As a partner in the Nkabom Collaborative, and in alignment with the strategic objectives of the Collaborative, 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ is offering up to six (6) postdoctoral research (PDR) opportunities to emerging scholars working in fields of nutrition, public health, food science and technology, bioresource engineering, and related fields in Ghana.
PDR appointments will be for two years (24 months, non-renewable), starting in May or September 2026. Successful candidates will be selected collaboratively with a 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ faculty supervisor in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences or the School of Population and Global Health. Where possible, PDRs may be co-supervised by a faculty member from one of the Ghanaian university partners in the Collaborative.
PDRs will work primarily at 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ, at either the Macdonald or downtown campus, with opportunity to be integrated into ongoing research activity and develop skills in fundamental and applied research relevant to the objectives of the Collaborative. While based in Canada, PDRs will be encouraged to maintain active working relationships with researchers in Ghana and will be integral to the growing Nkabom Collaborative community.
Application deadline: November 15, 2025
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for these opportunities, candidates must:
- Hold a doctoral degree in a relevant field (degree must be completed before the appointment begins).
- A health professional degree alone (e.g., MDCM, MBBS, DVM, DDS) is not sufficient.
- Completion of a medical residency with certification may be accepted in certain fields.
- Have completed their PhD no more than three years before the start of the appointment.
- Have prior education and training experience in Ghana and Ghanaian institutions.
- Not be employed elsewhere or on a leave of absence during the fellowship period.
- Meet all additional eligibility requirements set by 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ and the Government of Quebec.
How to apply
Applicants to the PDR program are invited to submit the following for consideration:
- Curriculum vitae
- University transcripts (undergraduate and graduate)
- Evidence of successful completion of terminal degree (if still in process at the time of application any award will be contingent on the degree being awarded before the intended start date). If transcripts do not clearly indicate completion and conferral of the degree, a letter from the graduate faculty confirming completion and anticipated date of conferral, or copy of the diploma itself, may be provided.
- Thesis-related publications or e-thesis.
- Statement of interest indicating the relevance of the applicant’s doctoral research and prior training to the objectives of the Collaborative and what the applicant hopes to achieve with the PDR opportunity.
- Letter of recommendation from the applicant’s doctoral supervisor addressing the applicant’s strengths, areas that require further training, and potential to contribute to the future of Ghana. If an applicant has not yet completed their doctoral degree at the time of application the supervisor’s letter should speak to likely time to successful completion, including time required for conferral of degree.
Email the documents to the following email address: PDRapplications.nkabom [at] mcgill.ca (PDRapplications[dot]nkabom[at]mcgill[dot]ca). The subject of your email should be your Family name_First name_ApplicationDate YYYYMMDD_PDRApplication (Ex: Doe_John_20250927_PDRApplication)
If you should have any questions, please contact us by email: PDRapplications.nkabom [at] mcgill.ca (PDRapplications[dot]nkabom[at]mcgill[dot]ca).
Once these documents are sent, please complete the following form:
Postdoctoral and Short-Term Training Opportunities
9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ faculty offer research and training opportunities across a variety of disciplines. These programs provide hands-on experience, professional development, and collaborative research projects.
Learn more about the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Learn more about the School of Poplation and Global Health
Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (AES)
Dr. Anne-Sophie Brazeau – Nutrition and Diabetes
Dr. Brazeau’s research is shaped by patient experiences and partnerships, focusing on improving diabetes care and outcomes. Her program aims to:
- Understand patient experiences with diabetes self-management
- Explore diet and eating behaviors in type 1 diabetes with modern therapies
- Improve timely access to diabetes education and support for adolescents and adults
She leads the BETTER Registry, a national prospective registry of Canadians living with type 1 diabetes. Her work is funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Diabète Québec, and the Société Francophone du Diabète.
Dr. Anne-Sophie Brazeau's current research project:
- BETTER prospective registry of individuals living with type 1 diabetes in Canada.
- Supporting training platform for type 1 diabetes self-management: implementation in clinic and effectiveness.
- Guiding development of a food tracking and insulin calculator phone application.
- Helping adolescents with type 1 diabetes prepare to transition from pediatric care to adult care.
- Disordered eating behaviors and type 1 diabetes.
Dr. Benjamin Simpson – Marine Biochemistry and Enzyme Valorization
Dr. Simpson’s research focuses on post-mortem biochemistry of marine animals and extremozymes, as well as the valorization of food processing and agricultural byproducts into value-added products such as pigments, proteins, bioactive peptides, flavor compounds, gelatin, keratin, chitin and chitosan hydrogels, and biodegradable films.
Dr. Benjamin Simpson' areas of expertise:
- Biocatalysis & biosynthesis
- Food biochemistry
- Food proteins and peptides
- Food macromolecules & biomolecules
- Food and agricultural byproducts valorization
- Natural food pigments
Dr. Grace Marquis – Community-Based Child Nutrition
Dr. Marquis’ research examines how social, cultural, biological, and environmental factors influence households’ ability to provide optimal feeding and care for young children. The program focuses on improving child nutrition in rural communities by:
- Enhancing family understanding of maternal and child health
- Supporting income generation through improved agriculture and small businesses
- Improving household environments to reduce child illness
Dr. Grace Marquis’s current research project:
- Evaluation of a multi-country health centre- and community-based intervention to improve gender-sensitive access to health and nutrition services and nutritional outcomes of women, adolescent girls, and young children.
Dr. Joann Whalen – Soil Fertility and Agroecosystems
Dr. Whalen studies soil fertility and ecological health in agroecosystems, focusing on sustainable and resilient agriculture through integrated soil and fertilizer management, conservation tillage, and diverse crop rotations. Current research includes the plant root microbiome and microbial/biostimulant applications to improve crop tolerance to heat, water, and salt stress in semi-arid regions of Africa.
Dr. Joann Whalen’s current research projects:
- Biotic controls on the residence time of soil carbon and nitrogen, with new understanding from alternative agroecosystems
- Biological promoters of crop growth and the soil microbiome in agroecosystems
- Valorization of organic residuals from industries and municipalities
- Best management practices for fertilizer and manure management, to optimize the soil nutrient supply and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Fundamental research towards a better understanding of the spatio-temporal dynamics of biogeochemical cycling in the soil–plant–atmosphere–water continuum
- Novel fertilizer formulations for improved nutrient efficiency
Dr. Vijaya Raghavan – Post-Harvest Technologies and Sustainability
Dr. Raghavan focuses on post-harvest technologies, food storage, processing, and converting agricultural waste into biochar and hydrochar to improve soil health, sequester carbon, and mitigate climate change. His work also extends to microbial fuel cells, microalgae, and bioelectrochemical systems for sustainable energy and environmental protection.
Dr. Raghavan’s current research projects:
- Innovation of technologies in food, energy, and environmental nexus
- Novel processing methods for enhancing nutritional quality and functionality of foods
- Energy from microbial fuel cells using organic waste as a carbon source
- SeedCycle: Closing the loop for a sustainable future — a circular economy approach to forest restoration
- Microwave-assisted production of biochar and hydrochar from different biomasses
- Sustainable development of urban agriculture systems and the local food supply chain
Dr. Yixiang Wang – Natural Polymer-Based Materials
Dr. Wang’s research focuses on the development of natural polymer-based materials for functional foods and advanced food packaging. Work includes fabrication of nano/micro particles, fibers, composite films, and hydrogels, with an emphasis on linking molecular structure to functional properties.
Dr. Yixiang Wang's current research projects:
- Development of active and intelligent packaging materials from low-value biomass for waste reduction
- Development of co-electrospun core-sheath fibers from recycled cellulose acetate for water treatment
- Development of carbon materials from biomass by-products for high energy metal-sulfur battery applications
- Development and evaluation of cellulose membranes regenerated from ‘green’ aqueous solvent as biodegradable food packaging materials
- All-plant-derived biodegradable packaging with mechano-bactericidal activity
- Sustainable packaging solutions for extended shelf life and reduced environmental impact
School of Population and Global Health (SPGH)
Dr. Qihuang Zhang – Statistical Genomics and Biostatistics
Research Focus: Statistical and machine learning methods for genomics, metabolomics, single-cell RNA-seq, spatial transcriptomics, and metabolic health.
PDR Opportunities:
- Develop models for gene expression and metabolic health
- Co-design projects with Nkabom partners in Ghana
Requirements:
- PhD in epidemiology, biostatistics, computer science, or related field
- Proficiency in R/Python; foundations in probability, GLM/mixed models, or machine learning
Research Team: Flexible, collaborative with Ghanaian partners
Potential Postdoc Project:
- Developing models to identify metabolically relevant gene programs across tissues and conditions
- Extending spatial genomics methods to analyze gene-environment interactions
- Adapting statistical pipelines for application in low-resource or heterogeneous data contexts. While my group has access to several genomics datasets, I am also open to projects where the postdoctoral fellow brings their own data or collaborates with partners in Ghana. In such cases, we could develop and apply new methods tailored to transcriptomic or genomic data arising from studies of metabolic health or nutrition. For example, we could analyze gene expression profiles from individuals with varying dietary exposures or metabolic conditions such as type 2 diabetes or anemia, which are of particular relevance in many global health settings.
- I am also open to co-designing a project with the fellow and Nkabom partners to ensure alignment with public health or nutritional research goals, with the statistical methodological exploration being the foundation. For example, we can focus on development of new statistical or machine learning methodologies, particularly if they address challenges relevant to global health, such as data sparsity, measurement error, or multi-modal and multi-source data integration.
Dr. Ugochi Vivian Ukah – Food Insecurity and Maternal-Child Health
Dr. Ukah studies maternal and perinatal health outcomes, prediction models, and racial disparities, with a focus on improving maternal-child health through large population-based datasets.
Research Focus: Food insecurity during pregnancy and its impact on maternal and child health outcomes.
PDR Opportunities:
- Longitudinal and population-based data analysis
- Research collaboration in Ghana
Requirements:
- PhD in epidemiology, public health, biostatistics, or related field
- Proficiency in R or SAS; experience in perinatal/reproductive health
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Food Insecurity and Maternal-Child Health
Focus Areas:
- Determinants of food insecurity during pregnancy
- Associations with maternal morbidity (e.g., severe maternal morbidity, gestational diabetes)
- Child outcomes (e.g., preterm birth, breastfeeding)
Dr. Prativa Baral – Pandemic & Emergency Readiness, Climate-Resilient Food Systems
Dr. Baral studies health system preparedness, equity, and communication for emergencies, providing evidence to improve youth-led climate-resilient nutrition and agrifood systems.
Research Focus: Data systems, risk communication, One Health surveillance, and youth-led agrifood systems in Ghana.
PDR Opportunities:
- Climate-health early warning systems
- Misinformation and risk communication in nutrition and agriculture
- Resilient supply chain and emergency preparedness projects
Current Research Projects:
- Climate-Health Early Warning for Food and Nutrition Security
- Focus: Anticipating nutrition and food safety risks from climate shocks.
- Activities: Community assessments, mobile survey pilots, integration of climate and health data.
- Outputs: Methodological playbook, policy briefs, real-time evidence generation.
- Misinformation and Risk Communication in Nutrition and Agri-Food
- Focus: Mapping and countering misinformation affecting food and agriculture.
- Activities: Social listening, message framing experiments, toolkit development.
- Outputs: Training modules, evidence briefs, behavior and trust impact evaluations.
- One Health Surveillance & Resilient Agri-Food Supply Chains
- Focus: Connecting animal, human, and environmental health indicators.
- Activities: Indicator harmonization, cold chain case studies, ROI models.
- Outputs: Governance briefs, implementation guidance, practical metrics.
- Civilian Surge Capacity for Climate & Food Emergencies
- Focus: Adapting civilian reserve models to agrifood emergency contexts.
- Activities: Microcredential curriculum, simulation exercises, partnership development.
- Outputs: Pilot training modules, exercise reports, MoUs with partners.
Dr. Aviane Auguste – Cancer Prevention, Nutrition, and Health Systems
Dr. Auguste investigates cancer prevention, diet, and health systems in the Caribbean and Africa, focusing on research capacity strengthening and interdisciplinary, African-led initiatives.
Research Focus: Cancer prevention and nutrition in low-resource settings; health systems research in LMICs and SIDS.
PDR Opportunities:
- Community-based epidemiology and nutrition research
- Capacity-building in LMICs and the Caribbean
Postdoctoral Research Opportunity
Dr. Auguste’s research group, based at 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ (Canada) and VALIRI (Saint Lucia), offers a postdoctoral position focused on:
- Cancer prevention, nutrition, and health systems in low-resource settings
- Supporting African-led interdisciplinary research to transform agrifood systems and improve population health
Key Responsibilities:
- Design and conduct epidemiological studies on diet, food systems, and cancer risk
- Collaborate with Loma Linda University on nutrition-focused research
- Develop study protocols, contribute to grant applications and ethics submissions
- Participate in fieldwork, data analysis, and capacity-building across the Caribbean, Africa, France, and North America
- Mentor junior researchers and support training workshops in LMICs
Current Focus Area:
- Study of dietary habits of cancer survivors in the Eastern Caribbean
- Identify culturally relevant dietary interventions to inform regional public health strategies
Ideal Candidate:
- Interested in bridging epidemiology, nutrition, agriculture, and public health policy
- Committed to health equity and collaborative research
Dr. Jill Baumgartner – Climate Change, Mental Health, and CognitionDetails
Dr. Baumgartner studies environmental exposures, climate change, and health, focusing on children’s cognitive development, policy-relevant research, and global health interventions.
Research Focus: Impacts of climate change on mental health and cognition in school-aged children; environmental epidemiology and global health policy.
PDR Opportunities:
- Investigating how rising temperatures due to climate change affect mental health and cognitive performance in school-aged children.
- Collaboration with institutions including:
- University of Ghana
- Imperial College London
- Michigan State University
- UMass Amherst
- Warwick University
Key Activities:
- Co-production of knowledge with societal partners
- Surveys, cognitive testing, and environmental monitoring
- Integration of climate and health data to assess risks and vulnerabilities
Responsibilities of the Postdoc:
- Lead quantitative analyses of environmental, health, and cognitive data
- Contribute to study design and ethics submissions
- Coordinate fieldwork in Ghana
- Mentor students
- Publish research and present findings
Applicant Criteria:
- PhD in epidemiology, environmental health, or related field
- Strong statistical and data management skills (e.g., R, STATA)
- Experience in climate or environmental health research
- Willingness to travel to Ghana
- Excellent communication and writing skills
Additional Assets:
- Experience in sub-Saharan Africa or low-resource settings
- Familiarity with geospatial data and exposure assessment
- Interest in policy-relevant and community-impact research
Start Date:
- Flexible, ideally Winter 2026