Research Associate, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Description

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine invites applications for a Research Associate. This Full-time Fixed Term position is for approximately 1 year (based on length of grant funding), with the possibility of extension.

This position reports to the Principal Investigator.

The primary focus of our research program is to understand bacteriophage-bacteria-host interactions and advance bacteriophage-derived technologies. Specifically, this Research Associate will be instrumental in driving projects related to molecular microbiology, functional genomics, immunology, and culturomics, utilizing omics approaches to understand how phages interact with bacteria and their hosts.

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

Research & Technical Leadership:

• Under limited supervision and direction, develop and implement original experiments within the guidelines of the research
• Conduct literature review, surveys, data analysis and interpretation, laboratory experiments and other research for use in scholarly publications
• Carry out research activities in veterinary medicine, molecular microbiology, host-bacteriophage interaction, antimicrobial activity screening, next-generation sequencing, bioinformatic analysis, and animal challenge studies
• Cultivate viable pathogenic and nonpathogenic stock cultures of bacteria and viruses
• Participate in the design and development of precision equipment and processes
• Produce initial drafts of manuscripts for publication and appropriate scientific journals
• Responsible for presentations in producing figures for publication
• Assist in the preparation of grant applications and research reports

Laboratory Management & Supervision:

• Responsible for management, maintenance, or control of a specialized area
• Involved in day-to-day supervision of staff, monitoring, planning, and organizing activities of others
• Assist with plans and designs for specialized applications to meet the needs of operations, research, and services
• Budget involvement including developing reports, tracking expenses, and reconciliation of accounts
• Recommend changes to methods, procedures, and practices within the lab
• Responsible of the organization of the day-to-day administration of the laboratory
• Responsible for ordering, and stock checking
• Responsible for repairs of equipment, ensuring safety compliance
• Oversee reliable and safe operation of all laboratory equipment for various users, including stocking of all necessary materials and supplies

Qualifications / Requirements:

• A Master of Science degree in Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Biochemistry or a closely related field is required
• Minimum 7 years of technical experience and completion of post-secondary education in related discipline 3 to 5 years of related technical experience within the research specialty field 1 to 3 years of supervisory experience
• Direct and demonstrable research experience in the subject matter of the research project is essential
• Extensive knowledge of theory and practical application of technical procedures and techniques
• Advanced technical expertise in complex molecular cloning, recombinant protein expression, cell culture, and working with mouse models is essential
• Expertise in complex bacterial mutagenesis (including gene knockouts/knockdowns) and perform pull-down assays to assess protein interaction is must
• Experience with various biological samples
• Hands-on experience or a solid experimental background in CRISPR, next-generation sequencing (e.g., metagenomics, RNA seq, s proteomics, metabolomics, long read sequencing), and bioinformatics is highly desirable
• Prior research experience with bacteriophages, functional genomics, culturomics, epifluorescence microscope, confocal imaging, and flow cytometry is considered an asset
• Experience in preparing animal use and/or ethics protocols is highly preferred
• Ability to perform detailed design, documentation, and implementation of moderately complex technological systems
• Ability to provide technical support for other team members through advice on technical lab issues
• Perform detailed design, documentation, and implementation of moderately complex technological systems
• Recommend change to processes or procedures
• Interact with other members of the team and undertake literature reviews

Application Deadline:  March 22, 2026

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Technical Job Family, Phase 2.

For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website.

About the University of Calgary

UCalgary is Canada’s entrepreneurial university, located in Canada’s most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada’s leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy ii’ taa’poh’to’p committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

The university’s commitment to the Indigenous Strategy is evident through the oversight of 18 Elders serving on the Circle of Advisors and the many unit-based circles working towards implementation of the strategy including the Faculty Advisory Circle and teams such as the Office of Indigenous Engagement, the Writing Symbols Lodge, and the Indigenous Research Support Team. Many Indigenous-based events and processes are impacting curriculum, programming and polices at the University of Calgary.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Institutional Commitments (oic@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodations can be sent to People & Culture (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).

Do you have most but not all the qualifications? Research show that women, racialized and visible minorities, and persons with disabilities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At UCalgary we are committed to achieving equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible employment practices and workplaces and encourage you to apply if you believe you are right for this role. 

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.