Research Assistant 2

McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences; Montreal (administrative region); On-site; CAD 59,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

McGill University’s Department of Biology is seeking a researcher to maintain and improve the BON in a Box platform and its biodiversity analysis pipelines. The role involves debugging pipelines, supporting diverse research use cases, and helping identify grants and partnerships to operationalize research.

You will present platform concepts to non-technical audiences, coordinate with policy actors, and assist in communicating strategy and outcomes to the scientific community under supervision.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in biology or equivalent.
• Experience in R and Python coding; Julia is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Maintain documentation of the BON in a Box platform and analytics pipelines.
• Debug or enhance biodiversity analysis pipelines supporting use cases.
• Identify grants, tenders and partnerships to support research operationalization.
• Contribute to writing application texts and policy-facing materials.
• Build relationships with policy actors and regional technical support centers.
• Present the BON in a Box platform and explain biodiversity concepts to non-technical audiences.

Skills

Biodiversity data analysis

R

Python

Public speaking

Policy outreach

Education

Master's degree in biology

Tools

R

Python

Julia

Job description

Hiring Unit: Department of Biology (*Professor Andrew Gonzalez*) **Position Summary:*** Maintains clear documentation of the BON in a Box platform and the available biodiversity analysis pipelines.* As required, debugs or enhances the biodiversity analysis pipelines supporting the use cases.* Assists in identifying grants, tenders and partnerships to support research operationalization, and contributes to writing application texts.* Assists in relationship-building with key policy actors such as parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the regional Technical Support Centers (TSC), to bring scientific research into policy.* Presents the BON in a Box platform and explains scientific concepts such as essential biodiversity variables and indicators to non-technical audiences in online and in-person events.* Under the PI’s supervision, reviews the communication strategy of BON in a Box - for example through social media and websites - to build awareness in our target user group and create a supporting scientific community.**Qualifications:*** Adaptability and a quick learning ability to understand diverse subjects in ecology, biodiversity, and data science.* Experience with biodiversity data analysis.Experience in R and python coding. Julia an asset.* Strong communication and public speaking skills with the ability to convey complex concepts clearly and effectively.* Demonstrated ability to build productive relationships with partners.* Maturity, professionalism, and a commitment to advancing biodiversity conservation efforts.**Education/Experience:*** Master's degree in biology or equivalent.* Experience in R and Python coding, Julia an asset.**Location:** This position is located in Montreal, Quebec and the work for this position is expected to be performed in Quebec.**Knowledge of French and English:** McGill University is an English-language university where day to day duties may require English communication both verbally and in writing. The level of English required for this position has been assessed at a level # (4) qualifier on a scale of 0-4.**Hourly Salary:**$32.96**Hours per Week:**35 (Full time)**Location:**Stewart Biology Bldg**Supervisor:**Professor**Position Start Date:**2026-09-14**Position End Date:**2026-12-31**Deadline to Apply:**2026-10-02**This position is covered by the Association of McGill University Research Employees (AMURE) collective agreement.**