Job Description

Staff - Non Union
Job Category M&P - AAPS
Job Profile AAPS Salaried - Educational Programming, Level C
Job Title Senior Science Education Specialist
Department Faculty | Department of Physics and Astronomy | Faculty of Science
Compensation Range $7,283.75 - $10,474.08 CAD Monthly
The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.
Posting End Date September 24, 2025
Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.
Job End Date Ongoing
This position is expected to be filled by promotion/reassignment and is included here to inform you of its vacancy at the University.
At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.
The position is a Faculty of Science-funded education specialist embedded in the Physics & Astronomy Department (PHAS). PHAS offers a variety of , including Physics, Astronomy, Biophysics, several combined majors and honours degrees and the , a fully accredited engineering program under the Faculty of Applied Science and administered by the Department of Physics & Astronomy. As a result, supporting the teaching mission in the department takes coordination and cooperation with a range of scientific backgrounds. The Senior Science Education Specialist will have disciplinary expertise and will bring expertise in pedagogy and evidence-based inclusive practices from their own background and bolstered with Skylight-coordinated professional development workshops and ongoing mentoring from Skylight leadership and peers. They will mentor faculty instructors and teaching assistants using the developed teaching methods and materials for the delivery of educational programs.
The Senior Science Education Specialist will be part of a strategic leadership of teaching and learning team in the department, for example chairing a committee to re-design, reform and implement the department's undergraduate program. Additionally, they will be a resource, guide and support within the department that will lead scholarship of teaching and learning projects, advise the faculty on teaching and learning practices and work with them on course and curriculum revisions, evaluations and pedagogical improvement projects.
Organizational Status
Appointment in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the Faculty of Science. Reports jointly to a faculty supervisor in PHAS and to the Director of Skylight or designate. Works closely with faculty members and other members of instructional teams (e.g., teaching assistants) and students who may be hired to help with projects. Interacts with peer members of Skylight in other departments and the central unit. May supervise teaching assistants and/or research assistants and act as a leader in department and broader Faculty-based initiatives and projects.
Work Performed
Strategic Level Support:

• Collaborate with departmental leadership to develop strategic long-range plans to make/keep the PHAS undergraduate programs competitive.
• Chair and participate in committee work related to reform, re-design and implementation of the department's undergraduate program and its courses.
• Conduct needs assessment, design new undergraduate courses or transform existing courses, develop new course material, revise and update current curricula.
• Design evaluation plans, collect and analyze data and prepare reports to inform decisions around program level curricular and pedagogical implementations in using various delivery and assessment tools.
• Lead the training of learning technology tools for faculty, postdoctoral teaching fellows and teaching assistants to use in their classrooms in person or virtually (e.g. Gradescope, Canvas, PLOM, Praire Learn, etc.).
• Make recommendations to the leadership and faculty to incorporate inclusive and accessible teaching practices and Indigenous knowledge systems and practices.
• Oversee the PHAS Laboratory Accessibility Project and contribute to the Faculty of Science initiative alongside faculty, Science Education Specialists, and Skylight Leadership.
• Develop proposals in collaboration with departmental leadership and faculty to advance strategic priorities (e.g., large TLEFs, UBC Strategic Innovation Funds, Indigenous Strategic Initiatives Funds etc.).
• Lead and develop extracurricular Student Engagement programs to promote JEDII (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization) (e.g., Summer research programs for undergraduates).
• Promote practices and policies for a supportive environment for working, learning and living with the core values of respect, diversity, opportunity and inclusion in PHAS and the Faculty of Science.
• Mentor junior Science Education Specialists in Skylight and Science departments.

Faculty and Teaching Assistant Development:

• Collect, distil, and communicate data to guide faculty/department efforts including the design of evaluation tools (concept questions, surveys, focus group questions, etc.)
• Consult and collaborate with faculty on teaching and learning project proposal development and implementation (e.g., large and small internal grants for teaching and learning projects)
• Liaise with the Skylight Learning Technology team, CTLT and Learning Technology Innovation Centre (LTIC) to coordinate relevant educational technology support and administrative assistance.
• Coach and consult with faculty to instruct them in evidence-based practices, and provide informal expert feedback to instructors.
• Lead professional development for new Faculty instructors as a component of the paired instruction arrangement.
• Design, develop and maintain a PHAS teaching and learning website to support faculty instructors by curating and presenting relevant UBC and departmental resources.
• Develop and deliver professional development workshops for faculty, Skylight staff, and teaching assistants, and coordinate sessions led by external scholars/experts.

Discipline-based Education Research (DBER):

• Consult and collaborate on scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) and DBER efforts undertaken by faculty instructors
• Design educational research experiments and collect relevant data for course projects.
• Disseminate scholarly work in collaboration with faculty through presentations at national and international conferences and publishing in peer-reviewed journals

Community building:

• Facilitate faculty members' communication and consensus-building around teaching and learning in their department.
• Liaise across Science departments and with colleagues at other institutions in the same disciplines.
• Organize and participate in department activities related to instructional practice such as discussion series, science education seminars, reading groups etc.
• Participate in work and activities at the Faculty of Science level, including collaborating on and leading FoS-wide projects, actively participating in the community of their peers across departments, attending/contributing to meetings and events.

Consequence of Error
Designs and participates in the assessment of program offerings and evaluations of teaching that will impact the success of the teaching programs and improve the teaching ability of faculty members. May develop policies, systems and organizational practices.
Supervision Received
The role reports jointly to both Skylight Director and Department Head, or designates. The incumbent will work under general guidelines. Work is reviewed in terms of achievement and effectiveness of the department's educational goals.
Supervision Given
This role provides guidance and advice to faculty members and other instructors and staff on pedagogical skills, teaching practices and curriculum. Will act as a mentor for Science Education Specialists in other Faculty of Science departments. May supervise staff, students, or other positions (e.g., postdoctoral fellows hired as Teaching and Learning Fellows) who may be hired to support DBER and SoTL projects.
Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree in Education. Minimum of six years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one's own
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one's own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

• Graduate or Postdoctoral degree in a discipline related to physics and astronomy
• Current knowledge of current pedagogical research and best practices in teaching including inclusive teaching and decolonization of curriculum.
• Experience working in an instructional capacity (instructor or teaching assistant) with undergraduates. Experience in curriculum development and in in evaluation of student learning at a university level. Experience with learning management systems (e.g., Canvas) and other educational technologies would be an asset.

• Ability to lead change by helping to implement a vision and taking appropriate action to ensure acceptance and support.
• Ability to manage and lead education related projects and initiatives.
• Ability to instruct and provide training in pedagogical best practices.
• Ability to initiate and conduct research projects.
• Ability to analyze and interpret data, determine implications, and provide recommendations.
• Must have good assessment and evaluation skills.
• Must have excellent writing and verbal communication skills.
• Must have good time management and organizational skills.
• Ability to work effectively with minimal supervision.
• Must have experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

Skills Required