthy and safe work practices
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, oral and written communications and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrated commitment to the principles of equity and diversity and experience promoting a respectful work and learning environment for students, staff and faculty

Areas of interest: Sustainability, material fabrication techniques, academic research, material science, community-building.

Additional relevant experiences include:

• Experience fabricating architectural scale models.
• Experience working with AutoCAD, Illustrator and Rhino (Grasshopper) for Rapid Prototyping
• Experience performing academic research (ie. Using Google Scholar, preparing annotated bibliography, citing sources).

Hours of work: 4-6 hours per week over a 12-week period beginning as early as Monday January 26, 2026 to a maximum of 64 hours.

Work environment: Combination of in-person meetings/work sessions at OCAD U with the possibility of some remote work/TEAMS meetings (negotiable).

Compensation: $23.54 (Undergraduate Rate) per hour, subject to qualifications, plus 6% in lieu of benefits plus vacation pay, as applicable, per the provisions of the Employment Standards Act

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).
• Current students at OCAD University will be given priority consideration for all Research Assistant positions, with the highest priority given to those not currently holding any other TA/RA positions at the University.

Application process: Submit the following as a single pdf file.

• A one-page cover letter explaining the candidate's interest (no more than 200 words)
• A curriculum vitae (up to 3 pages)
• A portfolio of images of architectural scale models (up to 7 images)
• The name and contact information for one (1) reference from a past academic, employment or professional context.

The review of applications will begin on January 12, 2026 and will continue until the position has been filled. Short-listed applicants will be invited to an interview via Teams.

Interested applicants are invited to submit their application online in confidence addressed to Paul Aloisi, Assistant Professor .

IMPORTANT: Before completing your application, please double check your attachments to ensure they align with the position you are applying for and the files are named following the standard naming convention: FirstInitial_LastName-Job Code-Document Type. Incomplete applications may not be considered.

More information on submitting applications on OCAD U's online applicant system can be found on the Employment Opportunities page.

If you require further support, please contact the People & Culture Office.

As an employer committed to employment equity, we encourage applications from members of equity-seeking communities including women, racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions.

We encourage members of designated equity-seeking groups to self-identify within the voluntary Applicant Questionnaire.

OCAD U is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier free experience to applicants with accessibility needs. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact People & Culture for more information or refer to OCAD U's Policy of Accommodation in Employment for Persons with Disabilities.

All qualified persons are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority. While we thank all candidates for their interest, only those short-listed will be contacted.