Research Assistant – Sustainable Africa Initiative

About the role

The Sustainable Growth Initiative (SGI) at McGill University is launching a Research‑to‑Action project that examines the links between nutrition, agri‑food businesses and public‑health supply networks in selected districts of Ghana and neighboring African countries. The Research Assistant will support evidence generation and translation into actionable recommendations for SGI programming and policy engagement.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct literature reviews on entrepreneurship, nutrition, agri‑food businesses and public‑health supply networks.
• Map relevant initiatives, businesses, institutions and ecosystem stakeholders across target countries.
• Support stakeholder analysis, identifying existing partnerships and gaps.
• Assist with data collection, analysis and synthesis of findings.
• Develop a business‑model framework to strengthen sustainability and growth of nutrition and agri‑food organisations.
• Prepare reports, presentations, briefing notes and other knowledge‑translation materials.
• Participate in fortnightly project meetings and contribute to project coordination.
• Collaborate with supervisors and SGI networks to translate research into practical recommendations.

Required profile

• Enrolled as an undergraduate, Master’s or PhD student at McGill University during the employment period.
• Available to work part‑time (10 hours/week) from September 2026 to December 2027.
• Interest in entrepreneurship, agriculture, nutrition, public health, sustainable development or related fields.
• Strong research, communication, analytical and organisational skills.
• Ability to conduct literature reviews and stakeholder mapping.
• Prior coursework or experience in entrepreneurship, policy, innovation, agriculture, nutrition or food systems (preferred).
• Capability to work independently while contributing effectively to an interdisciplinary team.