Today@Dal

Research Coordinator position (Master’s- or Ph.D.-level)

Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada:

The SEAK (Socially and Emotionally Aware Kids) project is in search of a Research Coordinator. The SEAK initiative is a 4-year intervention program of the Canadian Mental Health Association-Nova Scotia (CMHA-NS) and its Dalhousie University research partners. The initiative is funded by a grant from the Public Health Agency of Canada and involves delivering and evaluating an evidence-based elementary school-wide program (the PATHS program; Greenberg et al., 1995) in several communities within 3 provinces of Canada. Approximately 4000 children and adolescents will be included in the initiative. Children will be evaluated on language development, executive function, socio-emotional reasoning, behavioral control, health service use, academic performance during the PATHS program and, where applicable, followed into later years. A variety of other areas also will be assessed (e.g., parent well-being, school climate, community acceptance, etc.) using quantitative or qualitative approaches. The Research Coordinator will be responsible primarily for the research activities of this initiative.

Start Date:  September 15, 2012 or as soon as possible thereafter

Duration: One-year duration with the possibility of at least 2 additional annual renewals contingent on continued availability of funds and on satisfactory performance. Full time availability is required.

Hours of work: Monday to Friday; 35 hours/week.

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience (benefits, including health included). Please note the successful candidate will be an employee of the grant holders, not a Dalhousie University employee.

Qualifications:

· Master’s degree or Ph.D. in a field relevant to developmental science (e.g., Developmental Psychology, Education, Pediatric Health Sciences, Child Studies) or a pediatric health profession and extensive research experience. Bachelor-level applicants with extensive experience in relevant research coordinator positions will also be considered.

· Demonstrated leadership or experience in a leadership position (e.g., lab management experience).

· Solid interpersonal skills.

· Working knowledge of multivariate statistics.

· Statistical (e.g., SPSS, SAS, AMOS) and/or web-related software (e.g., experience with conducting online surveys) experience is essential.

· Excellent writing skills.

· Management of large databases - desirable.

· Intervention or focus group research experience - desirable.

· Demonstrated problem-solving and organization skills, independent work ethic, and attention to detail.


Responsibilities:

· Participate in annual hiring, training and supervision of 14+ research assistants located in multiple sites across Canada.

· Travel to study sites approximately 1-2 times per year (expenses paid). Willingness and ability to travel are essential.

· Develop and organize research activities (preparing proposals for ethical review, organize and distributing consent forms/surveys, manage incoming data).

· Develop and administer implementation assessments to ensure program fidelity.

· Supervise data collection (either online or by telephone) from parents, teachers, school administrators, and community stakeholders, and children collected with standardized and computerized testing, and with online surveys.

· Coordinate with research assistant responsible for managing focus group data collection (parents, teachers, school administrators, and community stakeholders, coaches, trainers).

· Data management, data analysis, manuscript preparation (ample opportunities to publish will be available), and grant preparation.

Applicants should send via email:

(1) Cover letter

(2) CV

(3) Examples of written works (e.g., published articles, theses, term papers)

(4) Names of 3 references.

(5) Copy of transcripts (unofficial transcripts are acceptable) for recent graduates.

The successful applicant must obtain a spotless criminal record and child abuse registry check prior to starting the position. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Potential applicants seeking additional information are encouraged to contact either of the lead researchers involved (Drs. Jean Hughes or Sophie Jacques; see contact information below).

Dr. Jean Hughes, Project Lead Researcher
School of Nursing, Dalhousie University
Halifax, NS Canada
Tel. (902) 494-2456; Fax (902) 494-3487
jean.hughes@dal.ca

Dr. Sophie Jacques, Associate Project Lead Researcher
Psychology Department, Dalhousie University
Halifax, NS Canada
Tel. (902) 494-3551; Fax (902) 494-6585
sophie.jacques@dal.ca