Research Associate

Click here as an internal applicant.

Company: IWK Health

Req ID: #

Department/Program: Research Administration, Research Services

Location: Halifax

Type of Employment: Temporary Hourly FT long-assignment (100% FTE) for 1 year

Number of Positions: 1

Start Date: May 2025

Union Status: Research, Management/Non Union Bargaining Unit

Compensation: $36.8749 - $45.6371/hour

Closing Date: April 23, 2025 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

The Opportunity

Applications are invited for Research Associate opportunity under the guidance of interdisciplinary scientist Dr. Lori Wozney, Sun Life Chair in Youth Mental Health at Dalhousie University and IWK Health, Assistant Professor in Psychiatry, Scientific Lead for Integrated Youth Services Nova Scotia and Co-PI of multiple regional and national mental health research initiatives, including Generating Resilience on Our Way to Integrated Youth Services (GROW-IYS) and Unifying Networks to InnovaTE (UNITE): A Whole of System Approach for Youth Mental Health.

Dr. Wozney’s research team collaborates regularly across disciplines: psychiatry, psychology, nursing, community health and epidemiology, management, social work, computer science, health promotion and others which creates a fertile ground for new perspectives. Researchers on the team work closely with youth, clinicians, community partners, and policy makers to inform clinical practice and service design. All research by the team focuses on making discoveries and generating solutions that make the world healthier, safer, stronger and more just.

The lab’s diverse research portfolio includes initiatives related to community-based research on integrated youth service approaches, clinical practice guidelines, implementation of early interventions and measurement-informed care within a learning health system, health equity and policy in digital technologies; and cross-sector data integration for exploring youth mental health outcomes. The successful candidate will actively engage across interdisciplinary project teams to deepen their knowledge, establish their own research credibility and expand their professional network. The position is a full-time position for one year.

Key responsibilities:

1. Writing up research for publication in leading international journals with mentorship from faculty
2. Assisting in project related tasks, including preparing reports and presentations for various partner groups, participation in meetings and team activities, documentation and analysis, support for ethics applications and event coordination
3. Producing policy-relevant work, which could include media appearances, published articles, briefings and workshops for national and international organizations
4. Statistical analysis using professional software programs (e.g. NVivo, MAXQDA, R)
5. Developing and maintaining a lab project website
6. Supporting research team primary data collection (including travel, if necessary)
7. Preparing abstracts and presenting research at conferences and other events
8. Assisting faculty supervisor in guiding graduate students’ research
9. Designing independent research projects aligned with the lab’s focus
10. Collaborating with team members to develop grant proposals for health research and evaluation funders

Hours of Work

Monday - Friday, weekends. 37.5 hours per week.

Your Qualifications

1. PhD in psychology, applied health/health services, epidemiology or a related field, obtained in the last 3 years with a strong background in mental health and addiction research.
2. Demonstrated experience in all stages of research, including research project management; quantitative and qualitative methods, including advanced analyses
3. Record of scholarly publications and conference presentations, and public outreach/knowledge translation in the topic area
4. Excellent communication and organizational skills
5. Ability to work on a team, lead a team, and also to work independently
6. Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in work practices

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Management/Non Union bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.

An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.

If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.