Research assistant – casual position

Start date: August 01, 2025

Application deadline: Will remain until filled

Term: August 01, 2025, to March 01, 2026

Supervisor: Dr. Katie MacDonald

Faculty: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Status: 110 hours total (variable schedule)

Housing Futures in Monteverde

Overview

This project is seeking a part-time Research Assistant to support a SSHRC-funded Partnership Engage Grant focused on housing affordability and ecological futures in Monteverde, Costa Rica. This initiative is a collaboration between the Monteverde Institute (MVI) and Dr. Katie MacDonald (Associate Professor, Athabasca University), and aims to understand how local communities— especially youth—are experiencing and responding to the pressures of tourism-driven development and transnational gentrification.

The Research Assistant will support a community-engaged, mixed-methods research process grounded in social justice, community collaboration, and knowledge mobilization. This position is ideal for someone interested in housing justice, participatory action research, youth engagement, and international community development.

The RA will receive training and mentorship in survey analysis, facilitation, and communityengaged research practices. The position includes an in-person visit to Monteverde, Costa Rica for a community summit (expenses paid).

Key Responsibilities

  • Conduct a literature review on transnational gentrification (20 hours)
  • Analyze household survey data related to housing and socio-economic trends (25 hours)
  • Prepare and submit ethics application for youth participatory workshop (10 hours)
  • Support workshop preparation and co-facilitation at MVI’s annual community summit (15 hours)
  • Write a report on the workshop (10 hours)
  • Work on developing next steps for project (20 hours)

Project Timeline

  • August–October 2025: Training, survey analysis, and ethics submission
  • October–November 2025: Workshop preparation and youth survey development
  • November 12–17, 2025: In-person participation in Costa Rica to co-facilitate youth workshop at MVI Summit
  • December 2025–March 2026: Final reporting and knowledge mobilization activities

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will:

  • Be a graduate student at Athabasca University (students in MAIS or related fields encouraged to apply)
  • Speak Spanish fluently (required)
  • Have experience with research, facilitation, and community-based or participatory methods
  • Have familiarity with survey data and/or quantitative analysis (an asset)
  • Demonstrate interest in housing justice, youth engagement, or transnational community research
  • Must be available and willing to travel to Costa Rica November 12–17, 2025 (expenses covered)

Support and Training

  • The RA will receive support from Athabasca University’s Research Office in knowledge mobilization
  • Training in survey design, facilitation, and analysis will be provided by Dr. MacDonald
  • MVI will provide context-specific guidance and support for the Monteverde community and research setting
  • There may be an opportunity for current MAIS students to use this project to contribute to MAIS 701 final work (inquire for details)

Compensation

This position includes 100 hours of work over eight months, with a flexible schedule aligned to project milestones. The pay is $24.99/hour for Research Assistant 3 position per Athabasca University policies. Travel and accommodation expenses for the Costa Rica trip will be covered.

How to apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit the following materials as a single PDF by email with the subject line “Monteverde Housing Futures RA Application”:

  • A brief cover letter outlining your skills, experience, interest in the project, and Spanish language proficiency
  • A current resume or curriculum vitae
  • The contact information of 1–2 references

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

We strongly encourage applications from individuals with lived experience related to housing or community development, as well as from equity-deserving groups including Indigenous people, racialized individuals, 2SLGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and others historically underrepresented in academic research.

For more information about this opportunity, or to discuss how this role may contribute to MAIS final project requirements, please contact: Katie MacDonald at macdonaldk@athabascau.ca

Assistantship