Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Job Category
Faculty Non Bargaining

Job Title
Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Department
School of Biomedical Engineering | Faculty of Medicine | Provost and VP Academic (Peter Zandstra)

Posting End Date
January 18, 2024

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

Job End Date
Jan 31, 2025

The expected pay range for this position is: $55,000 - $65,000/year

The School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME) at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver campus, is seeking a candidate to fill a one-year full-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow position, starting in February 2024 or later, with the possibility and preference to extend to a second year, subject to work performance. 

The School of Biomedical Engineering is a partnership between the Faculties of Medicine and Applied Science, acting as a nucleus for education and training, research, and innovation in biomedical engineering, creating new knowledge, new academic and training programs, and fostering translation and innovation. Its vision is to transform health care outcomes through unconstrained exploration of the best possible integrative solutions across engineering, medicine, and biology. Through collaborative, innovative, and interdisciplinary approach and building on UBC academic and research excellence, the School of Biomedical Engineering aspires to be a global leader in biomedical engineering research, education and translation. For more information about the School of Biomedical Engineering, please visit https://www.sbme.ubc.ca/ .

The candidate will play a leading role in fostering cohesiveness of, and enhancing, the undergraduate curriculum. This will involve designing, implementing, and assessing existing or new learning modules in alignment with accreditation and curriculum improvement priorities.

The focus of the work is on improving the undergraduate program, in-line with SBME’s priority to facilitate continual improvement of the curriculum. The successful candidate is also expected to co-lead educational activities with faculty, teaching assistants, and support staff. This rich educational environment will support curriculum development and engineering education research aimed at promoting student learning through teamwork and hands-on skills development. The candidate will be supervised by faculty in the educational leadership stream who possess established expertise in engineering education and associated pedagogical research. This position provides an excellent opportunity for building a career in engineering education and is ideal for individuals with a strong interest in leading engineering education efforts in their career. 

The following summarizes the responsibilities of the position:

• Conduct Engineering Education Research: Perform literature and practice reviews to identify the best continual improvement strategies in engineering education

• Scaffold Continual Improvement: Propose methods to monitor and respond to evolving curriculum needs. 

• Lead Curriculum Consultations: Spearhead consultations with faculty to identify and address skills-building gaps within the curriculum.

• Evaluate Curriculum Content: Identify current gaps related to hands-on skills development and teamwork in the design spine of the curriculum.

• Refine Curriculum: Review the underlying pedagogy of, and develop content for, the second-year curriculum. Find synergies between courses to reduce student workload.

• Facilitate interdisciplinary Learning: Develop and implement a structure for  cross-disciplinary student collaboration, together with the UBC Sauder School of Business and the School of Population and Public Health programs.

• Report Progress: Facilitate and guide discussions at regular meetings with the School Director, undergraduate co-directors, accreditation and curriculum committees, and the faculty.

• Collect and Analyze Data: Oversee data collection and perform quantitative and qualitative data analysis, to evaluate the developed content and pedagogies.

• Contribute to Educational Research: Write peer-reviewed manuscripts for publication in engineering education-related journals. Attend and present at conferences and workshops related to engineering education.

A successful candidate will have:

• A PhD in Biomedical Engineering or another relevant engineering discipline (including engineering education-related degrees), completed within the last 5 years.

• Experience teaching in a post-secondary context (e.g., as an instructor or teaching assistant).

• Strong leadership and communication skills, preferably in the context of engineering education.

• An interest in a career path in post-secondary teaching and learning within engineering (such as the Engineering Educational Leadership stream at UBC and other major Canadian post-secondary institutions).

It is preferred (but not required) for a candidate to have:

• Experience developing curricular content.

• Experience creating and applying innovative pedagogies.

• Knowledge of supporting literature in the areas of interest.

Application Process:

Please submit the following documents, combined into one PDF file via Workday:

• A CV highlighting relevant experience

• A cover letter stating your particular interest in the position and your qualifications with respect to the position requirements

• A 1-page statement on your current and/or planned contributions to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in academic, professional, or community contexts

• Contact information for three references

Review of applications will commence on Jan 18th, 2024, and continue on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Submit applications at: https://ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/ubcfacultyjobs

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students, and is essential to fostering an outstanding work environment. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

The University is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and equitable work environment for all members of its workforce. An inclusive work environment presumes an environment where differences are accepted, recognized, and integrated into current structures, planning, and decision-making modes. Within this hiring process we will make efforts to create an inclusive and equitable process for all candidates (including but not limited to people with disabilities).  Confidential accommodation is available on request for applicants who are short-listed. Please contact Carmen de Hoog via email at [email protected]. 

To learn more about UBC’s Center for Workplace Accessibility, visit the website here https://hr.ubc.ca/CWA.   

Our Vision: To Transform Health for Everyone.

Ranked among the world’s top medical schools with the fifth-largest MD enrollment in North America, the UBC Faculty of Medicine is a leader in both the science and the practice of medicine. Across British Columbia, more than 11,000 faculty and staff are training the next generation of doctors and health care professionals, making remarkable discoveries, and helping to create the pathways to better health for our communities at home and around the world. 

The Faculty of Medicine is comprised of approximately 2,200 administrative support, technical/research and management and professional staff, as well approximately 650 full-time academic and over 9,000 clinical faculty members - is composed of 19 academic basic science and/or clinical departments, three schools, and 24 research centres and institutes. Together with its University and Health Authority partners, the Faculty delivers innovative programs and conducts research in the areas of health and life sciences. Faculty, staff and trainees are located at university campuses, clinical academic campuses in hospital settings and other regionally based centres across the province.

The Faculty of Applied Science includes all UBC Engineering activities at both the UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan, as well as the Schools of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Community and Regional Planning and Nursing. The Faculty was one of UBC's three founding faculties, admitting some of the University's first students in engineering in 1915. The Faculty includes over 300 full-time faculty members and more than 8,600 students.

The Faculty of Applied Science comprises a unique constellation of disciplines and is committed to creating lasting change by discovering and applying knowledge. Our core purpose is to discover, design, and innovate, provide unwavering top-tier education, and champion a community of responsible professionals devoted to serving a thriving, sustainable and healthy society. Our work and the professional disciplines we represent span the entire human-centred built environment. We represent innovation at all scales from nanoscale electronic devices that power communications to the design of entire cities.

The UBC Vancouver Campus is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of thexʷm əθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. The City of Vancouver is located on Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations territory.

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 of Canada will be given priority.