Research Associate (Advanced Materials)

Location: hirify.global Vancouver Campus, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; onsite research role.

Salary: CAD 76,128 per annum.

Company

hirify.global is a university conducting academic research and higher education, with this role based in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.

What you will do

• Lead independent and collaborative experimental research on bio-based polymers, cellulose and other nanomaterials, composites, sustainable materials processing, and environmental technologies.
• Develop research questions, experimental plans, performance targets, validation strategies, methods, protocols, and standard operating procedures.
• Lead material synthesis, processing, testing, characterization, data analysis, troubleshooting, and dissemination from hypothesis development through publication.
• Provide scientific leadership for multidisciplinary projects, collaborations, work packages, milestones, and research reporting.
• Mentor and train students, postdoctoral fellows, research staff, and other researchers.
• Oversee laboratory instrumentation, infrastructure, safety, procurement, maintenance, equipment training, grant proposals, publications, conferences, and external research partnerships.

Requirements

• PhD in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, Polymer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, another relevant discipline, or equivalent qualifications and research experience.
• Demonstrated original research contributions, scientific productivity, and peer-reviewed publications in relevant disciplines.
• Significant hands-on experience designing, conducting, analyzing, and troubleshooting experimental research in an academic, government, or industrial environment.
• Ability to independently and collaboratively lead complex research projects from scientific conception to validated results and dissemination.
• Experience developing and validating methods for materials preparation, characterization, processing, or performance testing.
• Experience writing and authoring peer-reviewed manuscripts, technical reports, and research proposals, with strong scientific and technical writing skills.
• Ability to analyze scientific literature, identify research gaps, and develop rigorous multidisciplinary research concepts.
• Experience mentoring or training researchers; strong organizational, project-management, interpersonal, communication, and priority-management skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, interact professionally with researchers, students, staff, sponsors, industry partners, and external collaborators, and support a respectful, inclusive, collaborative, and safe research environment.
• Effective verbal and written English communication is required.

Nice to have

• Successful research proposals for major Canadian or international funding programs, including NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR, CFI, Mitacs, Genome Canada, provincial programs, or industry-sponsored research.
• Research partnerships with industry, government, community organizations, or other external stakeholders.
• Experience preparing research budgets, work plans, milestones, deliverables, risk registers, and project-management documentation.
• Experience managing laboratory equipment, procurement, research infrastructure, laboratory safety, and research operations.
• Publications in advanced materials, polymers, bio-based materials, nanomaterials, environmental technologies, or related fields.
• Experience with intellectual property, technology translation, industry collaboration, commercialization, or hirify.global research administration and support structures.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time, one-year appointment ending December 31, 2027, renewable subject to performance and funding availability.
• Work under the general direction of Principal Investigators while providing scientific and functional supervision to research personnel.
• Comprehensive benefits package.
• Canadians and permanent residents of Canada receive priority, while all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.
• Research is conducted in a diverse, inclusive, collaborative, and safe academic environment.

Hiring process

• Submit a curriculum vitae, concise statements of research interests, and the names and contact information of three references.
• Apply online; applications are accepted until 11:59 PM on November 29, 2026. Review begins December 1, 2026, with an anticipated start date of January 1, 2027.