POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW, QUANTITATIVE HOUSING STUDIES (USING CANADIAN HOUSING SURVEY DATA)

We are accepting applications for a postdoctoral fellowship as part of a partnership grant entitled ‘People, Places, Policies & Prospects: Affordable Rental Housing for Those in Greatest Need’ (‘P4’).  The anticipated start date will be September 1, 2026 (flexible). The position will be offered for an initial term of one year, with the possibility of extension for an additional year. 

The successful candidate must have regular access to a Research Data Centre in order to analyze Canadian Housing Survey (CHS) data. The successful candidate will also ideally be located in any one of Winnipeg, Halifax, Saskatoon or Montréal, where team members are located. The PDF will be supervised by project lead Dr. Catherine Leviten-Reid (Department of Community Economics, Tourism and Indigenous Business, Cape Breton University). The successful applicant will also work collaboratively and regularly with our project’s Canadian Housing Survey Working Group.

Position Duties and Responsibilities:

The incumbent will be tasked with the following core responsibilities:

• Analyzing Canadian Housing Survey data (multiple cycles) in a Research Data Centre, with a focus on renters and the type of housing in which they are living (i.e., co-operative, non-profit, market based, public). Specific tenant outcomes to be explored through this PDF will relate to housing condition and housing stability.
• Reporting regularly on progress to project supervisors and community partners;
• Developing outputs such as conference presentations, journal articles, public presentations, etc.

Job Requirements:

The chosen candidate will have completed their PhD in a disciplinary field such as Sociology, Health (e.g. Epidemiology, Health Systems and Services, Health Policy/Administration, etc.), Public Policy, Economics, Demography, Geography, or an interdisciplinary program like Urban Planning or Urban Studies by the time the postdoctoral fellowship begins. Expertise in housing studies, public policy and poverty studies, and community engaged research are assets.

The successful candidate will have all of the following: 

• Advanced quantitative methods;
• Advanced competency in writing academic papers;
• Time management;
• Ability to be self-directed and meet specified deadlines;
• Experience using intersectional lenses;
• Experience in producing high quality academic and public outputs.

Salary  

$75,000 per annum plus benefits.

How to Apply:

Candidates are invited to submit their cover letter, CV and a sample of their writing to Catherine Leviten-Reid at catherine_leviten-reid@cbu.ca by July 31, 2026.  Only those who are selected for an interview will be contacted.

Research Project Overview:  

The P4 project is funded by CMHC and SSHRC, and forms one node of the national Collaborative Housing Research Network established by CMHC.

The national P4 project is led by Dr. Catherine Leviten-Reid at Cape Breton University, with regional sites in Cape Breton, Ottawa, and Saskatoon (https://rentalhousingresearch.ca), and with other researchers located in Winnipeg and Montreal. Specific research objectives of the project, both nationally and regionally, are as follows:

• To understand the scale and scope of affordable rental housing provision across Canada, including which kinds of approaches are used, where, and for whom.
• To examine the outcomes and experiences of tenants living in affordable rental housing as they relate to financial security, housing satisfaction, housing stability, health and well-being, and neighborhood opportunities (such as social connections and opportunities for employment).
• To establish how outcomes and experiences may differ based on the affordable rental housing approach provided, including public housing, market rentals subsidized through housing allowances and supplements, and subsidized, non-profit and co-operative housing. For example, see Rental housing types and economic wellbeing in Canada
• To examine, using a gender lens, the potential differential experiences and effects of rental housing on women and their families.
• To understand how neighborhood conditions (such as high levels of poverty, or lack of transit or nearby amenities) and policy environments (such as service and legal systems) affect tenant experiences and outcomes.

 

Cape Breton University is strongly committed to fostering diversity within our community. We welcome those who would contribute to the further diversification of our staff, our faculty and its scholarship including, but not limited to, women, visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity. Please note that all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply but applications from Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

CBU is committed to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and applicants are encouraged to self-identity if they are part of a marginalized community, or have experience working with Indigenous communities.

If we contact you for an interview and you are a person with a disability who requires technical aids or alternative arrangements, please let us know of these needs and how we can be of assistance.

Cape Breton University

Human Resources Dept.

HumanResources@cbu.ca

1250 Grand Lake Road,

Sydney, NS B1M 1A2