Postdoctoral Researcher - CPRA Competition

Overview

At Royal Roads University we pride ourselves on creating a work environment that mirrors the philosophy and values that underpin the programs we offer our learners. The curricular themes of leadership, conflict management, sustainability and entrepreneurship are ingrained in the structure and daily operation of our university. A career at Royal Roads University means being part of an innovative, dynamic organization where teamwork, service excellence, innovation and having fun are the norm. Take the first step in joining our team by browsing our current employment opportunities.

Royal Roads University is located on the traditional lands of the Lekwungen-speaking Peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. This land has been part of the fabric of Indigenous communities long before Hatley Castle was built, and it will be long into the future. We acknowledge the past, present and future of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, faculty and staff who come together here.

Position

Postdoctoral Researcher - CPRA Competition (R0268.1)

Location: Royal Roads University -> Office of the Vice President, Academic & Provost -> Research and Innovation

Recruitment Type: Temporary Full Time

Category: Research

Number of Hires: 1

Closing Date: July 03, 2026

Job Description

Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) Expression of Interest

Royal Roads University Land Acknowledgement

Royal Roads University is located on the traditional lands of the Lekwungen-speaking Peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. This land has been part of the fabric of Indigenous communities long before Hatley Castle was built, and it will be long into the future. We acknowledge the past, present and future of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, faculty and staff who come together here.

Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) Program

The CPRA program recognizes and supports the next generation of outstanding innovators, knowledge workers, creative thinkers and researchers at a pivotal time in their careers. See the CPRA program website for more information.

CPRA award amounts of $70,000 (taxable income) per year for 2 years (non-renewable) are used to fund a postdoctoral researcher position at the university and are subject to MERCs (mandatory employment related costs).

Positions are conditional upon approval of the nomination by the funder.

The Tri-Agency is transitioning to a harmonized postdoctoral research award. In the meantime, selected candidates will choose the agency to apply to which best represents their research area. See below for opportunities by agency. Only SSHRC opportunities are available at this time.

RRU Seeks Expressions of Interest Specific to the Following Research Areas:

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Juana Du. Dr. Juana Du’s research encompasses cultural intelligence, cross-cultural adaptation of business professionals, global virtual and hybrid teams, knowledge transfer and management, and digital innovation of SMEs. Her work explores human-AI interactions (HAII) within an international business context and examines experiences of AI-assisted dialogue systems among sojourners and their impact on overseas experiences, cognitive abilities, multilingual competence, emotional engagement and social relationships.

Mahmood Fayazi. My research focuses on disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, sustainable recovery, and community resilience, with attention to Indigenous-led and community-based approaches. I examine how vulnerability, governance, relocation, housing recovery, and nature-based solutions shape equitable adaptation to floods, wildfires, and hydrological hazards. Emphasis on participatory and decolonizing methodologies, co-production of knowledge, integration of Indigenous and scientific knowledge systems, and policy-relevant strategies for strengthening disaster preparedness, recovery, and long-term resilience.

Jaigris Hodson. Project 1: This postdoctoral research investigates the resurgence of hegemonic and hypermasculinity in digital spaces through a comparative analysis of two regional contexts. It examines how masculinities are constructed, sustained, and radicalized online, with attention to misinformation, political polarization, and platform infrastructure. This project builds on existing work in gender and media studies to frame misogynist extremism as a digital and cultural phenomenon within longer histories of patriarchal inequality.

Project 2: Analysis of political and gender dynamics in contemporary Canadian contexts as part of research on digital culture and society.

Jaigris Hodson & Sarah Wolfe. This study investigates how sustained exposure to death content on social media platforms reshapes the relationship between mortality salience and political engagement. It asks whether chronic, platform-mediated death awareness produces the worldview defense responses predicted by Terror Management Theory or generates affective saturation, political disengagement and moral paralysis.

Frances Jorgensen. Research focuses on workplace incivility interventions and how they are perceived by implementers and beneficiaries. The postdoctoral researcher position supports work in change management and organizational interventions aligned with a change management strategy.

Julie MacArthur. Expressions of interest from postdoctoral researchers whose work connects to economic democratization, regenerative infrastructure, post-growth political economy, or polycentric governance. Research examines how democratic community participation can transform infrastructure regimes. Key questions include ownership/governance across public, community, Indigenous, and private actors; the role of scale in infrastructure democratization; and tradeoffs between democratic participation, technical optimization, and ecological goals in infrastructure governance.

Candidates with backgrounds in political economy, environmental governance, sustainability transitions, or related fields are encouraged to reach out.

Kathleen Manion & Elizabeth Childs. Postdoctoral researcher sought to explore rights-respecting, nature-connected early childhood systems grounded in Indigenous frameworks and participatory methodologies that center children's voices. Findings aim to support systems that nurture self-actualization, community belonging, and remove barriers to thriving.

Robert Newell & Brian White. Postdoctoral researcher interested in local food system development using a community-based approach with local government and communities to explore sustainability implications of different development approaches. The research will involve multiple methods (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, spatial analysis).

Tracy Smith-Carrier. Projects on housing policy and social assistance, including multilevel housing policy analysis and disability-related social assistance considerations, with research questions on policy misalignment and equity and program adequacy across Canada.

Phillip Vannini. Ethnographic insights on Air Canada passengers’ motives and experiences to understand Canadian aeromobilities and the evolving role of Air Canada in a mobile world.

Sarah Wolfe. A five-project program focusing on how emotions shape community responses to land-use change, climate adaptation, and landscape planning on southern Vancouver Island. The postdoctoral researcher will have a 50:50 time split between their own research and coordinating multi-project research design, ethics, data management, student coordination, comparative analysis, and knowledge mobilization.

Note: Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Application Process

To apply, please submit the following documents:

• Your proposed supervisor (from the list above)
• Date on which all requirements of your doctorate degree were (or will be) met, including defense and submission of corrected thesis
• Statement that you do not hold, nor have you ever held, a tenure or tenure-track faculty position
• If not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, confirmation of eligibility to apply and that you will be either enrolled in or have completed a doctorate or health professional degree at a Canadian institution; or conducting postdoctoral research at a Canadian institution

The CPRA program allows applicants to describe any exceptions to their doctoral degree completion eligibility for a maximum duration of three years. See the CPRA website for eligibility details and indicate if you would claim an exception in your cover letter.

Submission documents: CV (including publications), a draft research proposal (2 pages maximum, excluding references) and alignment to one of the research opportunities above. Combine all documents into a single PDF (no more than 2MB) and submit to Vanessa Rogers (View email address on ca.talent.com). All competitions close at 10:00 PM (PST) on the closing date.

Note: Reach out to your chosen supervisor for more information. The Office of Research & Innovation will coordinate administrative aspects. See our Strategic Research Plan and the University’s 25-year vision document for context.

Additional Information: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. All qualified candidates should be legally eligible to work in Canada for the duration of the contract. For accommodations during the recruitment process, contact View email address on ca.talent.com (attention: Abbi Rogers) or View phone number on ca.talent.com.