Postdoctoral Fellowship - Urban Economics with a Focus on Housing and Immigration

Closing Date:The deadline for applications is April 30th, 2024. However, we will begin reviewing applications starting December 27th, 2023. Candidates who meet our requirements may be advanced to the interview stage prior to the closing date. We encourage interested candidates to apply at their earliest convenience to ensure consideration. 

Department/Faculty 
This position is within the Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology (REES), part of the Faculty of Agricultural, Life, and Environmental Sciences (ALES) at the University of Alberta. This position will be supervised by Dr. Feng Qiu. 

Position Summary 
The selected candidate will be supervised by Dr. Feng Qiu and will collaborate with an interdisciplinary team focused on urban studies. The primary objective of this role is to model and analyze the effects of immigration on housing affordability and municipal budgeting in Canada, utilizing spatial econometrics and other statistical techniques. 

This postdoctoral fellowship is part of the larger project “Migrant Integration in the Mid-21st Century: Bridging Divides,” funded by The Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) and led by Toronto Metropolitan University. Dr. Sandeep Agrawal is the lead for this project at the University of Alberta. For further details about the overarching project, please visit: https://www.torontomu.ca/bridging-divides  

Position Duration 
The initial appointment for this position is for one year. Subject to satisfactory performance, this may be extended to two years, with further extensions possible thereafter.  

Compensation and Benefits 
The annual salary for this position ranges between $55,000 and $65,000 CAN. Additionally, the position includes a benefits package, details of which are provided in the Postdoctoral Fellows Benefits . 

Qualifications 

• Educational Background: PhD in Economics, Urban Economics, Labor Economics, or a related discipline. 
• Econometrics: Demonstrated expertise with advanced skills in statistical/econometric analysis using recognized statistical software such as R or Stata. 
• GIS Software: Familiarity with tools like ArcGIS or QGIS. 
• Communication: Effective written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively in a diverse team environment. 

Other Desired Attributes 

• Real Estate Market/Housing Modeling: Experience in land use modeling is preferred. 
• Scientific Writing: Proven proficiency in producing high-quality scientific writing. 
• Geospatial Data Science: Solid knowledge of geospatial data science and spatial econometrics. 

Key Responsibilities Include 

• Collecting and analyzing housing, immigration, municipal budgeting data. 
• Develop models for housing valuation and labor migration to identify the impacts of immigration on housing affordability and municipal finance. 
• Investigating the extent to which municipal deficits and debts are attributable to the costs of providing public goods and services to newcomers in urban and rural areas. 
• Preparing presentations, drafting reports, and writing academic publications related to the research. 

How to Apply

To apply or for more information contact Dr. Feng Qiu: [email protected]

Applications should be a single pdf,containing 

Evaluation of applications will begin on December27th and will be rolling after that.For more information contact Dr. Feng Qiu: [email protected]  

We appreciate the interest of all applicants. However, only those selected for an interview will receive a response. Priority will be given to Canadians and permanent residents. If no suitable candidates from these groups are identified, international candidates will be considered. 

At the University of Alberta, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible hiring process for all candidates. If you require accommodations to participate in the interview process, please let us know at the time of booking your interview and we will make every effort to accommodate your needs.