Research Associate, Indigenous Brain Health, Family Medicine

University of Calgary; Calgary; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Calgary invites applications for a Research Associate, Indigenous Brain Health in the Department of Family Medicine. This full-time fixed term role (≈1 year, with potential extension) reports to the Research Manager and collaborates with PI and community partners on brain health projects.

Applicants should have a graduate health-related degree or 5+ years in health care research, with strong qualitative skills, Indigenous engagement experience, and proficiency in

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in health-related field or 5+ years health care/health research experience.
• Strong understanding of Indigenous health research and ethics principles.
• Experience with community-engaged research and OCAP/Tri-Council guidelines.
• Proficient with qualitative methods and knowledge of quantitative designs is a plus.
• Excellent written and oral communication; adaptable to new challenges.

Responsibilities

• Conduct qualitative research processes including interviews, focus groups and data analysis.
• Collaborate with Indigenous community partners to ensure inclusive engagement.
• Support ethics submissions and knowledge-sharing activities such as posters and manuscripts.
• Perform literature reviews, knowledge syntheses, and scoping reviews.
• Coordinate progress updates and liaise with research team and partners.

Skills

Qualitative research

Interviews

Focus groups

Inter-cultural communication

NVivo

Qualtrics

Office Suite

SPSS

STATA

Research ethics

Education

Graduate degree in health-related field

5+ years of health care/health research experience

Tools

NVivo

Qualtrics

SPSS

STATA

Job description

Description

The Department of Family Medicine in the Cumming School of Medicine invites applications for a Research Associate. This Full-time Fixed Termposition is for approximately 1 year (based on length of grant funding), with the possibility of extension.

Reporting to the Research Manager and additionally accountable to the Principal Investigator and Community Partners, this role will be working on a portfolio of brain health research projects. Because of the complex multi-staged nature of the projects, the Research Associate is required to demonstrate strong organizational, time management, critical thinking and analytical skills and is expected to handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment. The position exercises a degree of autonomy in research activities and is expected to work independently in performance of day-to-day activities. The position also involves liaising with community members, research participants, and researchers. As such, the Research Associate must demonstrate strong communication and interpersonal skills and is expected to work collaboratively with the research team, network team members, and departmental and interdepartmental teams.

All members of the team will perform training on ethical research and work with Indigenous people, communities, and data. Experience with Indigenous community-based work is an asset for members of the research team.

The primary purpose of the Research Associate, Indigenous Brain Health is to work relationally and collaboratively with Indigenous communities on culturally safe brain health care.

This role supports the continued Indigenization of the University of Calgary.

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

• Carrying out qualitative research processes and procedures, including developing recruitment materials and interview guides, conducting interviews, facilitating focus groups, and analyzing qualitative data in collaboration with the research team
• Ensuring team members are up-to-date and informed on progress and challenges throughout the research process
• Work collaboratively and respectfully with Indigenous community partners and healthcare partners to ensure inclusion of all voices in the completion of the research project
• Support writing for ethics submissions for new and existing projects when needed
• Support knowledge sharing efforts as required by each project, such as generating presentations and research posters, and drafting reports and manuscripts
• Conduct literature reviews, knowledge syntheses, and assist with scoping reviews

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Graduate degree in health-related field (i.e. nursing, health sciences) and/or 5+ years of experience in health care settings or health research in any of the following areas: Indigenous health, health services research, health policy or systems, health-related social science research and population/public health. A combination of education and experience will be considered
• In-depth understanding of community-engaged research practices, Metis Research Ethics Principles, OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access, Possession) and informed prior consent, and the Tri-Council Policy Statement 2, chapter nine
• In-depth understanding of ii' taa'poh'to'p, and its key concepts, particularly parallel paths and ethical space
• Experience working with equity-deserving communities, particularly engaging with community members
• Knowledge of qualitative research design, methods, and methodology is required. Knowledge of quantitative research design, methods, and methodology is an asset
• Strong inter-cultural communication skills is required
• Experience conducting interviews or focus groups in a health research environment is required
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint) and survey software (e.g. Qualtrics)
• Experience with qualitative analysis software (e.g. NVivo) is required. Experience with quantitative (e.g. SPSS/STATA) software is an asset
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills for the purpose of presentation and/or publication
• Must be open to learning and development and be flexible and willing to accept new challenges and assignments
• Experience and knowledge of the university's research ethics procedures is required

Application Deadline: October 22, 2026

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Specialist/Advisor Job Family, Phase 3.

For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Institutional Commitments ([e-mail]) and requests for accommodations can be sent to People & Culture ([e-mail]).

UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy ii' taa'poh'to'p committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

The university's commitment to the Indigenous Strategy is evident through the oversight of 18 Elders serving on the Circle of Advisors and the many unit-based circles working towards implementation of the strategy including the Faculty Advisory Circle and teams such as the Office of Indigenous Engagement, the Writing Symbols Lodge, and the Indigenous Research Support Team. Many Indigenous-based events and processes are impacting curriculum, programming and polices at the University of Calgary.

however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.