Research Associate (EXPIRED)

With an international reputation for success, Western ranks as one of Canada's top research-intensive universities. Our research excellence expands knowledge and drives discovery with real-world application. Western also provides an exceptional employment experience, offering competitive salaries, a wide range of employment opportunities and one of Canada's most beautiful campuses.

The Rotman Institute of Philosophy is a research institute housed within the Department of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Its membership is both local and international and is comprised of faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, visiting researchers and alumni. The Rotman Institute of Philosophy's mission is to bring philosophers into productive engagement with scientists, policy makers and the public.

The Research Associate will apply their expertise and knowledge to research projects under the direction of a Principal Investigator (PI), and will carry out and oversee original and independent research in philosophy of cosmology, in particular regarding probabilistic reasoning and computability theory, to assist the PI and research group in achieving their research outcomes.  The incumbent will play a lead role in providing mentorship, guidance, training and supervision to the research group, and in resolving issues that arise in the research environment.  The incumbent will have developed an independent research portfolio, and will support and operationalize new and innovative research, develop research and project plans, and will oversee and manage research grant funds related to the research.  The Research Associate will prepare reports and other written material for presentations and/or submissions to various stakeholders as required.

Education:

-   PhD in Philosophy

-   Graduate coursework in probability theory is preferred

 Experience:

-   3 years’ experience in the areas of philosophy of physics, probability theory, computability theory, and nonlinear dynamical systems, in a related academic research environment with an independently developed research portfolio

-   Publication record in peer-reviewed journals in philosophy of science is preferred

 Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

-   Familiarity with regulations and guidelines governing research in an academic environment and with best practices for reviewing and writing grant proposals

-   In depth knowledge with methods for research design, implementation, and analysis

-   Ability to collaborate across internal and external boundaries to meet common objectives, improve outcomes and support work beyond one's own unit

-   Communication skills to describe technical concepts effectively to both novice and sophisticated users and with an ability to complete detailed analytics and reports

-   Detail-oriented with an ability to function and process information with high levels of accuracy

-   Ability to multi-task and maintain an organized and effective personal work environment

-   Ability to work within a flexible schedule to accommodate the research group’s events and activities

-   Ability to provide guidance, support and feedback in a way that is positively received

-   Results-oriented with the ability to motivate and coach employees to meet high performance standards, while working effectively as a member of the leadership team

-   Ability to investigate defined issues, solicit input, and suggest remedies and alternative approaches that meet the needs of the situation

-   Proven ability and natural inclination to develop relationships by interacting with people in a professional, respectful and diplomatic manner

-   Ability to interpret and identify key results from research and to succinctly summarize research findings

-   Ability to work independently and effectively as a member of the team to achieve research group goals

-   Ability to adhere to legislated safety requirements and Western safety policies

-   Demonstrated working knowledge of relevant scientific/research principles

-   Advanced skills in software and applications used to produce and analyze research outcomes including programming languages (such as Python)

-   Demonstrated ability to research/investigate issues and resolve problems

-   Familiarity with University policies and procedures preferred