Research Associate

at University of British Columbia, Kelowna, Canada

Listed on EduAtlas: live school vacancies from schools’ own careers pages and public job services. Apply on ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com. 8 similar posts in Canada.

Salary

Not given in the advert

Closing date

Open until filled

Start

1 May 2027

Type of post

Research

First seen

12 November 2026, on a public job listing

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The advert

Job Title

Research Associate

Job Category

Faculty Non Bargaining

Job Family Group

Academic

Department

UBCO | Leadership | School of Engineering | Faculty of Applied Science (Will Hughes)

Job End Date

April 30, 2029

Posting End Date

December 15, 2026

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

The expected pay for this position is $79,872 per year

The School of Engineering (SoE) in the Faculty of Applied Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Okanagan campus invites applications for a full-time, Research Associate in the area of DNA nanotechnology with an anticipated start date of May 1, 2027 or a date to be mutually agreed upon. The appointment is a two year term, with the possibility of extension subject to work performance and funding availability.

The Research Associate will co-lead the day-to-day operation of Professor William L. Hughes’s laboratory in the School of Engineering at UBC Okanagan. Professor Hughes is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in DNA Engineering, a Professor in the Faculty of Applied Science in Vancouver, and Director of the School of Engineering in the Okanagan.

The role bridges fundamental and applied research in DNA nanotechnology, molecular self-assembly and molecular computing, advancing ideas from discovery through technology development and transfer. Working across materials, biological and information sciences, the Research Associate connects molecular design principles to functional structures, devices and circuits and identifies barriers to their practical use. Research spans biomedical and non-biomedical applications, including Nucleic Acid Memory (NAM), within a broader program of programmable molecular systems. The position combines rigorous research, student mentorship, publications, funding development, intellectual property and partnerships that support translation into useful technologies.

ABOUT UBC

UBC is a global centre for research, teaching, and service, consistently ranked among the 40 best universities in the world – and top 20 public universities. According to Maclean’s 2023 University Rankings, UBC is Canada’s best engineering program. As one university, the Faculty of Applied Science is the bridge that connects Engineering across the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.

The University opened its Okanagan campus in 2005 as a bold new UBC presence in the interior of beautiful British Columbia, designed to deliver on the promise of a research-intensive institution purpose-built for the 21st century. UBC Okanagan (UBCO) is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation. With the campus rapidly emerging as a research powerhouse, UBCO students receive an outstanding education in a stimulating student-centric learning environment. Over the last five years, campus research income has more than doubled. Success rates at the Canadian tri-councils (SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR) have consistently exceeded national averages. Faculty have formal research partnerships with over 100 organizations (e.g. local non-profits, regional enterprises, national and multinational corporations, regional health authorities, hospitals, and municipalities), with activities on the main UBCO campus and in the Innovation UBC hub, which is located downtown in the Okanagan’s thriving tech ecosystem. In 2019, UBC Okanagan published Outlook 2040, a visioning exercise that positions the campus as one of Canada’s fastest growing post-secondary institutions. In partnership with Professor Hughes, the Research Associate has an outstanding opportunity to co-create a research enterprise in the area of DNA Nanotechnology that fully supports Outlook 2040.

ORGANIZATIONAL STATUS

The position is based in the School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, at UBC Okanagan and reports to Professor William L. Hughes. The Research Associate works with undergraduate and graduate students, laboratory personnel, faculty and external partners, and represents the principal investigator and laboratory in research meetings and other stakeholder settings.

The Research Associate develops collaborations across both UBC campuses, including the Michael Smith Laboratories (MSL), and with clinical, government and industry partners. Working with relevant UBC technology-transfer colleagues and other specialists, the Research Associate helps identify applications, assess user needs and advance promising discoveries toward adoption.

The Research Associate is expected to foster an inclusive, respectful, and collaborative research environment and support equitable opportunities for students, trainees, staff, and collaborators from diverse backgrounds. The position requires interaction with individuals across disciplines, institutions, and communities while contributing to UBC's commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.

WORK PERFORMED

The successful candidate will work with Professor Hughes to establish research priorities, scientific objectives and development goals. They are expected to exercise independent day-to-day scientific judgment in research design, experimental planning, troubleshooting and data interpretation as well as seek guidance and approval on major changes in research scope, significant resource commitments, external partnerships, intellectual property and other matters with broader laboratory or institutional implications. The duties and responsibilities are:

• Investigate fundamental questions in DNA nanotechnology, molecular self-assembly and molecular computing. Use modelling and controlled experiments to connect sequence, structure, thermodynamics and kinetics to assembly pathways and function.

• Design, synthesize, troubleshoot and characterize static and dynamic DNA structures, devices and circuits, using DNA origami, DNA bricks and other programmable assemblies to organize biological and non-biological components.

• Develop molecular systems for information storage and processing, including technologies to read, write, store and edit information in DNA across space, time and/or sequence.

• Develop DNA nanotechnology for biomedical applications, integrating scientific and technical development with clinical needs, health technology assessment and regulatory considerations. Work with appropriate specialists to assess pathways relevant to the intended application and jurisdiction.

• Identify scientific, technical, clinical, regulatory, market and adoption barriers to DNA nanotechnology-based solutions. Use research, market analysis and engagement with potential users and customers to prioritize barriers and develop evidence-based strategies to address them.

• Use appropriate methods, including spectroscopy, electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), super-resolution microscopy (SRM) and/or DNA-PAINT, to characterize molecular structure and function. Establish controls, reproducible protocols, quantitative analysis and traceable research records.

• Assess technology readiness and define performance criteria with collaborators and potential users. Evaluate predictability, reproducibility, reliability, stability, scalability and integration requirements, using the findings to guide research and development toward biomedical and non-biomedical applications.

• Co-lead laboratory operations and train highly qualified personnel (HQP), including undergraduate and graduate researchers, while modelling inclusive excellence and responsible research practice.

• Develop competitive proposals and seek funding as principal investigator, co-investigator and/or senior personnel, where eligible. Manage budgets, milestones and resources across fundamental and applied research.

• Lead publications from conception to completion. Identify potentially protectable discoveries, prepare invention disclosures and support patent development and portfolio management with UBC technology-transfer colleagues, coordinating publication and other disclosure with intellectual property considerations.

• Build academic, government and industry partnerships. Support technology-transfer plans, validation and documentation for licensing, collaborative development, start-up formation or other appropriate routes to adoption.

• Lead the coordination of research ethics board (REB) or institutional review board (IRB) submissions and clinical and regulatory documentation for relevant biomedical projects. Work with university colleagues, clinicians, ethics and regulatory specialists, and relevant authorities and international partners, as appropriate.

• May contribute to student training and mentorship within the research program, supervision of undergraduate and graduate student research activities, assistance with laboratory instruction, and participation in research seminars and workshops.

• Connects training in experimental design, safe practice, data analysis and communication to fundamental inquiry and technology development.

About University of British Columbia

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