Job Advertisement: Postdoctoral Fellow, Quantitative Housing Studies (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 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, Cape Breton University, at catherine_leviten-reid@cbu.ca by July 15, 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 neighbourhood 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 neighbourhood 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.