Freelance Research Assistant (Part-Time Contract)

We are seeking a freelance research assistant and potential co-host to aid in the production of a new podcast focussed on knowledge mobilization, research communication, and other forms of scholarly outreach.

Deadline: July 24^th, 2023. See instructions at bottom of page, and on our website:

https://citedmedia.ca/2023/07/11/hiring-freelance-research-assistant-part-time/

About Cited Media

Cited Media is an independent podcast production house with offices in Vancouver and Toronto. Founded in 2013, we specialize in documentary, news, and research communication podcasts, with a focus on healthcare, education, and science stories. You can find some of the podcasts we have published by browsingour website.

The Podcast & The Role

We are looking to launch a podcast that would be focussed on scholarly research communication and related themes, including: knowledge mobilization/translation, community-engaged research, pubic pedagogy, digital humanities, and other areas. Essentially, this would be a podcast about scholars and universities doing public work.

The podcast would look to highlight effective and evidence-based strategies for scholarly communication, but it would also look to encourage forms of communication that are more democratic, inclusive, and public-minded. That is to say, we would look to transcend mere one-way dissemination and the promotional and institutional discourses of many scholarly communication initiatives.

The podcast would be relatively niche, aimed not at a general public but at a community of research and practice (including scholars, administrators, and university leaders). You would work closely with Cited Media’s managing producer Ren Bangert, as well as Gordon Katic.

The role would be truly multi-media, focussing on text articles first and then using those to form the basis of podcast episodes. Eventually, we may expand to include a video component.

Specific responsibilities of the research assistant would include:

·Pitching story ideas to the Cited Media team, and helping the team develop the podcast in general.

·Staying up-to-date on current research regarding the core themes of the podcast.

·Writing brief summaries and reports of that research, and using them them to build articles and podcasts.

·Researching and discovering interesting scholarly initiatives worthy of highlight, including forms of research communication as well as university programs (science communication programs, etc.)

• Booking, interviewing and profiling practitioners.

Qualifications:
You are a strong researcher:

• Strong, proven record of interdisciplinary scholarly research is a must. We are looking for somebody with at least some post-graduate training, and somebody who has understanding, familiarity, and cultural fluency with academia and scholarly research in general.
• The ideal candidate would be already be a graduate student or recent graduate who has a familiarity with at least one of the academic field(s) that are germane to this podcast, e.g. education, communications, journalism, the public understanding of science, or similar areas.

You can make research intelligible:

• Evidence of public-facing writing a strong asset, since a core element of this role will be to synthesize and report on scholarly research to a wider audience. You will not be writing for ageneralpublic audience, but you will be writing about emerging work within specific disciplines and translating those insights to a wider academic, but non-expert audience.
• Podcast or production capacities a plus, but not a must. You will not be asked to cut tape, but depending on your skillset, you may be asked to book people, conduct interviews, and host/co-host the podcast.

You can work well in a journalistic setting:

• Ability to work autonomously on production tasks, but working within a broader organizational framework and editorial vision.
• You should be open-minded problem solver who takes initiative, isn’t afraid to ask colleagues for support, and is oriented towards community service, social justice, and being a decent person.
• Production management and show-running experience an asset, but not necessary.
• Being organized, deadline-oriented, and able to juggle multiple ideas at once is critical. We will work fast, publishing content each week; you will not have months to research for stories.
• Professionalism, competence, and courtesy when working with colleagues and outside collaborators and guests is a must.

The Nitty-Gritty

The compensation would be something like $25-$35CAN per hour, depending on the research qualifications of the candidate, and how much of the production they have the skillset to participate in. We envision an hourly commitment of something like 8-12 hours/week, though we would be flexible. The role is designed to fit into the schedule of a graduate student, though you need not be a current graduate student.

This role would be a temporary freelance contract to develop a pilot podcast, which would then be evaluated and continued if successful. The likely term is something like two-three months for this role, but we are flexible, and we would eventually look to extend beyond that initial term.

The candidate could be remote, and need not live in Canada. Preference would be given to somebody who works in a North American time zone, but we would consider somebody in Europe or another part of the world, if we can make the times work out.

How to Apply

If you are interested, pleaseemail Gordon Katica cover letter, CV, and a sample of your scholarly writing. If you have a portfolio of public writing (blogs, newspaper columns, whatever) or podcast episodes, feel free to include that in your application. However, that is not a requirement.

Deadline: July 24th. We are looking to start this role in August.