Research Associate

Queen's University; Eastern Ontario; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A Canadian research-intensive university is seeking a Research Associate focused on sustainable finance to conduct research, manage projects, and support the development of educational opportunities. The ideal candidate holds a Master's degree and has experience in data analysis, programming, and communication skills. This temporary position involves collaboration with various stakeholders in an innovative research environment.

Qualifications

• Several years of experience in research-focused roles.
• Experience with data collection and analysis methods.
• Strong programming and data collection skills.

Responsibilities

• Conduct and oversee research associated with the ISF mandate.
• Collaborate on data-intensive projects and tasks.
• Write and prepare reports and policy briefs.

Skills

Data Analysis

Programming in Python

Statistical analysis techniques

Climate finance knowledge

Education

Master's degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, or Environmental Studies

Undergraduate degree in Mathematics

Tools

Python

R

Stata

SPSS

Job description

Overview

COVID 19 On-Campus Requirements Prior to May 1 2022 the University required all students faculty staff and visitors (including contractors) to declare their COVID-19 vaccination status and provide proof that they were fully vaccinated or had an approved accommodation to engage in in-person University activities. These requirements were suspended effective May 1 2022 but the University may reinstate them at any point.

About Queens University Queens University is the Canadian research intensive university with a transformative student learning experience. Here the employment experience is as diverse as it is interesting. We have opportunities in multiple areas of globally recognized research faculty administration engineering & construction athletics & recreation power generation corporate shared services and many more.

We are committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcome applications from individuals from equity seeking groups such as women racialized / visible minorities Indigenous / Aboriginal peoples persons with disability persons who identify in the LGBTQ community and others who reflect the diversity of Canadian society.

Come work with us!

Job Summary

The ISF (Institute for Sustainable Finance) is a multi-disciplinary network of research and professional development that brings together academia the private sector and government to shape Canadas innovations in sustainable finance. The Institutes mission is to align mainstream financial markets with Canadas transition to a prosperous sustainable economy. ISF is first of its kind in Canada to fill the gap of relevant data expertise and business-oriented solutions for sustainable finance.

The ISF will implement this mission through the following set of objectives :

• Generate innovative and relevant research on sustainable finance and effectively communicate this research to all pertinent stakeholders.
• Serve as a platform for collaboration between government academia and industry.
• Provide educational opportunities and develop capacity in the field of sustainable finance.

Reporting to the Director ISF and working closely with the Executive Director the Research Associate will conduct coordinate and oversee the development implementation and completion of research associated with the ISF mandate as well as record results and make adjustments to protocols as necessary. The incumbent will be responsible for advising the leadership team of potential initiatives related to the work in ISF. Delegates and coordinates work flow and acts as a liaison to internal and external stakeholders to formulate and / or adjust current research plans as necessary in light of new information. Incumbent will perform some administrative duties and participate in other special projects as required.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with faculty and research staff on data-intensive projects and tasks.
• Complete a variety of research projects in coordination with the Director the Executive Director (Academic) and independently. These projects include but are not limited to : a mix of academic research white papers benchmarking studies policy studies environmental assessment financial analysis and industry-facing reports.
• Develop and train machine learning models to analyze ESG (Environmental Social Governance) related data financial markets and sustainability trends.
• Advance and coordinate methodologies for research with the team and be willing to incorporate novel techniques into research.
• Stay up to date with academic literature and best practices in sustainable finance.
• Curate and clean complex datasets including climate risk disclosures satellite imagery sustainability ratings and corporate financials.
• Automate data pipelines using tools like Python SQL and cloud platforms.
• Support the building of in-house data portal that can be utilized by Canadian researchers.
• Write edit prepare reports white papers and policy briefs and briefing notes on behalf of ISF.
• Collaborate with the team in writing grant proposals for research projects.

Required Qualifications

• Masters degree in a research-focused program in Finance Economics Accounting or Environmental Studies preferred (with several years of experience) or an undergraduate degree in Mathematics.
• Experience with data collection and analysis methods using Python R Stata including web scraping and machine learning.
• Preferred background in statistics computer science or mathematics.
• Strong programming and data collection skills or familiar with data challenges would be a plus.
• Modelling experience (formulating and solving) and working with large amounts of financial data.
• Climate finance and / or environmental economics research experience preferred.
• Professional experience within the finance industry considered an asset.

Special Skills

• Data Analysis : Proficiency in statistical analysis techniques (e.g. regression analysis time-series analysis factor analysis) and the ability to interpret results is crucial.
• Programming : Knowledge of programming languages such as R Python or SAS is often required for data manipulation analysis and visualization.
• Statistical Software : Familiarity with statistical software packages like SPSS Stata or R is important for analyzing quantitative data.
• Data Visualization : The ability to create clear and informative visualizations (charts graphs) to present research findings is essential.
• Data Management : Skills in data cleaning organization and management are necessary to ensure data quality and integrity.
• Communication : Effectively communicate research findings through written reports presentations and other means is essential.
• Attention to Detail : Accuracy in data collection analysis and reporting is critical.

Employment Equity and Accessibility Statement

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queens is strongly committed to employment equity diversity and inclusion in the workplace and encourages applications from Black racialized persons Indigenous people women persons with disabilities and 2SLGBTQI persons. In accordance with Canadian Immigration requirements priority will be given to those who are legally eligible to work in Canada.

The University provides support in its recruitment processes to all applicants who require accommodation due to a protected ground under the Ontario Human Rights Code including those with disabilities. Candidates requiring accommodation during the recruitment process are asked to contact Human Resources at .

Employment Type : Temp

Vacancy : 1