Quebec Sustainable Social and Community Housing Living Lab

About the Project

This transformational Quebec Living Lab advances decarbonization and electrification in social, affordable, and low-income housing. It combines technical innovation with community engagement to deliver scalable solutions for a sector often excluded from market-driven retrofits.

The project includes four living labs:

• Longueuil (cooperative housing retrofit) In partnership with the Centre de transformation du logement communautaire (CTLC)
• Montreal-Nord (Black community housing project)
• Hochelaga (social housing project) In partnership with the Centre opérationnel de transition écologique (COTÉ)
• Montreal (public social housing project) In partnership with the Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal (OMHM)

Supervisor: Leila Ghaffari

Department: Geography, Planning and Environment

University: Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

Start Date: Fall 2026

PhD Fellowship: 35K CAD per year for 4 years

Key Words: neighborhood transformation, gentrification, territorial inequalities, housing policies, and social aspects of urban spaces

ROLE DESCRIPTION

• Design and implement participatory engagement frameworks for social and community housing stakeholders
• Facilitate co-creation processes with residents, co-ops, housing authorities, and community organizations
• Assess community understanding, perceptions, and decision-making related to retrofit and electrification initiatives
• Conduct qualitative and mixed-methods research on housing policies, gentrification, and territorial inequalities
• Develop and test participatory tools (e.g., surveys, workshops, gamified approaches) to support inclusive decision-making
• Collaborate on the development and validation of digital twins for community-level scenario exploration
• Evaluate usability and accessibility of model outputs for diverse stakeholder groups
• Translate technical retrofit scenarios into clear, socially relevant insights for communities
• Integrate stakeholder feedback into iterative improvements of models, visualizations, and policy recommendations
• Contribute to policy analysis and recommendations for equitable and community-driven housing transitions

REQUIREMENTS

• Master’s degree in Urban Studies, Geography, Sociology, Public Policy, Planning, or related field
• Experience with qualitative or mixed-methods research (interviews, focus groups, participatory methods)
• Strong understanding of housing systems, urban inequalities, and community dynamics
• Experience working with community organizations, public sector, or social housing environments
• Familiarity with participatory research approaches and stakeholder engagement processes
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences Interest in housing policy, gentrification, and equitable urban transformation
• Experience with survey design, data analysis, or community-based research tools
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams
• Strong writing and communication skills for both academic and stakeholder audiences
• Proficiency in both English and French

WHAT WE OFFER

• Fully funded PhD position, including tuition coverage and a competitive stipend
• Opportunity to work on real-world social housing projects across multiple living labs in Québec
• Exposure to innovative tools such as digital twins and participatory/gamified engagement methods
• Experience contributing to policy development, financial tools, and co-governance frameworks
• Support for publications, conferences, and knowledge mobilization activities
• Access to Volt-Age training programs (leadership, communication, applied research)

HOW TO APPLY

Please send the following documents in a single PDF file to volt-age.recruitment@concordia.ca:

• Letter of intent clearly aligned with the professor’s research domain (You may also review their recent publications and highlight relevant experience.)
• Academic CV
• Unofficial transcripts with CGPA and course names
• Names and emails of 3 referees
• Publications with embedded links, if any
• Any other supporting documents that strengthen your application

Subject of the email: Housing policy_Your name

Deadline: applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

For all questions, please contact Alisa Makusheva at alisa.makusheva@concordia.ca