"Joint Postdoctoral Fellowship: A Safe and Affordable Place to Call Home"

Jointly held between Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Carleton University

We are accepting applications for a joint postdoctoral fellowship for a project entitled A Safe and Affordable Place to Call Home: A Multi-disciplinary Longitudinal Outcomes Analysis of the National Housing Strategy. The fellowship is scheduled to begin on January 5, 2026, and will be offered for an initial term of one year, with the possibility of extension for an additional year.

The postdoctoral fellow will be responsible for overseeing the successful translation of research findings within this large-scale multi-disciplinary housing project, for community stakeholders, public audiences, and policy makers, with the goal of generating systems change in the Housing and Homelessness sector. The postdoctoral fellow will be supervised by project co-directors Dr Liam O’Brien (Civil & Environmental Engineering) and Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly (Sociology & Anthropology). The successful applicant will work collaboratively with a small staff team dedicated to overseeing the implementation of this project.

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University (located in Ottawa, Canada) is one of the oldest and most highly regarded departments within its disciplines in Canada. Offering both undergraduate and graduate programs in Sociology and Anthropology, our department is a lively hub of academic research, training, and learning. Learn more at https://carleton.ca/socanth.

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers some of the most dynamic, innovative, and cross-disciplinary undergraduate and graduate programs in Canada. Of particular relevance, it has internationally leading academic and research programs in buildings (e.g., sustainability, housing, human-centric design, heritage buildings).

Research Project OverviewA Safe and Affordable Place to Call Home is funded by CMHC and administered by SSHRC through its Partnership Granting stream. The project brings together academic researchers, community organizations, government representatives, Indigenous Advisory members, First Voice Experts, an International Advisory, and industry partners from across Canada to help guide and inform a critical assessment of Canada’s National Housing Strategy (NHS).

While the NHS represents a significant and necessary re-investment in housing, concerns have been raised about its effectiveness. With affordable housing increasingly inaccessible to many Canadians and the compounding impacts of climate change, the consequences for the social, health, and economic well-being of communities is a significant concern. The project is designed to generate a multi-disciplinary, longitudinal outcomes analysis that focuses on the experiences of the most vulnerable Canadians in relation to the following core themes:

1. Understanding the health (physical, mental, emotional) of residents living in social, community, or subsidized private market housing.
2. Analyzing the evolution of social outcomes associated with housing investments including assessments of social inclusion and exclusion.
3. Assessing the trajectory of economic outcomes relating to housing investments such as impact of housing supports, access to employment, and reliance on social benefits.
4. Determining climate impacts of various forms of affordable housing and developing climate mitigation strategies.

Our research is also assessing the effectiveness of efforts to operationalize a rights-based approach to housing for all people living in Canada, as well as generating research that will support the NHS Indigenous and Northern Housing initiatives. The project brings together stakeholders concerned with the expansion and maintenance of affordable, sustainable, healthy, and climate-resilient housing across Canada, in order to address the crisis of homelessness and precarious housing faced by Canadians from across the country.

Working under the supervision of the co-directors, and in collaboration with a small staff team, the postdoctoral fellow will focus primarily on translating research findings from our 26+ active researchers from across Canada into tangible and useful products for consumption by our 30+ community partners, housing and homelessness organizations from outside our project, members of the general public, and policy-makers/program implementation staff, particularly at the federal level but also for provincial/territorial and municipal governments.

For more information about the project, please visit our website at www.safeandaffordable.ca

Principal Investigator and Co-DirectorDr. Jacqueline Kennelly
Full Professor, Dept of Sociology and Anthropology

Co-DirectorDr. Liam O’Brien
Full Professor, Dept of Civil and Environmental Engineering

SalaryThe postdoctoral fellow will be offered a salary of $70,000 per annum, with the additional ability to opt into an extended health and dental benefit plan, and a cost-of-living increase every May 1st. The PDF will be unionized as a member of PSAC Local 77000. Information on this bargaining unit can be found at https://psac77000.ca/. Professional development funds can be accessed through the postdoctoral union for conference travel and other forms of academic professional development.

Position, Duties and ResponsibilitiesThe incumbent of this position will, under the direction of Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly and Dr. Liam O’Brien, be responsible for leading the knowledge translation activities of the project, including but not limited to the following core responsibilities:

• In consultation with staff, researchers, community partners, and our three advisory committees, develop research translation outputs directed at distinct audiences, including but not limited to: the general public, policymakers, program implementation staff, and the housing and homelessness sector.
• Take the lead in producing at least one collaborative academic output, for instance a special issue of a journal or an edited book, showcasing our researchers’ findings;
• Participate in bi-weekly staff meetings in order to better understand the evolving knowledge translation needs of the project;
• Support the co-directors and staff team in organizing the project’s culminating International Housing Research Conference, to be held in Ottawa in 2028.
• Take the lead in creating an accessibly-written research report that synthesizes key findings from the overall project, in the final year.
• The PDF may also be engaged in activities such as supporting reports to our funder; engaging and liaising with media; and collaborating with our Communications staff member on website design and social media posts.

Job RequirementsThe chosen candidate will have completed their PhD in any field, with their doctorate in-hand by the time the postdoctoral fellowship begins. Expertise in community-engaged and participatory research, knowledge translation, and/or housing studies is an asset. Ability to work collaboratively in a time-limited academic project and to produce high quality academic, community and policy outputs is a necessity. More specifically, the successful candidate will have demonstrated skills and experience in most or all of the following:

• Project co-ordination and time management;
• Communication across a diverse range of actors through a mix of different mediums
• Demonstrated capacity to thrive in an interdisciplinary research setting
• Demonstrated capacity to engage in creative knowledge translation efforts, particularly with a focus on social and systems change
• Familiarity with GBA+ analysis and/or intersectionality
• Ability to be self-directed and meet specified deadlines
• Experience in either or both of academic and public outputs

Scholars with lived experience of homelessness and/or housing precarity are particularly encouraged to apply. Bilingualism in French and English and/or knowledge of any Indigenous languages are also an asset.

Accommodation and AccessibilityShould you require a copy of this posting in an alternate format, please contact us as soon as possible and we would be happy to get one to you in a timely manner. We believe in the importance of supporting on-the-job success for the incumbent and are pleased to discuss and/or provide specific tools, resources or other requirements for day-to-day work requirements, as needed.

About Carleton UniversityCarleton University is a dynamic and innovative research and teaching institution with a national and international reputation as a leader in collaborative teaching and learning, research and governance. To learn more about our university and the City of Ottawa, please visit www.carleton.ca/provost.

Carleton University is committed to fostering diversity within its community as a source of excellence, cultural enrichment, and social strength. We welcome those who would contribute to the further diversification of our university including but not limited to: women; visible minorities; First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples; persons with disabilities; and persons of any sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression. Carleton understands that career paths vary. Legitimate career interruptions will in no way prejudice the assessment process and their impact will be taken into careful consideration.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. If contacted for an interview, please inform us should accommodation be required, and arrangements will be made in a timely manner. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

How to ApplyCandidates that would like to apply for this fellowship opportunity are invited to submit their cover letter along with a resume/CV to Jerry Pivaga, Safe and Affordable Project Coordinator, at jerrypivaga@cunet.carleton.ca.

Rather than post a submission deadline, we will continue to interview candidates until the position is filled. Please submit your materials at your earliest convenience to ensure we have a chance to review the