We’re Hiring Researchers for Fall-Winter 2024-25 

We’re pleased to share that we have a number of roles related to design research and research support that are open for application! The deadline to apply is Sunday, August 4th, 2024, at 11:59PM. 

To learn what working at the Innovation Hub means to our students, read our job descriptions below! To apply to Innovation Hub, please visit https://uoft.me/iHubWorkStudy and apply via Microsoft Form. 

General Information  

Apply for multiple roles in one application – applicants will be considered for all available Innovation Hub positions. 

• Start-End Date of Positions: September 6, 2024 – March 31, 2025
• Average 6-8 hours per week to a total of 100 hours 
• Pay is $16.55/hour 

Design Researcher 

The Design Researcher works with a team that conducts a design thinking project for the Innovation Hub with the goal of improving the student experience in a specific area. Every project looks different but uses design thinking to provide partners with compelling insights that reframe problems innovatively and inspire action. 

Design Researcher – Engagement & Belonging: Students with Disabilities 

Accessibility Services at U of T seeks to gain an understanding about factors that enable students with disabilities to fully engage in campus life and identify where gaps exist. The project aims to understand students’ needs to identify tangible ideas and champion access and inclusion for students with disabilities. The findings of the project will inform Accessibility Services programming and services and broader U of T community to support the better design of all aspects of campus life for students with disabilities. 

Design Researcher – Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Access at the School of Environment 

The School of the Environment at U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science seeks to understand how equity, diversity, inclusion, and access (EDIA) is embedded in the curriculum, programming, communications, hiring, events, meetings, building, design, and culture. The project aims to gain a meaningful understanding of student perspectives and tangible ideas of steps to take to better champion EDIA so that student experiences are enhanced, addressing barriers to EDIA from a student point of view – including undergraduate students; students in the collaborative specialization program; graduate students; domestic and international students; commuter students; and students from equity-deserving populations.  The findings of the project will inform the School of the Environment to make design decisions that will enable the school to become a leader in EDIA at U of T and beyond. 

Design Researcher – Reception Experiences at Health & Wellness 

Health & Wellness (H&W) at U of T seeks to improve student experiences with the front-line reception team. Whether a first encounter as a new patient or a repeat encounter as a returning patient, the team at H&W seeks to create consistent client experiences across all channels to ensure a cohesive brand experience. The project aims to look at all possible interaction points with the front-line reception team across various communication formats at various points in time. The findings of the project will inform programming and service delivery and to create opportunities for omnichannel marketing in the future. 

Research Support

Qualitative Data Archivist 

The Qualitative Data Archivist team supports Design Researchers on all design thinking projects by facilitating data analysis and ensuring qualitative data is processed and stored appropriately. The team is also responsible for maintaining the Innovation Hub’s large database on the qualitative research software (Dedoose). Tasks for this role include transcription, de-identification, and anonymization of data. The team also uses Dedoose to conduct qualitative coding, applying appropriate research codes and tags to the stored data. To assist the design research teams in the data analysis process, the team analyzes and manages existing data in the Innovation Hub database using archival coding. Working with existing data is an important aspect of this role. 

University of Toronto Quality Assurance Process Faculty of Arts & Science

Innovation Hub Design Researcher for the Arts & Science University of Toronto Quality Assurance Process (UTQAP)

The Design Researcher works as part of a team that gathers feedback from students related to a particular program or unit in the Faculty of Arts & Science. Using an empathy-based approach, the design research team focuses on understanding students’ experiences within the program or unit in four key areas: academics, student support, community building and extracurricular activities. The team works together to plan and carry out data collection and analysis, preparing a report and presenting findings to the program or unit’s senior academic team. This design research process results in a presentation of data  to senior academic leaders at UofT which can directly impact future change in an Arts & Science program. 

Innovation Hub Qualitative Data Archivist for the Arts & Science University of Toronto Quality Assurance Process (UTQAP) 

The Qualitative Data Archivist team supports Design Researchers on all design thinking projects by facilitating data analysis and ensuring qualitative data is processed and stored appropriately. The team is also responsible for maintaining the Innovation Hub’s large database on the qualitative research software (Dedoose). Tasks for this role include transcription, de-identification, and anonymization of data. The team also uses Dedoose to conduct qualitative coding, applying appropriate research codes and tags to the stored data. To assist the design research teams in the data analysis process, the team analyzes and manages existing data in the Innovation Hub database using archival coding. Working with existing data is an important aspect of this role. 

Innovation Hub Quantitative Data Analyst for the Arts & Science University of Toronto Quality Assurance Process (UTQAP) 

The Data Analyst works with research teams that conduct design thinking projects for the Innovation Hub in support of the University of Toronto Faculty of Arts & Science (A&S) Quality Assurance Process (UTQAP). The Data Analyst supports the survey portions of all the UTQAP projects, including overseeing the survey data collection and analysis, supporting teams in writing reports to present the insights uncovered in the data, making recommendations and prototypes for potential solutions.