Research Associate - Indigenous Data Sovereignty

University of Manitoba; Winnipeg; On-site; CAD 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) seeks a Research Associate to conduct independent research under HDRN Canada’s Indigenous Data Team. You will collaborate with Indigenous partners to advance data governance and sovereignty, and contribute to scholarly outputs and grant proposals.

Applicants should hold a doctorate or masters with experience in Indigenous health, data sovereignty, or related fields, and demonstrate leadership, collaboration, and strong writing skills.

Qualifications

• Leadership and collaborative skills.
• Strategic planning and project leadership.
• Strong writing and communication abilities.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a strategic plan for Indigenous Data Team and health data governance.
• Lead engagement with Indigenous scholars and communities on data governance and sovereignty.
• Support development of an Indigenous data sovereignty network and related proposals.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Prioritization

Effective communication

Interpersonal

Academic writing

Time management

Education

Doctorate or Master's degree in a relevant field

Job description

The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy invites applications from qualified Canadian citizens who identify as First Nations, Inuit, or Métis for a full-time position of Research Associate position commencing October 1, 2026, or on a date mutually agreed upon. Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

The Research Associate will conduct independent research under the purview of the Health Data Research Network’s (HDRN) Indigenous Data Team led by Dr. Amanda Fowler-Woods.

The incumbent collaborates with the HDRN Indigenous Data Team Lead to:

• Develop and implement a strategic plan for the Indigenous Data Team.
• Lead the engagement of First Nations, Inuit and Métis scholars, organizational leaders, and community members interested in Indigenous data governance and sovereignty.
• Support the development of an Indigenous data sovereignty network.
• Conduct and write literature reviews that synthesize academic peer-reviewed and grey literature on theory and practice around the application of the principles of Indigenous data governance and sovereignty.
• Develop and write proposals and applications for national and international peer-reviewed competitions for research funding relevant to Indigenous data governance and sovereignty.
• Write peer-reviewed academic manuscripts for publication (e.g., protocol papers, theoretical papers, and outcome(s)) focused on Indigenous data governance and sovereignty co-authored with Indigenous partners from community, academia and/or government.
• Disseminate research findings and best practices in Indigenous data governance and sovereignty.
• Facilitate national and international in-person, hybrid or virtual meetings and events.
• Prepare materials for presentations for internal meetings, conferences, workshops, and briefings to key stakeholders on the science and practice of Indigenous data governance and sovereignty.
• Develop approaches to bring Indigenous data governance and sovereignty approaches to administrative data research for the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) and the HDRN Canada.
• Develop analytic processes to support the application of Indigenous data governance and sovereignty.
• Provide direction to staff at MCHP and HDRN on how to incorporate principles and practices of Indigenous data governance and sovereignty into data management and use.
• Complete other duties as assigned.

Health Data Research Network (HDRN) Canada is a pan-Canadian non-profit network that facilitates multi-jurisdictional health data research and collaboration across provinces and territories. It is a national platform connecting provincial, territorial, and national organizations that hold population health and administrative data. Established in 2020, HDRN Canada aims to improve public health and the healthcare system by enabling researchers to access and analyze multi-regional health data while promoting inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and Indigenous data sovereignty.

Further information about HDRN Canada can be obtained from Home | HDRN Canada.

The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) is a research center of excellence within the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the Bannatyne Campus of the University of Manitoba.

MCHP has the responsibility for the establishment, on-going development and maintenance of the world-class Manitoba Population Research Data Repository (Repository) and its supporting systems. Staff at MCHP conduct policy relevant research using the Repository. The Repository is unprecedented internationally in terms of its comprehensiveness, degree of integration, and orientation around a population registry. It includes information derived from the health care system as well as housing, education and social assistance information. The data files are de-identified but linkable at the individual level and support history building across all files over a 50-year period. MCHP enables researchers to undertake population-based health services and broader determinants of health research and policy analysis using the Repository within legislative privacy regulations and ethical frameworks. MCHP relays its’ research results through knowledge translation best practices to provincial and federal health care decision-makers, data analysts, and providers. MCHP also provides support and supervision to graduate and post-graduate students on an annual basis.

MCHP is a faculty-level research center that reports to the Vice Provost of Health Sciences and Dean of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

Further information about the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy can be obtained from Manitoba Centre for Health Policy | University of Manitoba .

The successful candidate will hold a doctorate degree or Masters degree and relevant experience in Indigenous health, Indigenous studies, Indigenous data sovereignty and governance, population health, health sciences, health policy, community health, public health, psychology, social sciences or related fields.

Qualifications include:

Required Experience:

• Demonstrated history of commitment to advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
• Demonstrated experience with Indigenous research or Indigenous data governance and sovereignty as evidenced in successful research projects and products (e.g., publications, presentations).
• Demonstrated experience with co-developing knowledge with Indigenous partners from the community, academia and/or government.
• Demonstrated experience with upholding Indigenous data sovereignty principles in their own work.
• Experience with authoring and managing project documentation.Experience with co-authoring of reports or academic publications

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Required Skills:

• Leadership
• Strategic planning
• Prioritization skills
• Effective communication
• Interpersonal (people skills)
• Experience with academic writing
• Time management

Preferred Skills:

• Project management experience or formal training
• Experience with hiring and training processes
• Willingness to travel for national and international meetings

A Review of applications will begin on September 1, 2026 and will continue until filled.

Additional Information:

The Rady Faculty of Health Sciences is committed to the social justice principles of equity, access & participation and to promoting opportunities in hiring, promotion and tenure (where applicable) for systemically marginalized groups who have been excluded from full participation at the University and the larger community including Indigenous Peoples, Black, racially marginalized communities, disabled persons and those who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, questioning, intersex, asexual and other diverse sexual identities).

An inclusive, open and diverse community is essential to excellence and fosters voices that have been ignored or discouraged. To address the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences commitment to equity, access and participation, and in recognition of the underrepresentation of members of historically and currently excluded groups, we take proactive measures including implicit bias training for all hiring panels. We strive for diversity and cultural safety throughout the hiring process (hiring panels, short-list of candidates, interviews). The University acknowledges the potential impact that Career Interruptions and Personal Circumstances can have on an applicant's record of research achievement. Measures will be taken to ensure that these leaves will be taken into careful consideration during the evaluation process.

We encourage you to self-identity aspects of your identity that position you to bring currently under-represented viewpoints, expertise and forms of excellence to this role.

Discover outstanding employee benefits, experience world-class facilities and join a dynamic community that values reconciliation, sustainability, diversity, and inclusion. We are one of Manitoba’s Top Employers and one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers. At the University of Manitoba, what inspires you can change everything.