Postdoctoral Fellow, Autism Research
Company : IWK Health
Req ID: 220704
Department/Program: Autism Research, Research Services
Location: Halifax
Type of Employment: Temporary Hourly FT long-assignment (100% FTE) for 12 months x 1 position(s)
Start Date: September 1, 2026
Union Status: Research, Management/Non Union Bargaining Unit
Compensation: Commensurate with experience and qualifications
Closing Date: May 31, 2026 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)
IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.
Promoting an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.
The Opportunity
We invite applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow to join the research program of Dr. Giacomo Vivanti, incoming Joan & Jack Craig Chair in Autism Research. The position is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is expected to begin in Fall 2026.
The successful candidate will join a dynamic and growing research program focused on advancing the science and practice of early identification and early intervention in autism. The Chair’s program integrates developmental science, clinical research, and implementation approaches to improve outcomes for autistic children and their families across diverse service systems.
Roles & Responsibilities
The Postdoctoral Fellow will contribute to new research initiatives within the Chair’s program. Responsibilities will include:
• Leading and contributing to peer-reviewed publications
• Designing and conducting studies related to early autism development and intervention
• Analyzing complex longitudinal and clinical datasets
• Supporting grant development and research coordination
• Engaging with community, clinical, and policy partners to support research translation
• Mentoring trainees and contributing to a collaborative research environment
The position offers opportunities to develop an independent program of research aligned with the broader goals of the Chair.
Connection to Provincial Preschool Autism Services (PPAS)
A central component of this position will be engagement with Nova Scotia’s Provincial Preschool Autism Services (PPAS), a province-wide transformation of autism services delivered through a partnership between IWK Health, Nova Scotia Health, Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia, and Autism Nova Scotia.
PPAS represents a major system-level innovation, including:
• A centralized intake and diagnostic pathway
• Coordinated care and improved service access across the province
• A broader range of intervention options tailored to family needs
• An outcomes-based digital platform enabling large-scale, real-world data collection
This environment creates a unique opportunity for the Postdoctoral Fellow to:
• Contribute to embedding research within real-world service systems
• Analyze large-scale clinical and implementation datasets
• Evaluate models of care and intervention effectiveness at scale
• Support the generation of evidence to inform provincial and national autism policy and practice
The fellow will work closely with clinical, community, and government partners to support the translation of evidence into practice while also generating new knowledge about how to optimize early autism services.
Hours of Work
Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week
Your Qualifications
We are seeking applicants with strong interest and prior experience in one or more of the following areas:
• Autism early intervention
• Early learning processes and developmental mechanisms in autism
• Implementation science and service delivery models
• Community-participatory or community-partnered research
• Computational and/or advanced statistical approaches to clinical and developmental data
Candidates with interdisciplinary backgrounds are especially encouraged to apply.
Your Qualifications
• A PhD (or equivalent) in psychology, neuroscience, public health, or a related field (completed or near completion)
• A strong record of scholarly productivity (e.g., peer-reviewed publications)
• Experience with quantitative and/or mixed-methods research
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary environment
Experience working with autistic individuals and/or early intervention systems is highly desirable.
Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.
Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.
This is a Management/Non Union bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.
An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.
If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.
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Neurology, Clinical Research, Medical Research, Public Health, Healthcare, Research