RESEARCH STAFF HIRING

Faculty may hire Research Assistants through various funding resources (except the Professional Development Funds), such as the New Faculty Start-up, Research Grants, Ted Rogers School Research Development Grants, etc., or through Externally Funded Research Grants (on which they are the principal investigator, i.e., SSHRC).

Research Assistant Funding Opportunities

Fall/Winter Work Study Research Assistant Program

This program is an offshoot of the Career Boost Program, which inherits its significant dates and hiring guidelines. Although administered by the OVPRI, it is a collaborative effort between Ted Rogers School, the Career Centre, and Student Financial Assistance.

The Work Study Research Assistant Program provides part-time employment to full-time Toronto Metropolitan undergraduate students with proven financial need. It is also a student’s opportunity to gain experience in academically relevant TMU SRC programs during the Summer, Fall and Winter terms. This program is designed to support both students and faculty by providing financial assistance to students in academically relevant TMU SRC initiatives and additional research support to faculty. 

For more information on the Work Study Research Assistants, please visit the Funding Opportunities section on the OVPRI site and the Program Details section for the Summer Work Study Research Assistant Program (WSRA). In addition, all faculty who receive approval for a Work Study Research Assistant will be notified via email by the office of the OVPRI of the following steps to hire the RA Work Study, and the RASO will be cc in the email and will guide you in the hiring process. Program Details can be found in the 2024-2025-Fall-Winter-Work-Study-Research-Assistant-Program-Details.pdf

Ted Rogers School Undergraduate Research Assistant Opportunity (URO) Program

The Ted Rogers School Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program is available during the Summer only. This program allows faculty to engage undergraduate students in research projects during the summer break. 

The Research Support Specialist will send information about this program during the Winter semester, including application procedures and deadlines.

Faculty members do not need to post Research Assistant positions. However, they should contact their RASO if they wish to post on the HR website or circulate to various departments.

The following details would aid in creating a posting:

1. Project title

2. Project overview

3. Qualifications (Degree level, specific area of study, etc...)

4. Hourly Rate

5. Hours per week (or total hours) 

6. Deadline to apply

7. Start and end date

Research Assistants are then posted on the TMU Careers Website.

Please refer to the Research Hiring Decision Tree to determine the appropriate employee group. Please note that Fall/Winter RAs are hired between September 1st and April 30th. Summer RAs are hired between May 1st and August 31st.

Hourly Rates

The minimum hourly rate for Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Research Assistants is set at $21.11 per hour, which corresponds to the Grade 2 minimum on the OPSEU pay scale. This rate will remain effective until June 30, 2025.  For non-union research assistants, including students hired during the university summer period (May-August), the minimum hourly rate will be aligned with the Ontario Minimum Wage as per the Ontario Employment Standards. 

Budgeting and Salary Tools for Research Hiring

1. To determine the total salary, including vacation and additional costs, please use TMU Compensation Estimator.

2. To support efficient management of Research Assistant contracts, TRSM has developed a Hourly Employee Declining Balance Sheet  This tool allows supervisors and Research Assistants to monitor bi-weekly hour submissions and track progress against the total budget. This Google Sheet is view-only. For an editable copy, either go to File > Make a copy after opening, or click "here" at the top for a direct copy.

3. Using the Research Assistant (RA) Workload Form also serves as a proactive tool for faculty to define and manage the scope of work within the allocated budget for their Research Assistant's contracts.

Paperwork Required

Faculty members must provide the RASO with the following contract details: Start Date, End Date, Hourly Rate & Hours per Week and Cost Centre Number.  The candidate should then complete Section 2 of the Research Employee Contract Form. Once completed, the RASO will email you the contract form with the estimated cost and the offer letters for your review and signature. Once all documents have  been signed and returned, the RASO will send the offer to the candidate and proceed with processing the contract once the offer is accepted.

Research Assistant Workload Form

Research Assistant Supervisors must complete the Research Assistant (RA) Workload Form, which outlines the expected work from RAs assigned to research projects. This form should be submitted alongside the request to hire an RA to the TRSM RASO, who will verify the available funds and any budget restrictions. They will notify you if the workload (hours) requires adjustments once the hours and hourly rate comply with the project's funds and budget. The RASO will then send you all the hiring documents (contract and offer letter) for your review and signature.

Faculty may want their Research Assistants to sign an Employee Confidentiality Agreement depending on the research. 

Approve Hours

Once faculty have hired their Research Assistants, they must approve hours on a bi-weekly basis. Please see HR's site on How To Approve Hours as per deadlines in the Payroll Schedule.

Contract Hours Audit Report:

The Contract Hours Audit Report in eHR allows managers and alternate approvers to track hourly employee timesheets against contracted hours. Run biweekly, it provides key details such as employee and supervisor information, contract dates, hourly rates, total contract amounts, approved and submitted hours, job codes, and account distribution codes. 

Should the Research Assistant quit, or the faculty member not wish to continue the contract for their Research Assistant for any reason, a Job Termination must be processed in eAppoint by the RASO. The RASO will need an email from you (the faculty member) and your Research Assistant agreeing to the termination (this serves as the backup for the Job Termination transaction in eAppoint). However, if there are performance issues before any changes are made to the RA contract, faculty should first consult with Teresa Sarno, Ted Rogers School's Senior Human Resources Consultant, by phone at extension 552398 or by email at teresa.sarno@torontomu.ca.

You may visit the askHR portal for more information about hiring the following Research Staff:

• Postdoctoral fellows

• Research Technical Support

• Research Professional/Research Associate 

• Research Administrative Support