Student Opportunity SU26 - Modelling the Health Impacts of Climate Change RAY 1

Post

Published on February 10, 2026

Job ID: 135759

Job Title: Modelling the Health Impacts of Climate Change RAY 1

Application Deadline: Sunday, April 5, 2026 @ 11:59 p.m. ET

Applications are only accepted through the Career Centre. Go to the Experience York portal through Passport York and search for the posting with the Job ID listed above. Note: applicants must be eligible to participate in the Research @ York (RAY) program, see eligibility criteria.

Hourly wage: $19 per hour

Hours per week: 11 hours per week

Start date: April 27, 2026

End date: September 4, 2026

Job description

Under the supervision of Dr. Boateng, the Modelling the Health Impacts of Climate Change RAY student 1 (for up to 11 hours per week) will support the research project that examines how climate- and environment-related exposures influence population health outcomes, with a specific focus on mental health, respiratory health, and/or cardiometabolic conditions. The student will contribute to quantitative modelling efforts that integrate environmental, climatic, and health data to understand risk pathways, inequities, and potential adaptation strategies in the context of climate change.

The project is embedded within an interdisciplinary research environment and is well-suited for students interested in climate change, environmental health inequities, and applied health modelling. Opportunities for conference presentations, reports, and co-authored publications may be available depending on performance and project scope.

Specific research activities the student(s) will be engaged in:

The selected student will engage in hands-on research activities that may include:

1. Conducting literature reviews on climate change, environmental exposures (e.g., heat, air pollution, greenness), and health outcomes
2. Assembling and managing secondary datasets, including climate, environmental, census, and health-related data
3. Supporting statistical and spatial modelling to assess associations between environmental exposures and health outcomes
4. Assisting with exposure assessment (e.g., temperature extremes, air quality, neighbourhood environmental characteristics)
5. Exploring health equity dimensions, including differential impacts across socioeconomic or demographic groups
6. Contributing to data visualization, mapping, and the interpretation of results
7. Assisting with the preparation of research summaries, manuscripts, and presentations

Specific tasks will be tailored to the student’s skills and interests (mental health, respiratory health, or cardiometabolic outcomes).

Type of research experience the student(s) will receive:

The student will receive structured mentorship and gain experience in:

1. Applied environmental and climate–health research
2. Quantitative research methods, including regression-based modelling and/or spatial analysis
3. Working with large, real-world datasets
4. Research ethics, reproducible workflows, and collaborative research practices
5. Translating research findings for policy- and public-health–relevant audiences
6. Professional research development, including opportunities to contribute to conference abstracts or peer-reviewed outputs
7. Critical thinking
8. Conducting literature review; Creating annotated bibliography; Tabulating data

Type of training and support that will be provided to the student(s) in carrying out these research activities:

• Methodological training on data analysis
• Subject matter training on global health
• Regular status meetings with your supervising full-time faculty

Qualifications

• Current undergraduate York student. Applicants from diverse programs of study are encouraged. The Dahdaleh Institute welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, including, but not limited to women, persons with disabilities, visible minorities (racialized), Indigenous Peoples and persons of any gender identity and sexual orientation. York University is committed to a positive, supportive, and inclusive environment.
• Demonstrated interest in global health.
• Demonstrated skills, experience, and familiarity with conducting literature reviews.
• Demonstrated knowledge of research methods (quantitative and/or qualitative and/or integrative).
• Demonstrated excellent analytic skills for understanding, sorting, and categorizing complex information. Skills and resourcefulness in drawing mind-maps and tabulating information is an asset.
• Demonstrated an eagerness to learn, support, and take on initiative.
  Senior undergraduate standing in a relevant field (e.g., Public Health, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Geography, Health Sciences, Statistics, Data Science, Environmental Studies)
• Strong interest in climate change and health
• Basic training in quantitative research methods (e.g., statistics, epidemiology, data analysis)
• Experience with or willingness to learn statistical software (e.g., R, Stata, Python, or SPSS)
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a research setting

Application materials

• Cover letter
• Resume

If you have any questions, please email Godfred Boateng.

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