Research Associate / Post-Doctoral Fellow Gri Spatial Data Scientist

Te Kaupeka Putaiao | Faculty of Science

Te Taiwhenua o te Hauora | GeoHealth Laboratory

Located in Otautahi | Christchurch, Aotearoa | New Zealand

• Full-time 37.5 hours per week (1.0 FTE)
• Fixed term January
• December
• A competitive salary of up to $78,000 p.a. (1.0 FTE)

We are seeking a Research Associate / Postdoctoral Fellow to work on a range of policy-relevant research projects being undertaken by the Geohealth Laboratory in collaboration with the health sector e.g. Te Whatu Ora, the Ministry of Health or other relevant organisations.

The funding for the position covers

Any extension would be subject to securing ongoing funding.

Au Mahi | What You Will Do

You will work with the Director of the Geohealth Laboratory, along with appropriate personnel in the health sector (e.g. the MoH / Health Sector organisations), and other associated researchers, to support and deliver the research being undertaken.

You will also have a limited amount of teaching and supervision of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students as required.

Mou | Who You Are

You will hold a PhD (NZQA Level 10) in Quantitative Geography, Spatial Data Science, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and health or a related discipline, experience in a relevant aspect of health geography and geospatial science, along with excellent communication skills and experience in collaborating with researchers from different disciplines.

A mix of health and spatial expertise is ideal.

Mahi Ngatahi | Who You Will Work With

Te Taiwhenua o te Hauora | GeoHealth Laboratory undertakes applied research in the areas of quantitative health geography, spatial epidemiology and GIS.

Our current work has considered how various characteristics of local neighbourhoods influence health outcomes and health-related behaviours.

These projects include the role of accessibility (such as access to greenspace, food environments and healthcare) on health inequalities; the role of deprivation and rurality in influencing health outcomes; and the importance of income inequality and macro-level processes on inequalities in life expectancy, mGeoHealth - the use of mobile phone location data to understand health outcomes and behaviours such as social connection or environmental exposures, and spatial microsimulation modelling for health and wellbeing.

We are also open to emerging areas such as the application of GeoAI to population health research.

This position is located in the Geohealth Laboratory, which is part of the University of Canterbury's Geospatial Research Institute.

Nga Painga o UC | Why UC

Tangata Tu, Tangata Ora - Engaged, Empowered, Making a Difference.

Nga Uara | Our Values of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and tiakitanga guide our decisions and behaviour and provide a roadmap for how we do things at UC, affirming our commitment to pastoral care and support for our akonga and staff.

They challenge and inspire us to be the best we can, and make UC a great place to work and study.

For more info on Nga Uara | Our Values visit us here.

We are committed to accessible higher education, service to the community and the encouragement of talent without barriers of distance, wealth, class, gender or ethnicity.

The University explicitly aims to produce graduates and support staff who are engaged with their communities, empowered to act for good and determined to make a difference in the world.

The closing date for this position is : 21 November

Please note, applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may take place before the closing date.

Pehea te tono mai | How You Apply

Applications for this position must be submitted on our careers website and should include the following :

The cover letter should include a short section (1-2 paragraphs) on a specific project within the wider research programme in the GeoHealth Laboratory, detailing the data and methods you propose to use, with justification.

For further information specifically about the role, please contact : Malcolm Campbell, Director, Geohealth Laboratory at

Please Note : Candidates who are working towards or nearing completion of a relevant Doctoral qualification, will also be considered.

Upon appointment, if the Doctoral qualification is yet to be awarded, the title of Research Associate will be applied and the salary will reflect the Research Associate salary scale.

Appointable salary for a Post Doctoral Fellow will be up to $78,000 (pa) and appointable salary for a Research Associate will be $64,

We do not accept applications by email, however, we are happy to answer any queries at

For overseas applicants, please visit Immigration New Zealand website to review the latest health and visa requirements for visiting and working in New Zealand.