Indigenous Engagement and Policy Research Coordinator

Job Profile

AAPS Salaried - Research and Facilitation, Level A

Staff - Non Union

Job Category M&P - AAPS

Job Title Indigenous Engagement and Policy Research Coordinator

Department Wasserman Laboratory | Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics | Faculty of Medicine

Compensation Range $5,365.42 - $7,709.92 CAD Monthly

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date February 12, 2026

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date March 1, 2027

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

The Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of British Columbia seeks a Research Assistant in the Wasserman Lab working on the Silent Genomes Project. The Wasserman laboratory partners with a strong genetics community to develop and apply computational (bioinformatics) methods to improve diagnosis for individuals with rare genetic disorders caused by variations in genome sequences. The Silent Genomes Project is a national collaboration focused on the development of an Indigenous Background Variant Library under Indigenous governance and oversight.

Based on the campus of BC Children’s Hospital, the Wasserman laboratory is the lead laboratory for the expansion of the Indigenous Background Variant Library. This position presents a unique opportunity to work with Indigenous partners (individuals, communities and organizations) across Canada to improve the existing Indigenous Background Variant Library, by making it more representative of the diversity of Indigenous peoples by continuing a commitment to the development of safe and transparent approaches to inclusion, and to create educational resources that support the Indigenous Background Variant Library and related efforts.

The work is conducted under funding from three intersecting grants: ‘Silent Genomes:
Building a sustainable path to genetic/genomic care for Indigenous people of Canada and beyond’, funded by Genome Canada, the CIHR-funded Team Grant: The Pan-Canadian Genome Library (PCGL), and the CIHR-funded training grant The Canadian Bioinformatics, Computational Biology and Health Data Sciences Training and Community Platform (now known as the Canadian Bioinformatics Hub). The PCGL aims to provide long-term national infrastructure and resources for maintaining data and access to the output of genome sequencing projects, including the Silent Genomes Project.

Funded work under the Canadian Bioinformatics Hub is focused on building Indigenous capacity in data science and bioinformatics.

The successful candidate will be responsible for development of genomic educational materials and tools for Indigenous families and communities considering research participation in Silent Genomes, facilitating engagement with First Nations, Metis and Inuit stakeholders, drafting communications for Indigenous health and policy organizations in Canada and beyond who are learning about or collaborating with the project, and engaging with trainees and academic investigators across Canada committed to expanding Indigenous capacity in the data sciences and computational biology.

The candidate will review study protocols and educational resources from the project and provide suggestions for improved alignment with the priorities and guidelines of Indigenous communities and organizations.

The successful candidate will be responsible for conducting literature reviews (both academic and other) on policy…