A Postdoctoral Fellow (PDF) position is currently available for a one-year period (with the possibility of extension) in the Social Justice in Mental Health Research Lab in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Western University under the supervision of Dr. Carrie Anne Marshall. Candidates holding a PhD. in a social or health sciences discipline are invited to apply. Note that this position is a full-time posting. This position will be situated in Kingston, Ontario, with the potential for occasional travel to London, Ontario.
This fellowship will offer an opportunity to build upon one’s research skills in the context of a pilot study aimed at evaluating a novel intervention called the “Peer to Community (P2C) Model”, an intervention designed to support community integration following homelessness through meaningful activity and relationship building facilitated by peer support specialists, occupational therapy and social work. This research involves:
- Conducting mixed interviews every three months with persons with lived experiences of homelessness over the course of the one-year pilot
- Maintaining and updating the ethics applications for the study
- Participating in the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data every three months across the one-year pilot
- Leading one or more manuscripts based on the findings of the pilot study
- Participating in the refinement of the P2C model based on the pilot findings
- Supporting local organizations to obtain funding for implementing the P2C model beyond the one-year pilot study
- Participating in the development of grant applications to fund larger scale implementation science research aimed at evaluating the P2C model
- Supervising master’s and PhD-level research assistants involved in this study
Applicants must demonstrate some or all the following competencies:
- Knowledge of mental illness and substance use disorders
- Demonstrated experience in interacting with individuals with experiences of homelessness and housing precarity
- Experience with qualitative research and the conduct and analysis of qualitative interviews
- Use of qualitative data management (Dedoose or NVivo) and survey software (Qualtrics)
- Knowledge of SPSS, and the conduct of descriptive statistics within this program
- Knowledge of advanced statistics for measuring longitudinal outcomes (i.e. regression, mixed effects modelling)
- Grant writing experience
- Scholars who have backgrounds in epidemiology, statistics, or who are are social workers, occupational therapists, and/or who have lived experience of homelessness are specifically encouraged to apply
This position will provide the following opportunities:
- Expanding the candidate’s publication record
- Development of expertise in implementation science research
- Building upon existing research networks
- Deepening one’s knowledge of poverty and homelessness, and how these intersect with mental health and substance use
- Developing an independent program of research related to the objectives of the pilot study
- Knowledge dissemination and mobilization opportunities
This position will begin on June 1, 2023, and end on May 30, 2024 with the possibility of extension. Interested applicants should forward a copy of their research CV and a cover letter describing their competencies related to this position by 5pm on April 1, 2023 to carrie.marshall@uwo.ca. The successful candidate will be provided with $50,000/annum in funding with the expectation that they apply for external funding sources throughout their one-year appointment.