If you are a Mandarin-speaking student in 4th year (or in the 1st year of your master’s program) & you might be interested in this research opportunity for 2020-21, please let me know and send me a copy of your CV & unofficial transcripts. We will prioritize Canadian citizens/permanent residents.
This is for a newly funded project that I am part of.
Job Description for RA
In an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19, the Chinese government has taken drastic quarantine measures to block roads and confine its citizens within residential compounds. These polices have major consequences on food security, a pressing public health problem that has received much less attention compared to the epidemic itself. The CIHR-IDRC funded project “Assessing and Mitigating the Food Security Consequences of COVID-19 in China” will evaluate “Immediate Consequences and Urgent Policy Responses” and to develop “Comprehensive Food Security Assessment & Social and Policy Countermeasures”.
The students as Research Assistants for this project are expected to collaborate with the research team in Waterloo and Nanjing to
- Conduct telephone interviews with residents in Wuhan and Nanjing in China to understand their food security and related health challenges amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, their coping strategies and perceptions of the effectiveness of urgent policy countermeasures;
- Conduct face-to-face interviews in Wuhan and Nanjing after the epidemic is over and when it is safe to travel to China;
- Transcribe and analyze the interview data;
- Analyze the implications of urgent policies related to food security;
- Draft research reports and papers;
The work needs to start from April 2020. In addition to the research assistantship, the project will also likely fund participation in academic conferences to present research findings. The student is strongly encouraged to base his or her theses on this research.
The required skills/background of the students:
The students should have strong skills in conducting in-depth interviews and analyzing qualitative data. The students should also be proficient in reading and writing in English, including conducting literature reviews of social science materials. Chinese language proficiency is strongly encouraged. Familiarity with food security and/or urban planning and policy is an asset.
Kind regards,
Steffanie
Steffanie Scott | Professor
Department of Geography & Environmental Management
Faculty of Environment
University of Waterloo
200 University Ave. West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada
Email: sdscott@uwaterloo.ca | Tel: 519-888-4567 x37012
See our new book, Organic Food and Farming in China: Top-down and Bottom-up Ecological Initiatives
– See our websites about China’s ecological agriculture sector & China’s Changing Food System
– Join our LinkedIn group, China’s Changing Food System
– Twitter: @Steffanie_Scott
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