Postdoctoral Fellow, Indigenous Youth Mental Health, Thunder Bay, ON

Postdoctoral Fellow

Indigenous Youth Mental Health

Summary of position

The Postdoctoral fellow will be involved in an exciting research program funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) aimed at enhancing mental health and wellness among Indigenous young people, that builds on the work of the ACCESS Open Minds Indigenous Council. The research program has various objectives and aligned activities such as identifying and sharing wise practices; identifying, developing and testing culturally and contextually relevant interventions, and measures; understanding views of Indigenous youths, service providers, and decision-makers on topics related to youth mental health and mental health services and developing culturally and contextually relevant outcomes.

This program is supported by Indigenous-led services and organizations; Elders; Indigenous youth, scholars from various disciplines, knowledge users, leaders and community members, along with support from allied non-Indigenous decision-makers, health researchers/clinicians and other IYS leads from across Canada.

The Postdoctoral fellow will have the opportunity to work closely with all these partners; pursue and grow as a researcher in community-engaged, interdisciplinary Indigenous youth mental health services research; and strengthen their knowledge translation and communication skills.

Because this research program links with a larger network of integrated youth services networks (IYS-NET) and other youth mental health projects, the fellow will also have access to many national and international networking opportunities.

Description of tasks
The Postdoctoral fellow will be co-supervised by Christopher Mushquash, Ph.D. at Lakehead University, Ontario and Srividya Iyer, Ph.D., at McGill University, Quebec. The candidate will work closely with their teams and diverse community partners across Canada to:

• Actively contribute to conceptualization, implementation, data collection and analysis, knowledge translation and stakeholder engagement
• Coordinate and support existing and new partnerships around youth mental health and integrated services for Indigenous young people, with Indigenous knowledge keepers, young people, scholars, organizations
• Design and implement community-engaged research protocols
• Prepare ethics applications, and scientific writing (manuscripts, oral and poster presentations, reports etc.)
• Plan and participate in scientific outreach (seminars, conferences, etc.)
• Plan and participate in the supervision/mentoring of students, grant applications and innovative knowledge dissemination activities

Required qualifications

• PhD or equivalent qualification in a related field (Public Health/Psychology/Physical & Occupational Therapy/ Epidemiology/ Sociology/Psychiatry/Nursing/Education, Social Sciences/ Mental Health/ Social work, Anthropology, etc.)
• Experience working with Indigenous Peoples is a strong asset
• Experience with community-engaged research is desirable

Required skills

• Experience with quantitative or qualitative or mixed methods research methodology and related software applications (e.g., SPSS, R, STATA, SAS, NVIVO, ATLAS.ti, etc.) is required.
• Ability to communicate effectively in spoken and written English. French is an asset
• Evidence of active dissemination (e.g., peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, as well as other non-traditional forms of dissemination like multi-media).

Required abilities

• Ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary team environment
• Experience working with young people, families, community partners
• The Postdoctoral fellow will be expected to uphold a strong commitment to reconciliation and respectful partnership with Indigenous peoples in all their research endeavours. The team also strongly values equity, diversity and inclusion.

Location of Work

The candidate will be co-supervised by Drs. Mushquash and Iyer and registered at Lakehead University, Ontario, Canada or McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.

A mutually acceptable hybrid (remote and in-person) work arrangement can be negotiated. Some travel to work with community partners and participate in national/international research meetings may be required.

Work schedule and duration

• Full-time. Please contact to discuss any alternatives (e.g., 4 days a week).
• Duration: Two years
• Position is currently available. Start date can be negotiated

Salary and benefits

$50,000 annually (plus benefits) is guaranteed until other funding sources (e.g., FRQS, CIHR, etc.) greater than this amount is secured by fellow. The fellow will be supported to apply for their own salary support, funding, prizes, and grants.

Travel to national and/or international research meetings, and funds for operational costs associated with research projects will be offered.

How to apply  

Please email your application package to Navdeep Kaur at navdeep.kaur.comtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca with the following items as a single PDF with the subject “Postdoctoral Fellow application”:

• Curriculum vitae
• Name and contact info for 3 academic references
• Research interest statement letter that aligns with the position

Deadline to apply: January 15, 2023

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. We strongly encourage Indigenous scholars to apply for this position. McGill and Lakehead Universities are committed to fostering an equitable, accessible, and inclusive workplace. Accommodations are available for all applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you require accommodations, please contact, in confidence McGill University’s Human Resources at disability.hr@mcgill.ca and Lakehead University at (807) 343-8334 or human.resources@lakeheadu.ca to make appropriate arrangements.

Lakehead University respectfully acknowledges its campuses are located on the traditional lands of Indigenous Peoples. Lakehead Thunder Bay is located on the traditional lands of the Fort William First Nation, Signatory to the Robinson Superior Treaty of 1850. Lakehead Orillia is located on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg. The Anishinaabeg include the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Pottawatomi nations, collectively known as the Three Fires Confederacy. Lakehead University acknowledges the history that many nations hold in the areas around our campuses, and is committed to a relationship with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples based on the principles of mutual trust, respect, reciprocity, and collaboration in the spirit of reconciliation.

McGill University and the Douglas Research Centre are on land which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Kanien’kehá:ka of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Huron/Wendat, Abenaki, and Anishinaabeg. We recognize and respect the Kanien’kehà:ka as the traditional custodians of the lands and waters on which we meet today. Today, Tiohtià:ke/Montréal is home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other peoples. We respect the continued connections with the past, present and future in our ongoing relationships with Indigenous and other peoples within Montreal and across the country.