Postdoctoral Fellow – Refugee Youth Transitions, Belonging, Education and Service Navigation in Canada 2026 | SSHRC-Funded UnborderED Knowledge Project

Applications are now open for the prestigious Postdoctoral Fellow – Refugee Youth Transitions, Belonging, Education and Service Navigation position under the SSHRC-funded UnborderED Knowledge Project in Canada.

Hosted by Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services in Toronto, this unique opportunity is designed for scholars with lived experience of forced migration who are passionate about equity-centred research, participatory arts-based methodologies, refugee education systems, and community-engaged knowledge mobilization.

This one-year part-time fellowship offers selected candidates the opportunity to lead a national participatory arts-based research project focused on the educational experiences, belonging, and future pathways of university students in Canada who arrived through humanitarian migration pathways.

The position is grounded in social justice, anti-racism, trauma-informed research, and community-based collaboration, making it an outstanding opportunity for researchers seeking meaningful impact beyond academia.

About the UnborderED Knowledge Project

The UnborderED Knowledge Project is a SSHRC-funded initiative focused on displaced students and researchers, educational access, systems navigation, belonging, and policy innovation in Canada.

The selected Postdoctoral Fellow will work closely with Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services and collaborate with interdisciplinary advisors, institutional partners, community organizations, and sector leaders.

Although the fellowship is housed in Toronto, Ontario, the project will be conducted virtually due to its national scope.

The fellowship strongly values lived experience as research expertise and recognizes the knowledge and perspectives of individuals with forced migration backgrounds as central to ethical and impactful research practice.

Fellowship Overview

Host Organization

Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services

Project

SSHRC-Funded “UnborderED Knowledge” Project

Position Title

Postdoctoral Fellow – Refugee Youth Transitions, Belonging, Education and Service Navigation

Location

Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Virtual National Project)

Appointment Duration

1-Year Part-Time Appointment

Salary and Benefits

0.6 FTE – CAD $33,000 plus benefits

Application Deadline

July 17, 2026

Fellowship Start Date

August 10, 2026

Research Focus Areas

The selected fellow will lead a focused national study exploring:

• Experiences of displaced students in post-secondary education in Canada
• Educational access and barriers faced by refugee-background students
• Belonging, participation, and inclusion within university environments
• Facilitators and challenges related to completing higher education
• Future educational and professional pathways for displaced learners
• Actionable policy recommendations for post-secondary institutions
• Systems navigation and institutional support for students arriving through humanitarian pathways

The research specifically focuses on university students who entered Canada as:

• Resettled refugees
• Refugee claimants
• Individuals arriving through humanitarian migration pathways

Key Responsibilities

1. Research Leadership

The Postdoctoral Fellow will play a major leadership role in the design and implementation of the research project.

Responsibilities include:

• Designing and implementing qualitative arts-based research methodologies
• Leading participatory-action research activities
• Recruiting and engaging student participants across Canada
• Training student participants in arts-based research methods
• Developing ethical research protocols
• Applying trauma-informed and anti-racist research strategies
• Supporting community-engaged and equity-centred research processes
• Conducting virtual research and collaborative activities nationwide
• Applying for ethics approvals and additional grant opportunities
• Managing data collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination

Scholarly Contributions

The selected fellow will contribute to significant scholarly and academic outputs, including:

• Completing manuscripts for academic publication
• Collaborating on scholarly articles with institutional and cluster partners
• Participating in conference presentations
• Contributing to interdisciplinary research outputs
• Supporting SSHRC reporting and synthesis activities

Knowledge Mobilization and Policy Engagement

A major component of this fellowship involves transforming research findings into practical and accessible knowledge products.

Responsibilities include:

• Developing policy briefs and recommendations
• Creating slide decks and educational resources
• Producing accessible infographics and communication materials
• Presenting findings to institutional leaders and service providers
• Engaging with community organizations and refugee-serving sectors
• Contributing to systems-level policy innovation

Community and Sector Collaboration

The fellowship emphasizes strong collaboration between academia, community organizations, and policy stakeholders.

The selected fellow will:

• Collaborate with Access Alliance and Cluster 2 research teams
• Participate in interdisciplinary advisory meetings
• Engage with post-secondary institutions and community organizations
• Deliver workshops and presentations for student participants
• Support participatory-action research activities
• Work with government representatives and sector leaders

Required Qualifications

Applicants must meet the following essential criteria:

Essential Requirements

• Lived experience of forced migration
• Legally entitled to work in Canada
• Must reside in Canada throughout the employment period
• Demonstrated experience in arts-based research
• Graduate degree required (PhD preferred)

Preferred Qualifications

Additional qualifications considered assets include:

• Experience working or volunteering with immigrant or refugee-serving organizations
• Experience in qualitative research methodologies
• Participatory-action research experience
• Strong academic or policy-oriented writing background
• Published or publishable scholarly work
• Commitment to equity and anti-racist approaches
• Trauma-informed research expertise
• Strong collaboration and interpersonal skills
• Experience facilitating virtual workshops
• Multilingual abilities

Lived Experience as Foundational Research Expertise

One of the most distinctive features of this fellowship is its recognition of lived experience as foundational scholarly expertise.

The project explicitly values lived experience of forced migration as central to:

• Ethical research design
• Knowledge interpretation
• Community engagement
• Participatory methodologies
• Policy and systems innovation
• Knowledge mobilization strategies

Applicants are encouraged to explain how their lived experiences shape their research perspectives, ethical commitments, and approaches to community-engaged scholarship.

Mentorship and Professional Development Opportunities

Selected fellows will receive extensive mentorship and career development support.

This includes:

• Direct mentorship from Dr. Akm Alamgir at Access Alliance
• Academic mentorship from Dr. Michaela Hynie and institutional collaborators
• Opportunities to engage with interdisciplinary advisory committees
• Exposure to policy leaders and government representatives
• Opportunities to lead and co-author publications
• Career development and academic networking support
• Interdisciplinary collaboration opportunities

Required Application Documents

Applicants must submit the following materials:

1. Cover Letter (Maximum 2 Pages)
   • Research interests
   • Fit with the fellowship project
   • Relevant experience and motivation
2. Statement on Lived Experience
   • Description of forced migration experience
   • Relevance to research approach and ethics
3. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
4. Writing Sample
   • Academic or policy-oriented sample
5. Three References
   • Contact information required

Important Dates

• Application Deadline: July 17, 2026
• Fellowship Start Date: August 10, 2026

Why This Fellowship Matters

The Postdoctoral Fellow – Refugee Youth Transitions, Belonging, Education and Service Navigation position represents an important step toward inclusive and community-driven research leadership in Canada.

By centering the voices and experiences of displaced students and refugee-background scholars, the UnborderED Knowledge Project aims to transform educational systems, strengthen support structures, and generate actionable solutions that improve educational equity and belonging.

This fellowship is ideal for researchers committed to social justice, refugee education, participatory arts-based methods, and policy transformation within higher education systems.

Applicants with strong lived experience perspectives, interdisciplinary research interests, and a passion for community-engaged scholarship are strongly encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

Applicants must submit all required application materials directly to the Hiring Committee at Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services.

Submit Applications To:

Hiring Committee, Post-Doc Researcher
Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services

Email: research@accessalliance.ca

Applicants should ensure that all required documents are included in their submission before the application deadline of July 17, 2026.

Click HERE to learn more and apply for the SSHRC-Funded UnborderED Knowledge Project, and visit the official website HERE.

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