Student Opportunity FW23-24 – Community-Based Participatory Water Quality Monitoring for Safe Water Optimization in the Canadian North

Post

Published on October 13, 2023

Job ID: 59991

Job Title: Community-Based Participatory Water Quality Monitoring for Safe Water Optimization in the Canadian North

Application Deadline: Sunday, October 22, 2023 @ 11:59 p.m. ET

Eligibility criteria.

To apply, please submit your application to this form: https://airtable.com/app056pBy3C9IrZE1/shrSpRa1sQnW3DUYV

Hourly wage: $19 per hour

Hours per week: 5.5 hours per week

Start date: November 1, 2023

End date: April 26, 2024

Job description

The Safe Water Optimization Tool (SWOT) is a web-based water safety modelling platform that helps water system operators balance public health protection with consumer acceptability by generating site-specific and evidence-based water chlorination guidelines. The SWOT has been deployed in humanitarian crises around the world to help ensure water safety and protect public health. The SWOT is an initiative of Dr. Ali’s Humanitarian Water Lab at the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research in its Global Health & Humanitarianism research theme. 

Many communities in the Canadian North are served by water trucking and face similar issues of water quality deterioration that the SWOT was designed to address. Exploratory work conducted in early 2023 in Nunavut by Prof. Stephanie Gora’s PhD student Caroline Duncan indicates that there is interest among water systems operators to apply the SWOT in the Canadian North. Communities also voice strong concerns about the taste and odour of chlorinated water, for which the SWOT is developing new functionalities to better address. 

We wish to conduct a scoping study to explore the application of the SWOT in the Canadian North, including a potential role for novel community-based participatory water quality monitoring to (a) provide a feedback loop between communities, water system operators, and territorial government officials; and (b) generate input data for the SWOT without requiring intensive water system operator data collection. 

The proposed RAY project will focus on conducting a literature scoping review to establish a baseline understanding of current practices and challenges related to water safety in Northern communities.

Specific research activities the student(s) will be engaged in:

• Developing and conducting a literature review search
• Creating and maintaining a structured and annotated bibliographic review of existing literature 
• Managing sources using reference management software.
• Support the preparation of write-up

Type of research experience the student(s) will receive:

• Critical thinking
• Conducting literature review; Creating annotated bibliography; Tabulating data; 
• Preparing presentations and written outputs of research; Editing and formatting drafts; Correspondence with partners and workshop invitees;
• Professional communication, including international and cross-cultural professional interaction and communicationConducting literature review; Creating annotated bibliography; Tabulating data
• Preparing presentations and written outputs of research; Editing and formatting drafts; Correspondence with partners and workshop invitees
• Professional communication, including international and cross-cultural professional interaction and communication.

Type of training and support that will be provided to the student(s) in carrying out these research activities:

• Methodological training on literature review
• Subject matter training on global health, water engineering, Northern issues
• Regular status meetings with your supervising full-time faculty

Qualifications

• Current undergraduate York student. Applicants from diverse programs of study are encouraged, with a preference for those from an engineering or technical background related to the research area.
• The Dahdaleh Institute welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, including, but not limited to women, persons with disabilities, visible minorities (racialized), Indigenous Peoples and persons of any gender identity and sexual orientation. York University is committed to a positive, supportive, and inclusive environment. Applications are encouraged from Indigenous students, especially those from the Canadian North.
• Demonstrated interest in global health.
• Demonstrated skills, experience, and familiarity with conducting literature reviews.
• Demonstrated knowledge of research methods (quantitative and/or qualitative and/or integrative).
• Demonstrated excellent analytic skills for understanding, sorting, and categorizing complex information. Skills and resourcefulness in drawing mind-maps and tabulating information is an asset.
• Demonstrated note-taking, journal-keeping, and filing skills.
• Demonstrated excellent communication skills: professional written and interactive correspondence, public speaking and presentation.
• Demonstrated excellent computer skills (word processing, email, database, spreadsheets, forms, and slides; facility with Office 365 Apps). WordPress editing skills are an asset. Social media communication skills are an asset.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including international and cross-cultural communication. Ability and willingness to work both independently and as part of a team with researchers, students, and staff.
• Demonstrated an eagerness to learn, support, and take on initiative.
• Demonstrated organizational and time management skills.

Application materials

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Transcript
• Writing sample

If you have any questions, please email Syed Imran Ali

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