Human Dimensions Research Associate
Posted 3ds ago
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Job Description
Research Associate in the Human Dimensions Research Lab conducting studies on woodland caribou recovery. Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams on conservation policies and community engagement.
Responsibilities:
- Conduct original research to determine thresholds of support or opposition for future and existing woodland caribou recovery efforts in complex, cross-cultural settings in Alberta and British Columbia.
- Determine whether predator control is ever an acceptable management option in different scenarios involving woodland caribou in both provinces.
- Assess public awareness of and support for woodland caribou associated predator removal programs.
- Identify and characterize Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives and preferences for predator removal programs. We will elicit value orientations, attitudes, beliefs, and preferences to understand what influences these perspectives.
- Explore the practical and theoretical basis for wildlife ethics- and equity-informed policies on woodland caribou conservation (e.g., having to stop a predator removal program based on evidence of public opposition even if that program is having successful impacts on the endangered species).
- Co-ordinate the design of online surveys, including literature reviews, supporting University of Alberta Research Ethics Board submissions, testing and pilot phases, survey launch and quality assessment monitoring.
- Carry out multivariate statistical analysis (e.g., factor analyses, econometric analyses) as appropriate to explore variables (social-psychological, preferences) associated with woodland caribou recovery and habitat conservation, and the ethics of predator control as a management approach.
- Author and co-author peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals to advance knowledge about conservation and wildlife management; and facilitate knowledge transfer through workshops, webinars, technical reports, and conferences to communicate research findings to diverse audiences.
- Integrate the University of Alberta's Access, Community, and Belonging (ACB) framework into research activities, ensuring diverse perspectives are considered in stakeholder engagement and tool development.
Requirements:
- An earned Ph.D. in Conservation Sciences or Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, or a closely related field, with a focus on statistical modeling, social-ecological systems, and applied conservation.
- Have prior experience as a Research Associate (2 years minimum), including experience leading and directing research projects, managing research budgets, and developing funding proposals.
- Contextual knowledge
- Knowledge of conservation of species at risk and habitat conservation in working landscapes.
- Knowledge of socio-ecological systems and natural resource management, including work with First Nations communities. The Research Associate is expected to collaborate with First Nations partners in the development of data collection tools (e.g., surveys, interviews, focus groups, cognitive interviews), and survey content.
- Research design and implementation
- Demonstrated expertise in designing and completing literature / systematic reviews and evidence synthesis.
- Research tool development: Demonstrated expertise in developing and administering qualitative and quantitative social data collection, including large-scale surveys, focus groups, expert elicitation workshops, interviews, and cognitive interviews.
- Quantitative data analysis
- Expertise in preparing datasets for analysis.
- Expertise in applying multivariate statistical modelling, including GLMs and factor analysis.
- Advanced expertise in applying econometric approaches, including discrete choice modelling and contingent valuation.
- Proficiency in R, NLOGIT, and Ngene programming for statistical modeling.
- Research collaborations
- Direct experience of working with natural resource management agencies and organizations.
- Have experience working in, and leading interdisciplinary research teams, specifically that seek to integrate knowledge from social and natural sciences (particularly ecology).
- Research impact
- Have a strong record of publishing and presenting scientific research to interdisciplinary audiences on topics related to wildlife management and wildlife habitat conservation in a variety of contexts.
- Experience communicating social science approaches and outcomes to non-social scientists.
- Mentoring
- Strong interpersonal and leadership skills, with experience fostering collaborative research environments and mentoring early-career researchers or students in interdisciplinary human dimensions research.
- Personal skills
- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion
Benefits:
- This position is not eligible for benefits.



















