Food Rescue Research Assistant

Job Description – Clean Leadership 2026 Program

Job title: Food Rescue Research Assistant

Reports to: Executive Director (Dr. Mahasti Khakpour)

Job location: 2323 Notre Dame Avenue; Antigonish

Wage: $20.00 / hour

Hours: 35 hours per week (15-week internship)

Start Date: Expected May 11, 2026

Employment Hiring

Clean is committed to Employment Equity and our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative at all job levels. The Clean Leadership Program welcomes applications from qualified self-identifying First Nations, Métis and Inuit people, Racialized Youth, Persons with Disabilities, Newcomers, and 2SLGBTQIA+ applicants. If you are a member of one of the equity groups, you are encouraged to self-identify on our registration form.

About the Clean Leadership Summer Internship Program

The Clean Leadership Summer Internship program helps grow the clean economy by matching interns (age 15-30) with employers for 9- and 15-week summer work placements. Participating interns will receive paid hands-on experience, mentorship opportunities, take part in a professional development conference and training, while supporting local environmental projects.

Program Requirements

• Must be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, person who has been granted refugee status in Canada or legally entitled to work in Canada;

• Must be between the ages of 15 and 30 years old (inclusive) at the start of internship;

• From and/or will be residing in Nova Scotia for the duration of the internship;
• Must not be an immediate family member of host employer;

About the host employer

The Population health, Equity, and Advocacy Research Lab (PEARL) is a part of the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences at St. Francis Xavier University, directed by Dr. Mahasti Khakpour. PEARL consists of between 2-5 Masters and PhD students from universities across Canada, as well as undergraduate research assistants, with the goal of promoting population health equity by collecting and advocating for the underrepresented voices of communities across Canada. Under Dr. Khakpour’s leadership, students are trained in community-based research and advocacy methods through firsthand experience with innovative research and program development. Our lab is unique in that it goes beyond simple contributions to academic literature and works to mobilize knowledge to bring about equitable changes to our society through education, advocacy, policy recommendations, and institutional collaboration.

PEARL is located in The Annex building of StFX, 2323 Notre Dame avenue, Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The lab itself is a single room within the building that has air conditioning. The building is shared with professors of the Department of Psychology, Math, and Statistics. Centrally located on the StFX campus, all campus facilities are closely accessible from the PEARL lab. The two community gardens are located within a 5 minute walk from the primary office.

Summary of position 

The host employer for this Summer Internship position through the Clean Leadership program will be the Population health, Equity, and Advocacy Research Lab (PEARL). In this position, you will be mainly responsible for conducting community-focussed research through virtual meetings with an advisory committee, designing research tools (surveys, interviews), analyzing results, and communicating them to the public to create a more sustainable food system through food rescue. The successful candidate needs to have strong critical thinking, communication, and writing skills.

Duties and Responsibilities 

• Reviewing academic literature regarding food rescue and assessing its validity

• Developing research tools such as surveys and interview guides

• Sending surveys to participants and conducting interviews

• Analyzing qualitative and quantitative survey and interview results

• Regularly meeting and collaborating with a team of researchers
• Knowledge mobilization of research findings to inform academics, food producers, and relevant organizations, to create actionable recommendations for Second Harvest, and to influence food rescue policy in Nova Scotia.

Requirements/Qualifications

• Have an aptitude for safe work practices and the ability to multi-task in a busy work environment;

• Be able to work productively as part of a team while responding to feedback;

• Demonstrated interest in future employment in the environmental or clean sector is considered an asset;

• Be a current university student (bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD program)

• Have English language proficiency
• Have a password-protected laptop or computer

Working Conditions 
Flexible schedule with both remote days and on-site days. On site is an office in air-conditioned The Annex building of StFX.

For days worked on-site, one hour will be spent at the 2 community gardens of StFX. Danger is low. Only hand tools will be used (rake, pitchfork, shovel, etc.), no power tools.

Physical Requirements 
Only light loads <15lbs will be expected to be lifted when at the gardens. No other physical requirements.