Human Dimensions Research Associate

**This competition is open to all applicants however; internal candidates and applicants who were former employees of the University of Alberta will be given priority consideration before external candidates. Please log in to verify your internal candidate status.** This position has an expected end date of March 31, 2027. **Location** - This role is fully remote. **Position Summary:** The position will be integrated into the Human Dimensions Research Lab within the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation at the University of Alberta. The Lab is a research group that investigates human-wildlife and human-nature interactions to support partners in Federal, Provincial, and State governments, and environmental non-profit organizations in realizing management and policy outcomes. This position will be funded by the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Forest Service, and Biodiversity Pathways. The successful candidate will also provide mentorship in social-psychological modeling, social-ecological systems, and advanced multivariate analysis (e.g., discrete choice and latent class modelling) to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. You will work in collaboration with, and report directly to, the Principal Investigator of the Human Dimensions Research Lab. ### Responsibilities The Research Associate will conduct original research to determine thresholds of support or opposition for future and existing woodland caribou recovery efforts in complex, cross-cultural settings in Alberta and British Columbia. This research will: - Determine whether predator control is ever an acceptable management option in different scenarios involving woodland caribou in both provinces. - Assess public awareness of and support for woodland caribou associated predator removal programs. - Identify and characterize Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives and preferences for predator removal programs. We will elicit value orientations, attitudes, beliefs, and preferences to understand what influences these perspectives. - Explore the practical and theoretical basis for wildlife ethics- and equity-informed policies on woodland caribou conservation (e.g., having to stop a predator removal program based on evidence of public opposition even if that program is having successful impacts on the endangered species). - Co-ordinate the design of online surveys, including literature reviews, supporting University of Alberta Research Ethics Board submissions, testing and pilot phases, survey launch and quality assessment monitoring. - Carry out multivariate statistical analysis (e.g., factor analyses, econometric analyses) as appropriate to explore variables (social-psychological, preferences) associated with woodland caribou recovery and habitat conservation, and the ethics of predator control as a management approach. - Author and co-author peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals to advance knowledge about conservation and wildlife management; and facilitate knowledge transfer through workshops, webinars, technical reports, and conferences to communicate research findings to diverse audiences. - Integrate the University of Alberta's Access, Community, and Belonging (ACB) framework into research activities, ensuring diverse perspectives are considered in stakeholder engagement and tool development. ### Qualifications - An earned Ph.D. in Conservation Sciences or Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, or a closely related field, with a focus on statistical modeling, social-ecological systems, and applied conservation. - Have prior experience as a Research Associate (2 years minimum), including experience leading and directing research projects, managing research budgets, and developing funding proposals. - Contextual knowledge - Knowledge of conservation of species at risk and habitat conservation in working landscapes. - Knowledge of socio-ecological systems and natural resource management, including work with First Na…