Summary of position

Srividya Iyer is currently seeking a Postdoc trainee or PhD candidate in Mental Health. The selected trainee will be registered with McGill University, one of Canada’s leading universities, where Dr. Iyer is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry.

The selected trainee will conduct research as part of a larger mixed-methods study on understanding and improving access to health services among people with psychosis in Peru. Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, this study combines administrative data analysis, geospatial analysis, and qualitative methodologies to investigate the factors shaping access to care. Attention will be given to underserved populations, including Indigenous communities, racialized populations, and people living in remote areas. The larger study aims to generate evidence to inform strategies for reducing barriers and improving equitable access to health services in Peru, while producing insights relevant to underserved populations facing similar challenges in other global contexts.

The trainee will have to communicate with the local population in Peru, Therefore Spanish language proficiency is required.

About Youth Mental Health Collective

 The trainee will join the Youth Mental Health Collective, which is an initiative of the Canada Research Chair in Youth, Mental Health and Learning Health Systems (Tier 1), a title awarded to Dr. Srividya Iyer. The collective is an internationally recognized, interdisciplinary research group focused on improving youth mental health and services for psychosis in Canada and globally through innovative research, implementation science, learning health systems, and meaningful partnerships with youth, families, communities, clinicians, and policymakers. To know more, visit www.srividyaiyer.com

Collaborators

The trainee will work closely with diverse collaborators (persons with lived experience, families/carers, researchers, decision-makers) in Peru as well as researchers in Canada.

The trainee will have the opportunity to pursue and grow as a researcher in the field of global mental health and concurrently strengthen their knowledge translation skills ensuring research impacts services and policy.

Description of tasks

As a core member of the YMHC, the trainee will:

• Actively contribute to research (conceptualization, implementation, data collection and analysis, knowledge translation and stakeholder engagement
• Carry out independent and collaborative research projects from conception through publication with mentorship.
• Lead and/or significantly contribute to scientific writing (research protocols, peer reviewed academic journal articles, oral and poster presentations, reports etc.,)
• Contribute to preparation, conceptualization and writing of grant and fellowship applications
• Lead and prepare ethics applications of research projects
• Plan and participate in outreach activities (seminars, conferences, workshops, videos, etc.)
• Plan and participate actively in the supervision/mentoring of trainees
• Support personnel training and management as needed
• Promote a team culture among all collaborators, partners, stakeholders and participants

Required qualifications

• Completed Masters degree (for PhD position) and completed PhD degree (for Postdoctoral Fellow position) in a relevant discipline such as Public Health/Psychology/Physical & Occupational Therapy/ Epidemiology/ Sociology/Psychiatry/Nursing/Education, Social Sciences/ Mental Health/ Social work, Anthropology, etc.
• For Postdoctoral Fellow position: the candidate must have completed PhD degree within last 4 years or less time
• Candidate for PhD training within the Youth Mental Health Collective must be Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
• Candidate must hold a valid passport to travel internationally.
• Prior experience in psychosis, mental health, and/or health and social services research is an asset
• Prior experience in Peru and Latin America an asset

Required skills

• Demonstrated experience in qualitative research methods and use of qualitative data analysis softwares (e.g., NVivo, ATLAS.ti etc.,) is required.
• Experience with arts-based and participatory research methods, such as digital storytelling, photovoice, or other creative qualitative research methods is highly desirable.
• EndNote or other bibliographic database management software, etc.) is required.
• Capacity to communicate in French and English
• Excellent knowledge of Spanish, spoken and written Spanish is required.
• A record of peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations and/or other non-traditional forms of knowledge dissemination like multi-media is an asset
• Experience working with persons with lived experience of mental health challenges, families, community partners, clinicians and decision-makers is an asset
• Experience in Peru or other regions in Latin America an asset

Required abilities

• Ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary team environment
• Strong interpersonal skills
• and organizational ability, and the ability to work efficiently in an exciting, fast-paced environment with multiple projects
• Detail oriented
• Strong commitment to equity
• Strong interest in mental health and/or global health

Location of work

McGill University trainees need to be in Montreal. For the project and field work, trainees may need to travel and/or spend time in Peru.

When in person, work will be at the Douglas Research Centre and attend classes at McGill campus locations.

Work schedule

• Full-time (35h/week)
• Ideal start date January 2027. Start date can be negotiated
• Duration: For doctoral student, until completion of PhD assuming successful completion of expected milestones. For post-doc, one-year full-time appointment, with the possibility of renewal contingent on funding and performance

Salary

The selected Trainee will receive mentorship and support to apply for competitive national and international fellowships, awards, and research funding. (e.g., FRQS, CIHR, etc.) in Fall 2026. To have more information about McGill funding for PhD and Postdoctoral fellow positions please click on these links: For PhD position see funding for Canadian citizen and Permanent resident: https://www.mcgill.ca/psychiatry/education/graduate-program/minimum-funding For Postdoctoral Fellow position: https://www.mcgill.ca/gps/postdocs/future-postdocs/finances

Required to travel?

Yes

Instructions for submitting an application

Please email your application package to Navdeep Kaur at navdeep.kaur.comtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca with the following items

as a single PDF with the subject “YMHC Trainee”:

• Curriculum vitae
• Name and contact info for 3 references
• 1-2 writing samples
• 1-2 samples of Knowledge Translation, if available (e.g., writing for a website, infographic, video, etc.)
• Statement of academic interests and career goals

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.

Contact person

Navdeep Kaur

E-mail

navdeep.kaur.comtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca

Name of immediate supervisor

Dr. Srividya Iyer

Posting dates

to