Research Associate

Job Category
Faculty Non Bargaining

Job Title
Research Associate

Department
UBCO | Postdoctoral Research Support | Chau | School of Engineering | Faculty of Applied Science (Kenneth Chau)

Posting End Date
April 13, 2024

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above.

Job End Date
Jun 30, 2025

The expected pay for this position is $5,833.33/month

Are you interested in working on new technologies to improve drinking water quality in small communities? The School of Engineering (SoE) at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Okanagan campus, is accepting applications for a full-time Research Associate in ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diode (LED) photoreactor technology, working with Professors Kenneth Chau, Nicolas Peleato, and Lorne Whitehead. As the lead researcher in a multi-disciplinary project between UBC, Acuva Technologies, and the First Nations Technical Services Advisory Group, the individual will lead the day-to-day operations of a multi-year research project that will explore innovative ultraviolet UV LED water treatment technologies suitable for drinking water systems in small communities. The initial appointment is for one year and subject to work performance, may be extended for up to an additional three years. The support for this position includes salary, health benefits, and access to $10,000/year in materials and supplies to drive a research agenda forward. The anticipated start date of this Research Associate position is July 1, 2024 or upon a date to be mutually agreed.

Applicants should be at the rank of a Research Associate (or equivalent), though applicants at the rank of Postdoctoral Fellow are eligible if they have doctoral and postdoctoral experience at labs in UV photoreactors, applied optics, optical materials design and fabrication, and environmental sensors. The Research Associate will have a track record of pursuing independent, innovative projects and ideally be an optical scientist or optical engineer with a PhD in Physics, Optical Engineering, and/or Nanotechnology. Based on their high-quality publication/patent record, they will have experience using optical simulation techniques to design micro- and nano-structured systems, developing robust fabrication techniques, performing experimental characterization of optical materials and systems, and testing device performance under real-world conditions. They must be deeply skilled at designing, fabricating, trouble-shooting, and characterizing optical materials operating at visible or UV frequencies and have experience implementing these materials in systems under real-world conditions. They have broad experience building, supporting and running a high-caliber research program with outcomes disseminated to academic, non-profit, and industrial partners.

Applicants will also have a stellar reputation supporting the training of Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP); serving as a role model for inclusive excellence in support of diverse people, ideas, and opportunities. Competitive proposal-writing and grant-management experience as a PI/coPI will be considered. Because the Research Associate will represent their supervisor and UBC/O in many venues, it is imperative that they have excellent written and oral communication skills, as well as stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution abilities. While based at UBC Okanagan, the Research Associate is expected to seek, secure, and support collaborations with the Vancouver campus. The Research Associate will actively collaborate and maintain partnerships with the Sustainable Solutions Applied Physics Laboratory at UBC Vancouver, Acuva Technologies, and the First Nations Technical Services Advisory Group.

The ideal candidate is also seeking to launch their career as an academic and/or serial entrepreneur. They must have experience in writing proposals, securing grants, managing budgets, driving results, taking quality publications from conception to completion, securing intellectual property, managing a patent portfolio, and establishing mutually-beneficial collaborations with academia, government agencies, and/or industry. As a future leader, they must have great technical and non-technical communication skills.

Expectations for the Research Associate include but are not limited to: (1) designing UV optical materials using optical simulation techniques, (2) developing scalable fabrication techniques to realize material designs, (3) integrating UV optical materials into UV LED photoreactors and testing their performance under real-world conditions in collaboration with small communities,  (4) provide operational supervision of the project and the people involved with it, (5) supervise and/or co-supervise graduate students, (6) seek, secure, and support grants as the primary investigator, co-investigator, and/or senior personnel, (7) seed, serve, and sustain high-caliber research activity at UBCO, (8) and teach strategic courses in Engineering, Optics, and/or Physics if it is both aligned to the career ambitions of the candidate and in support of the School of Engineering’s commitment to Outlook 2040.

UBC is a global centre for research, teaching, and service, consistently ranked among the 40 best universities in the world – and top 20 public universities. According to Maclean’s 2023 University Rankings, UBC is Canada’s best engineering program. The Faculty of Applied Science is the bridge that connects Engineering across the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.

The University opened its Okanagan campus in 2005 as a bold new UBC presence in the interior of beautiful British Columbia, designed to deliver on the promise of a research-intensive institution purpose-built for the 21st century. UBC Okanagan (UBCO) is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation. With the campus rapidly emerging as a research powerhouse, UBCO students receive an outstanding education in a stimulating student-centric learning environment. Over the last five years, campus research income has more than doubled. Success rates at the Canadian tri-councils (SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR) have consistently exceeded national averages. Faculty have formal research partnerships with over 100 organizations (e.g. local non-profits, regional enterprises, national and multinational corporations, regional health authorities, hospitals, and municipalities), with activities on the main UBCO campus and in the Innovation UBC hub, which is located downtown in the Okanagan’s thriving tech ecosystem. In 2019, UBC Okanagan published Outlook 2040, a visioning exercise that positions the campus as one of Canada’s fastest growing post-secondary institutions. The Research Associate has an outstanding opportunity to co-create a research enterprise in the area of UV LED photoreactor technology that fully supports Outlook 2040.

Please send your application online at https://hr.ok.ubc.ca/careers-opportunities by April 12, 2024.  Applications should include: (1) curriculum vitae including descriptions of previous projects; (2) a maximum 1-page letter of interest describing your motivations and qualifications; and (3) names and contact information for three referees. The complete application file should be submitted in the format of one PDF file.

In assessing applications, UBC recognizes the legitimate impact that leaves (e.g., parental leave, leave due to illness) can have on a candidate's record of research achievement. These leaves will be taken into careful consideration during the assessment process and should be included in the letter of interest and/or the curriculum vitae.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. UBC welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for all candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. To make a confidential request for accommodations, please contact Professor Kenneth Chau at [email protected].