Research assistant – casual position

Start date: December 2026

Application deadline: November 20, 2026

Supervisor: Dr. Tobias Wiggins

Faculty: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Bad Feelings: Co-Investigating Clinicians’ Transphobic Countertransference through Research-Creation

Overview

The TransLab at Athabasca University is seeking a part-time Research Assistant for a two-year qualitative research project combining transgender studies, psychoanalytic theory, and arts-based research. The project explores how mental health clinicans’ unconscious processes, including difficult or disavowed feelings, may shape their work with trans people and gender difference. The research team will develop workshops that engage unconscious processes, digital storytelling, and video creation. The result will be approximately six short experimental films that attend to the psychic life of transphobia in clinical encounters and broader social fields.

The RA will provide support throughout all project phases, including building the literature and methodological foundation, preparing and impleming workshops, contributing to knowledge mobilization, and supporting project and TransLab coordination. The successful candidate will receive mentorship on qualitative research, research-creation, research ethics, psychoanalysis, and knowledge mobilization. This position is well suited to a graduate student or recent graduate interested in transgender studies, psychoanalysis, dreaming, film and arts-based research, mental health, and interdisciplinary or community-engaged methodologies.

Key Responsibilities

The Research Assistant’s primary job duties are:

  • Conduct literature reviews
  • Support early project design, including the development of digital storytelling workshop materials and schedules.
  • Assist with the research ethics application and project administration.
  • Support recruitment and coordination.
  • Support the delivery of digital storytelling workshops with mental health professionals.
  • Assist participants with storyboards, filming, sound, and editing.
  • Provide administrative and research support to the TransLab.
  • Contribute to knowledge mobilization and research communication, including helping to plan and schedule TransLab social media content.
  • Assist with the creation of an online archive and related TransLab research-creation outputs, including basic web planning, accessibility, and content writing.
  • Participate in regular meetings with the Principal Investigator and research team.

Qualifications and Experience

The successful candidate will:

  • Be enrolled in, or have recently completed, a graduate program; applicants with comparable education, work, research, or lived experience are also encouraged to apply.
  • Have research interests or experience in transgender studies, gender and sexuality studies, psychoanalysis, dreaming, mental health, film, or arts-based methodologies.
  • Demonstrate reliability, communication and organizational skills, and ability to work collaboratively and independently.
  • Be able to manage research materials with attention to confidentiality, accessibility, and ethics.
  • Have strong literature-searching, reading, synthesis, and writing skills.
  • Be able to commit to the two-year duration of the research project.

The following are strong assets, but are not required:

  • Experience with social media management (eg: instagram) and content creation, website editing, or digital archiving (eg: omeka.net).
  • Familiarity with tools such as Canva, video/audio editing software, content-management systems, or qualitative data-analysis software.
  • A background in psychoanalytic theory and/or transgender studies.

Training and Mentorship: RA1 will receive focused mentorship in literature review, research design, research ethics, arts-based research (research-creation), and psychoanalytic research. The role offers opportunities to contribute to knowledge mobilization and to develop digital communication or archiving skills where appropriate. The RA will have an opportunity to think deeply with the intersection of transgender studies and psychoanalysis.

Hours and Location: Approximately 10 hours per week, with hours varying depending on project needs. Rate of pay commensurate with experience and collective agreement. The position is anticipated to take place during the project’s first and second phases over two years. Start date is as soon as possible. The position is based in Alberta but can be completely remote. The successful candidate will work with and directly report to Dr. Tobias Wiggins at Athabasca University.

How to apply: Qualified individuals are encouraged to submit their application by email to Dr. Tobias Wiggins at twiggins@athabascau.ca. Applications should include (as a single PDF file) a brief cover letter that summarizes your skills, interests, and experience; a current resume or curriculum vitae; and the contact information for 1-2 references.

Application Deadline: Nov. 20, 2026.

Athabasca University is committed and seek to support equity in employment and research opportunities. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous people, people of colour, people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQ+ people, women, and other historically marginalized groups. Applicants are welcome, but not required, to self‐identify in their letter of application.

Tobias B. D. Wiggins, PhD
Associate Professor
Women's and Gender Studies
Athabasca University
Toll free: 1-877-631-0011

Assistantship