Undergraduate Academic Assistant

University-of-British-Columbi; Kelowna; Hybrid; CAD 25,000 - 36,000; Part time

Job summary

The University of British Columbia Okanagan invites applications for an Undergraduate Academic Assistant to support a socio-cultural-ecological project on violent individuals under Dr. Edward Taylor.

Duties include literature searches, data collection, and assisting with reporting. You will work in Kelowna with occasional off-campus tasks, attend regular team meetings, and help prepare manuscripts for publication.

Qualifications

• Registered and enrolled in a second, third or fourth-year undergraduate degree.
• Strong reading, comprehension, and writing skills; ability to write literature reviews.
• Experience conducting web/social media searches; familiarity with SPSS and NVivo preferred.

Responsibilities

• Conduct complex library literature and computer media searches.
• Identify research variables within datasets and analyze findings for themes.
• Prepare and present research findings for review by the team.

Education

Undergraduate degree

Tools

SPSS

NVivo

Databases

Spreadsheets

Job description

Student (JFG)Job CategoryStudent EmployeeJob TitleUndergraduate Academic AssistantDepartmentUBCO | Research | Taylor | School of Social Work | Faculty of Health and Social Development (Judy Gillespie (Inherited))Posting End DateDecember 30, 2026Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.Job End DateDecember 31, 2026$22/hourSummaryParticipate in an investigation into how ecological systems, culture, behaviour, cognitive-information-processing styles, and psychological temperament interact to influence violent individuals. This is a socio-cultural-ecological pilot study informed by existing literature, web postings, and available data.Duties & ResponsibilitiesConduct complex library literature and computer media searchesWork with the team to determine which literature is used by the projectConduct research-related tasks such as identifying and summarizing findings from articles, documents, and social media web informationConduct data collection, including data analysis and data managementIdentify research variables within select datasetsAnalyze findings to determine themes and linkage among and between variablesConduct content analysis of selected literaturePrepare and present research findings for review by team membersHelp improve research activities and make revisions as necessary in work plans and productsWrite research reportsParticipate in regular team meetingsWork collaboratively with the team leader and other Research Assistants (RA)Participate in writing articles for publication (authorship is based on the amount of original writing for the article completed by the RA)Perform other related duties as required.QualificationsRegistered and enrolled in a second, third or fourth-year Undergraduate degreeMaintain good academic standingApplicant must have skills and experience conducting web social media searches and the ability to write literature reviewsStrong reading, comprehension, and writing skills are required.Preference given for experience using databases and spreadsheetsPreference given to individuals who have experience using SPSS and NVivo qualitative and quantitative analysis software.Works collaboratively and completes tasks independentlyAdditional InformationThe study uses published articles and documents, along with computer-generated information, to examine the development of violent individuals. This research aims to create a multidimensional description of individuals who intentionally engage in physical assaults. Harmonizing interacting elements rather than reporting singular concepts, such as home situation or socioeconomic phenomena, provides a more complete representation of how violent plans are formed. The study seeks to create a unified source of information detailing the many ecological dimensions of violent individuals.The successful candidate will work directly with Dr. Edward Taylor. In addition to conducting web searches, the student will communicate with government and not-for-profit agencies. The student will attend regular meetings with Dr. Taylor. Most of the research will take place at the UBCO Landmark Tower offices. However, part of the assigned work can be completed off campus. This project is expected to continue until December 2027.