Post-Doctoral Researcher

McGill University; Sherbrooke; On-site; CAD 67,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading academic institution is seeking a Post-doctoral Researcher to join their Activator research group focused on access to justice for official language minority communities. The role requires a PhD in a relevant field, with advanced bilingual communication skills and participation in impactful research projects. The position is based in Montreal, offering a salary of $67,000 per year.

Qualifications

• PhD in law, sociology, linguistics, political science, education, economics, social work, anthropology, etc.
• Knowledge of OLMCs and official-language issues.
• Experience in impact-oriented research and community engagement.

Responsibilities

• Participate in ongoing Activator research projects.
• Lead a research project on access to justice for OLMCs.

Skills

Knowledge or experience related to OLMCs

Advanced verbal and written communications in English and French

Excellent communication skills

Organizational skills

Collaboration skills

Education

PhD awarded within the last five years

Job description

Overview

Position: Post-doctoral Researcher – Activator, School of Continuing Studies, Global and Strategic Communication, McGill University.

The selected post-doctoral researcher will join the Activator research group on access to justice for official language minority communities (OLMCs) in Canada for a period of one year. Full compensation and benefits are provided.

We seek applications from early-career researchers in Canada from a variety of fields (e.g., law, sociology, linguistics, political sciences, education, economy, social work, anthropology) working on a post-doctoral project related to access to justice for OLMCs.

About the research group: Activator

The Activator is a newly formed research group focused on access to justice for OLMCs in Canada. It explores legal, institutional, sociolinguistic, and policy-related dimensions affecting linguistic rights, service delivery, and equitable treatment within Canada’s bilingual framework. Collaboration occurs with Justice departments, lawyers’ societies, educational organizations, jurilinguistics centers, and other stakeholders. Objectives include developing a field of research on access to justice for OLMCs, producing impact-oriented data for stakeholders, and sustaining research beyond the Activator initiative and post-doctoral scholarships.

During affiliation, post-doctoral scholars will participate in ongoing projects and lead their own project on access to justice for OLMCs.

Responsibilities

• Participate in ongoing Activator research projects and collaborate with Access to Justice stakeholders.

• Lead a single research project on access to justice for OLMCs.

Research areas and questions (examples)

Areas include Access to services; Professionals and language capacity; Training and education; Community perspectives and experiences; Systemic and structural issues; Innovation, technology, and reform; Empirical research and data gaps.

• Access to services: gaps between legal frameworks and language rights; availability of bilingual legal services; barriers to OLMC access to legal aid and courts; impacts of unilingual proceedings; role of information platforms and technologies.

• Professionals and language capacity: linguistic competence of legal professionals; distribution of bilingual judges, lawyers, notaries, and court staff; role of interpreters and translators.

• Training and education: integration of bilingualism in Canadian law schools; educational pathways to train bilingual legal professionals; support for OLMC-related legal education and professional development.

• Community perspectives: perceptions of access to justice; lived experiences of OLMC litigants; intersection of language with race, immigration status, Indigenous identity, disability.

• Systemic issues: funding models and institutional practices; linguistic inequality causes; impact of public policies on OLMC access to justice.

• Innovation and reform: role of AI and language technologies; inclusive legal innovation; international best practices for multilingual justice.

• Data gaps: existing data on OLMC access to justice; measuring bilingual service effectiveness; suitable methodologies for language-rights research.

Dossier (application components)

• A cover letter (including the job posting number)

• Your resume

• A summary of your PhD dissertation (1 page)

• A research proposal (2–3 pages) with explicit mention of:

  • research steps and timeline

  • alignment with Activator areas

  • data provision or anticipated impact for OLMCs

  • fit with developing a new generation of university researchers in this field

• A plan for knowledge mobilization (1 page)

Qualifications

• PhD awarded within the last five years in a relevant field (e.g., law, sociology, linguistics, political science, education, economics, social work, anthropology, etc.)

• Knowledge or experience related to OLMCs and official-language issues

• Advanced verbal and written communications in both English and French. McGill is primarily English-language; English proficiency is required for communication.

• Excellent communication, organizational, and collaboration skills.

Selection committee and evaluation criteria

The selection committee includes academic scholars and OLMC stakeholders (e.g., OLMC organizations, legal practitioners, policy experts, public-sector partners). Evaluations will consider:

• Knowledge of the research area and its challenges

• Impact-oriented research components and community engagement

• Relevance to OLMC stakeholders

• Feasibility within the post-doctoral period

• OLMC representation and inclusion

Note: Before applying, you must be authorized to work in Canada and willing to work in Quebec at the campus where the position is based.

Compensation and location

Annual Salary: $67,000

Hours per Week: 35 (Full time)

Location: School of Continuing Studies, 680 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Supervisor: Dr. Marie-Hélène Girard

Position Start date: September 1, 2025

Position End date: August 31, 2026

Deadline to Apply: Will remain posted until filled

Equity and accommodations

McGill University is committed to equity and diversity. Applications are encouraged from qualified candidates including women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations may contact [e-mail].