Senior Research Associate

Competition 511

This position is a part of the Association of the Academic Staff of the University of Alberta (AASUA).

In accordance with the Trust/Research Academic Staff Agreement, this position offers a comprehensive benefits package found on our Benefits Overview page and annual salary range of $75,010 to $103,162.

This position has an approximate appointment of 2 years. 

Location - Work primarily takes place at North Campus, Edmonton. This role is in person.

Working for the University of Alberta

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages and cultures of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

The University of Alberta is teeming with change makers, community builders, and world shapers who lead with purpose each and every day. We are home to more than 40,000 students in 200+ undergraduate and 500+ graduate programs, over 13,000 faculty and staff, 260,000 alumni worldwide and have been recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for over a decade.

Your work will have a meaningful influence on a fascinating cross section of people—from our students and stakeholders, to our renowned researchers and innovators who are quite literally curing diseases, making discoveries and generating solutions that make the world healthier, safer, stronger, and more just.

Working for the Department/Faculty

The Health Technology & Policy Unit in the School of Public Health undertakes research aimed at creating knowledge to support fair, evidence-informed decision making around the introduction and use of health technologies, services and programs in the publicly funded health care system.  It also conducts health technology assessments (HTAs) and evidence reviews for Alberta Health.  HTA uses evaluative methods from the social and applied sciences, including clinical epidemiology, biostatistics, health economics, modelling, and qualitative techniques to systematically examine the clinical, economic, social, legal, ethical and overall system implications of health technologies and programs.

Position Summary

The main role of this position will be to lead the production of Health Evidence Reviews (HERs) at the request of government. It requires proficiency in systematic review (including critical appraisal and meta-analytic techniques) and scoping review methods; basic quantitative techniques; and qualitative approaches to collecting and analysing data. Strong communication skills are needed, since the position must interact with many different stakeholder communities. In addition to this main role, there will be  opportunities to engage in other research related to methods for assessing technologies, services and programs throughout their lifecycle and determining the broader social value of therapies for rare diseases as part of other grants held by members of the Unit.  Therefore, activities in which the research associate will be involved include planning, developing, conducting, implementing and disseminating research in the form of HTAs and other empirical work.

Duties

• Lead, as well as undertake systematic and scoping reviews of health evidence
• Conduct analyses of administrative data
• Liaise with members of various stakeholder communities
• Represent the Unit at meetings and conferences
• Engage in other research activities of the Unit

Qualifications

PhD in epidemiology, biostatistics, health services research, or public health required.

• Minimum of 4 years research experience in a post graduate research and education environment
• Peer-reviewed publication track record (in areas relevant to HTA preferred)
• Excellent quantitative and qualitative research skills
• Strong communication skills (both written and oral)
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and critical thinking skills
• Ability to work independently and in a team
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Access, and Excel)
• Proficient in EndNote or other software for conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses
• Proficient in STATA, SPSS, or SAS
• Proficient in nVIVO
• Proficient in EndNote or other bibliographic database management software

The following qualifications would be considered an asset:

• Experience leading academic or applied research teams
• Experience teaching graduate students qualitative and quantitative research methods
• Training in knowledge integration for improving the uptake of research findings
• Experience in consensus building techniques

How to Apply

Please submit online the following:

• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• List of Publications 

At the University of Alberta, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible hiring process for all candidates. If you require accommodations to participate in the interview process, please let us know at the time of booking your interview and we will make every effort to accommodate your needs.