Post-Doctoral Fellow (two positions)

Position Summary

Rare Dementia Support (RDS) Canada is a national multi-component support community for people affected by rare dementia (non-memory led, young onset, inherited) and a centre for rare dementia education and research delivered by a multidisciplinary team of practitioners, researchers, educators and individuals with lived experience. Led by Nipissing University (NU), Rare Dementia Support Canada’s goal is to offer information and advice, develop a support community of people with lived experience and dedicated practitioners, and engage in ongoing learning through education and research about what support works, when it works best, and how it impacts quality of life. RDS Canada works in collaboration with a growing international rare dementia support network in the UK, Japan and Australia.

This Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship will take place in an environment dedicated to research on lived experience and the co-creation of research areas that are of high priority for people affected by rare dementia. The research team aims to conduct research where new knowledge discoveries have real-world impact facilitated by engagement with lived experience and an alignment with RDS Canada’s strategic priorities.

Working closely with the Principal Lead, the candidate will be expected to both make an ambitious and independent contribution to high impact research, develop and maintain national and international relationships and collaborate with the existing team to support and advance the execution and delivery of active projects. Current projects examine rare dementia and approaches to rehabilitation, family resilience and models of support, late stages and end-of-life care, brain sight care and support pathways, health service use and expressions of living with dementia through art, culture and language.

Key Responsibilities

• Support and manage research activities including funding proposals, designing protocols and intervention implementation and evaluation strategies.
• Support participant recruitment, data collection, engagement of non-academic partners, and organizing meetings.
• Grant development and submission – coordinating grant development activities amongst team members and national and international collaborators, with focused contributions to budget development, letters of support, submission processes, and ethics applications.
• Perform quantitative and qualitative data analysis, including preparing datasets, using analytic software and reporting results.
• Prepare knowledge translation outputs, including writing academic and non-academic papers and presentations.
• Support and collaborate with research staff, support staff and student trainees.

Qualifications

A PhD in health sciences, cognitive and behavioural neuroscience, or a social science discipline, with no more than five years of postdoctoral experience (consideration will be given to candidates who have experienced career interruptions related to a documented leave of absence or formal clinical training). Demonstrated experience in project management, qualitative and mixed methods, data analysis, and manuscript writing/publications are required. Demonstrated skills in critical thinking, research development, communication and public outreach are required. Must be a demonstrated problem-solver who is able to work independently and within a team under time constraints. Knowledge of dementia including atypical and young onset dementia will be an asset. Commitment to reflective and diversity conscious research practices is also required.