Position Overview

The Schulich School of Engineering is currently seeking two Full-time, Limited Term Research Advisors for approximately 2 years.

As a Research Advisor for the Schulich School of Engineering (SSE), your main responsibility is to support the grant application process. This involves working with SSE researchers to identify funding opportunities, develop grant proposals, and manage the submission process. You will report to the Manager of Community and Social Impact and collaborate with faculty members and researchers across SSE. This position works closely with academic staff and senior managers, as well as with government, industry, educational institutions, and other organizations to build and strengthen funding opportunities and partnerships. A primary part of this role is to ensure grant applications are reviewed in alignment with the University, and that they meet the requirements and timelines of the funding agencies. 

The primary purpose of the Research Advisor position is to provide comprehensive research advising and coordination services to SSE researchers and staff. This includes reviewing grant applications, administering research agreements and funding applications, coordinating with faculty members and funding agencies, analyzing research statistics, coordinating SSE research events, financial accounting, and providing support to the Associate Dean Research (Innovation and Strategic Partnerships) and the Associate Dean Research (Faculty Research & Scholarship).

In this role, you will facilitate research award grant applications, including pre and post-award administration of research grants from various granting agencies, such as federal, provincial, and global agencies, other government departments and agencies, and the not-for-profit sector. You will also provide advice, education, assistance, and information to SSE faculty members to support the research process. Additionally, you will collaborate with other university units such as the VPR Office, Research Services, International Office, other faculties, and Innovate Calgary to proactively identify and capitalize on funding opportunities for SSE researchers. Overall, as the Research Advisor, you will play a vital role in facilitating the research process at SSE, supporting researchers in securing funding for their projects, and promoting the growth and development of SSE's research program.

Position Description

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

• Provide advice and information to faculty, Associate Deans, Directors, and senior Faculty administrators and staff regarding funding opportunities and the grant application and award process.
• Provide timely advising support to researchers and staff on research agreements, funding proposals, and post-award reporting including on-going and annual funding competitions, (e.g. NSERC Discovery Grants and partnership programs, CFI-JELF and Innovation Fund, etc.).
• Develop and maintain a sound and up-to-date knowledge of funding agencies and their programs.
• Ensure procedures and advice adhere to University and Schulich School of Engineering governance and decision-making processes.
• Administer and track research grant applications and approvals, ensuring alignment with strategic goals of the school and funding agency requirements.
• Communicate research timelines and ensure adherence to budgets and protocols.
• Prepare and submit documents to Research Services Office (RSO) and maintain communication with RSO regarding research agreements and approvals.
• Maintain a database of internal and external research grant deadlines and provide regular communication and updates to the faculty.
• Communicate project timelines, monitor deadlines, and facilitate project closeout.
• Provide strategic support for meetings and events related to research funding, such as site visits and information sessions.
• Analyze data from diverse sources, and review records of research funding statistics, research performance measures, grant applications, publications, citations, and other relevant information.
• Provide guidance, training, and support to new and established faculty members on research funding opportunities and funding application processes; including RMS (Research Management System) training for Faculty members as requested.
• Respond to industry inquiries for equipment or possible research collaborations and meet with industry and faculty as required.
• Organize training for NSERC Discovery Grants to support Schulich faculty.
• Attend and advise SSE Committees, including Research Committee and Postgraduate Studies, committee meetings, and other committees as necessary.
• Interact frequently with diverse researchers, internal and external stakeholders, using discretion, flexibility, and integrity to ensure positive outcomes.
• Manage time efficiently to meet concurrent deadlines and handle tasks within a high workload and constantly changing environment.
• Demonstrate effective team skills, such as facilitation, listening and problem-solving.
• Exercise tact, discretion, integrity, judgment, and attention to detail.
• Relay accurate and timely information to the Associate Dean Research (Innovation and Strategic Partnerships) and the Associate Dean Research (Faculty Research & Scholarship).
• Support the SSE Undergraduate Summer Research Program
• Coordination and advising support for various international funding opportunities in collaboration with Mitacs, and University of Calgary International team.
• Support other related duties as needed by the Associate Dean Research (Innovation and Strategic Partnerships) and the Associate Dean Research (Faculty Research & Scholarship).
• Assists Associate Dean Research with academic misconduct investigations for grad students.
• Coordinate and deliver SSE research events.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Masters degree in Engineering or Science is required.
• Professional experience of 2-5 years with project administration & coordination is required.
• Strong knowledge of the academic research funding landscape is essential. Preferably in multiinstitutional research proposals for provincial, national and international agencies, including institutional policy and governance.
• Skilled at data extraction and compilation, and ability to solve problems related to data management is required.
• Professional judgement and strong organizational, problem-solving, and analytical skills are required.
• Attention to detail, ability to prioritize tasks logically is a required skill demonstrated by experience.
• Excellent communication skills, both written & oral to enable concise correspondence, and respond to enquiries with confidentiality and discretion; to disseminate information is required.
• Experience with financial and budget administration, is an asset.
• Ability to learn new computer programs, expert level Microsoft Office; PeopleSoft, Adobe, and SharePoint are required.
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously and adapt to multiple competing priorities.

Application Deadline:  July 14, 2023

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

Additional Information

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Specialist / Advisor Job Family, Phase 2.

To find out more about management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary and all we have to offer, view our Management and Staff Careers website. For more information visit Careers in the Schulich School of Engineering.

The University strongly recommends all faculty and staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is Canada’s leading next-generation university – a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation’s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High, committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion ([email protected]) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources ([email protected]).

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.