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: Marguerite Mendell

Department: School of Community and Public Affairs

University: Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

Start Date: Fall 2026

PhD Fellowship: 35K CAD per year for 4 years

KEY TERMS

social finance, impact investing, co-construction of public policy, commons and collective resources, Karl Polanyi studies, social and solidarity economy

ROLE DESCRIPTION

• Conduct desk research on participatory and community-led energy transition models
• Analyze social economy and solidarity finance approaches in housing and energy
• Evaluate financial tools supporting retrofit and electrification in social housing
• Develop policy recommendations for equitable energy transition
• Create stakeholder-specific roadmaps (policy, finance, governance) for living labs
• Document co-governance frameworks emerging from the project
• Analyze policy and regulatory contexts affecting social housing transformation
• Conduct impact assessment (baseline, implementation, post-retrofit)
• Develop long-term community-led monitoring and evaluation frameworks
• Engage stakeholders to validate findings and refine outputs
• Prepare policy briefs, reports, and dissemination materials

REQUIREMENTS

• Master’s degree in Economics, Public Policy, Political Science, Development Studies, Sociology, or related field
• Experience with policy analysis and qualitative research (literature reviews, case studies)
• Experience analyzing financial mechanisms (e.g., social finance, public funding)
• Familiarity with social economy or community economic development
• Experience with participatory or community-based research approaches
• Experience developing policy recommendations or strategic frameworks
• Knowledge of housing policy or energy transition policy
• Experience with impact assessment or program evaluation
• Strong writing skills for policy and stakeholder audiences
• Experience working with public sector, NGOs, or community organizations
• Ability to work independently and in interdisciplinary teams

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
• Direct engagement with community organizations, public agencies, and social finance actors
• Experience contributing to policy development, financial tools, and co-governance frameworks Interdisciplinary research environment combining policy, economics, and community-based research
• 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: Social economy_Your name

Deadline: applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

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