News

Undergraduate Student Research Assistant Faculty of Agriculture | DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY

Project: Investigation of Effective New Brunswick Small Dairy Farms: Why are some farms very profitable?

Principle Investigator: Dr Christopher Hartt

Posting Date: Sept 14th, 2020

Application Deadline: Sept 22nd, 2020

Position Length: Oct 1st, 2020 until Mar 31st, 2021

Location: Virtual

Pay Rate: Two years of college or university training: $15.36 per hour + 4% vacation Students can expect an average of 15 hours per week Job

Description: The objectives of this research project are to evaluate the decision-making practices of and build an actor-network for dairy producers and farm managers and determine opportunities to empower data-driven decision making. There are two available positions. The successful applicants will assist researchers in completing a systematic literature based on the key themes of interest for the project: Research, Data and Analytics; Climate Change; Public Perception of Dairy. Student assistance will work in cooperation with each other, reporting to the supervising PhD student. The research assistants will also aid in the scheduling and recruitment of interview and focus group participants. The student will also be asked to conduct interviews should it be required. All work and training will be completed virtually. This research is funded through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership fund with the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture Responsibilities: The successful applicants will be responsible for screening the collected article titles for inclusion in the study, retrieving abstracts and full-text articles of selected articles using the library database and document delivery services, and assisting in preliminary full-text reviews for common keywords and themes. These tasks will be completed using qualitative research software and all training will be provided. Assistants will also aid in the scheduling and recruitment of participants for primary data collection. This is likely to include contacting research partners, monitoring sign-up forms, following up with volunteers, and coordinating schedules to conduct research activities. The research assistants will work in collaboration with each other to complete all tasks set by the supervising PhD student.

Qualifications: Dalhousie student with minimum two years of academic background/experience in food business, agricultural business, environmental science or animal science is required. Students should be independently motivated and comfortable working with limited supervision as this position will be conducted virtually. Students will need to have reliable access to internet and a computer. Students will need strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills. Student outcomes: Students will work with researchers, assisting in conducting a systematic literature review and collecting primary data through participant interviews and focus groups. Students will develop valuable hands-on skills in qualitative research methods and receive training in advanced qualitative research softwares. Students may have the option to continue working with the research team and using the data collected during this position for the completion of their fourth-year honours thesis.

To apply for the above position, please forward your resume and the names of two references to: Ashley MacDonald, PhD Student Researcher Business & Social Sciences Department, ashley.jean.macdonald@dal.ca