NOTE: Students must be approved for the 2025-26 Work-Study program in order to be hired for this position. The Work-Study Student Application form is available online here: Work Study Program Application | Awards | The University of Winnipeg

Please include confirmation of your approval to participate in the Work Study Program with your resume.

Research Assistants are normally students, in a University of Winnipeg undergraduate program, employed to assist with tasks related to research. Work is performed within defined guidelines and under supervision of a more senior researcher or faculty member.

Position Overview:

This research project investigates how schools and school boards respond to the climate emergency by examining publicly available documents and conducting qualitative interviews with teachers. The focus is on identifying the presence and quality of climate emergency plans, including extreme heat and weather-related policies, and understanding how these are interpreted and implemented by educators.

Duties:

• Conduct systematic online searches of school and school board websites to collect data on:
  • Climate emergency or climate action plans
  • Extreme heat policies
  • Emergency preparedness protocols
  • Organize and code the information gathered from websites using spreadsheets or qualitative software
  • Assist in developing interview protocols for teachers
  • Conduct or assist with semi-structured interviews with teachers (virtually or in person)
  • Transcribe and help analyze interview data
  • Prepare summaries of findings and contribute to research reports

Qualifications

• Strong research and analytical skills
• Experience or interest in climate change, education policy, or health and safety in schools
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Familiarity with Google Workspace or Microsoft Office; experience with NVivo, Excel, or data organization tools is an asset
• Ability to work independently and manage time effectively

Condition(s) of Employment:

• Must be legally entitled to work in Canada.
• Students must be approved for the 2025-26 Work-Study program. Students may be eligible for the Work-Study Program if they meet all of the following criteria:
  • Currently an undergraduate or graduate* student (PACE students are currently ineligible);
  • Enrolled full-time for the current Fall/Winter session (i.e., at least 18 credit hours or 12 credit hours if registered with Accessibility Services);
  • Completed at least 24 credit hours at an undergraduate level at the University (or equivalent);
  • Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0;
  • Have demonstrated financial need (shortage between your expenses and resources)**; and
  • A Canadian citizen, permanent resident, protected person or an international student with a valid study permit.
    • Graduate students in a joint program may only be eligible if currently registered at UW or whose thesis advisor is a UW Faculty member.**Zero on all resources fields is deemed an incomplete application. As a full-time student, you are expected to have some form of funding source.

The period of work will be from ASAP - March 31, 2026 and the estimated total hours of work will be 41 hours.

Note*: This position is represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada - Research Capacity Unit.*

The University of Winnipeg is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognizes that a diverse staff and faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research environments, and is essential to academic and institutional excellence. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals and encourage women, racialized persons, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ+ persons to confidentially self-identify at time of application.

The University of Winnipeg is committed to ensuring employment opportunities are accessible for all applicants. If you require accommodation supports during the recruitment process, please contact human_resources@uwinnipeg.ca.

The personal information of applicants is collected under the authority of the University of Winnipeg Act and 36(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. All personal information collected via the recruitment process is used to assess the applicant’s suitability, eligibility, and qualifications for employment, and to otherwise support recruitment activities. This information will be provided to participating members of the recruitment process. Questions regarding the collection of your personal information may be directed to the Director, HR Services, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9 or human_resources@uwinnipeg.ca.