Job Board Title:
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Wildfire Smoke & Neurocognitive Health
Post Date
3/5/2026
Expiration Date
4/4/2026
Details:
The Cleland Lab is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow with expertise in environmental epidemiology for a funded position in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and the Legacy for Airway Health at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI). The postdoc will contribute to an HEI-funded study investigating the neurocognitive effects of wildfire smoke exposure. The interdisciplinary study team includes exposure scientists, epidemiologists, knowledge translation experts, and clinician scientists from SFU, VCHRI, UBC, and the BCCDC. The team also includes a growing number of trainees and a rich educational environment, providing the postdoc with supervisory and mentorship opportunities.
The candidate must demonstrate strong quantitative and R programming skills working with large datasets, and an interest in working in a multidisciplinary and collaborative team focusing on the health impacts of longer-term wildfire smoke exposure. The candidate will primarily work within data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging, a large cohort of older adults across Canada, to investigate the relationship between multiyear wildfire smoke exposure and neurocognitive health outcomes. Extension of investigation using additional methodologies and datasets is an opportunity afforded by the multiple projects ongoing with the team. Candidates will be encouraged and supported in developing lines of research and applying for additional funding opportunities to support development of an independent research career in parallel to primary project goals.
The primary work activities include:
- Conducting substantive, methodologically rigorous quantitative epidemiologic analyses
- Participating in study design, quality assurance testing, documenting coding methods, and interpreting results
- Research coordination
- Organizing, collecting, and cleaning data
- Contributing to literature reviews and syntheses
- Writing research abstracts, summary reports, and scientific articles, and submitting articles to peer-reviewed journals
- Presenting study results to the scientific community at conferences
- Identifying and pursuing secondary research projects and research funding
- Collaborating with other research teams
Expected Start Date: September 1, 2026 (flexible)
Expected End Date: August 30, 2027
Salary for Period of Appointment: $70,000 CAD/year ($5,833 CAD/month).
Benefits information: https://www.sfu.ca/human-resources/research-employees/postdoctoral-fellows/planning-pdf.html
Additional Information: https://www.sfu.ca/postdoctoral-fellows.html
Qualifications:
- Demonstrated ability to thrive in a collaborative team environment
- High personal motivation, self-management, detail-orientated; ability to take responsibility for meeting deadlines
- PhD with advanced training in a relevant discipline (i.e., Epidemiology, Statistics, Biostatistics, Public/Environmental/Population Health or a related field as long as the candidate has a strong foundation in epidemiology and statistics)
- Demonstrated proficiency in data management, programming, and large data analysis using R and RStudio
- Education/training and experience in quantitative research methods and multivariate statistical analysis
- Excellent communication skills, including strong writing, research, and interpersonal skills
- High-level conceptual, analytical, and critical appraisal skills
- Demonstrated initiative and willingness to work closely with members of a research team
- Must be able to exhibit a high level of professionalism, judgement, ethical conduct, discretion and diplomacy
Comments:
To apply, please send the following to stephanie_cleland@sfu.ca by March 27, 2026: 1) a CV with all relevant employment and academic experience; 2) 1-2 peer reviewed articles; 3) a cover letter, noting research experience and interest in the position as well as contact information for two references.
Employer:
Simon Fraser University
Contact:
Stephanie Cleland
Email:
stephanie_cleland@sfu.ca
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