OCAD University acknowledges the ancestral territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabeg and the Huron-Wendat, who are the original owners and custodians of the land on which we work, stand and create.

OCAD University, Canada’s largest and oldest art and design university, is a vibrant community of bold, curious and compassionate artists, designers and scholars who are imagining and creating a joyful, equitable and sustainable world. The University is an internationally renowned hub for art, design, digital media, research, innovation and creativity, and arts administration. It embraces collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to change-making through art, design-thinking curriculum and research, making OCAD U a local, regional, national and global leader in art and design.

It is an exciting time to join the OCAD U community. The University is at a key stage in its institutional transformation, with the implementation of its Academic and Strategic Plan and guiding principles—driving positive impact, decolonization, indigenization, and equity, environmental sustainability, emerging as a vibrant hub, student-centered approaches, innovation in learning, teaching, and research, and financial stewardship.

Project Details

HuggER- designing solutions to support neurodivergence in the pediatric emergency departments?

This collaboration between OCADU and SickKids was originally conceived as “The Dyad Chair Project” Codesigning a Child-Caregiver seating solution for children with neurodiversity in the Paediatric Emergency Medicine Department. Through a collaborative process, our team has spent the last 6 months scoping and designing a research direction that reframes the issue from restraint through furniture to respectful co-regulation through sensory stimulation. Through this process, we create the conditions for foresight- and innovation-informed design (radical design), enabling design to flourish in an otherwise conservative environment where decision-making is driven by safety concerns, evidence, and protocol.

The aim of the grant will be to interrogate the experience of developing an inclusive design approach to designing interactive digital and physical designs within the risk-averse healthcare setting of an emergency dept., where the team both enact a full design project while conducting reflective and critical dialogue on the process itself, the techniques and thinking that unfold. This study is expected to generate current design techniques and insights into design theory.

The aim of this graduate student hire is to support the writing and development of a proposal to support this work through the SSHRC Insight Development Grant

Responsibilities:





- Working under the supervision of the Principal Investigators, Associate Professor A. Seeschaaf Veres, Professor, K. Sellen and Dr. Litwin, in support of the project’s research goals and objectives
- Assisting with the creation and preparation of proposals, progress and final reports based on project needs
- Assisting with data collection, literature searches, data compilation, processing, entry and analysis on design in health frameworks, neurodivergence, sensory processing, emotional regulation, and pediatric emergency care
- Participating in the supervision of Undergraduate Research Assistants
- Assisting with supervision of research activities in the lab and within the field
- Support the development of age-appropriate activities for patients, families, and healthcare providers for co-design workshops
- Assist with preparing and facilitating participatory workshops
- Support the design and development of workshop materials, visual prompts, model-making supplies, and documentation templates
- Observe and document participant feedback, interactions, preferences, and concerns.
- Support and participate in the design, development and promotion of a booth for the Autism Fair on November 21 & 22, 2026
- Participate in the provision of a safe and secure environment for all members of the University community and its facilities.

Qualifications:

- Completion of a relevant graduate degree or current enrollment in a relevant graduate program and/or equivalent training and professional experience
- Relevant previous project work in design or science, and/or health research and grant writing
- Where relevant, sound knowledge of, and commitment to, healthy and safe work practices
- Where relevant, strong organizational, interpersonal, oral and written communication and problem-solving skills
Demonstrated commitment to the principles of equity and diversity and experience promoting a respectful work and learning environment for students, staff and faculty

- Hours of Work: Approximately 7 hours per week over the period of 12 weeks (84 hours total) starting September 2026 to March 2026.

Work Environment: The position will be a hybrid arrangement, with work in-person at 100 McCaul St. W, Toronto, ON or 205/230 Richmond St W, Toronto.

Compensation: $37.28 (Graduate Rate) per hour with an additional 4% in lieu of vacation and 6% in lieu of benefits

Please note the following:





- Applicants must be eligible to work in Canada for any employer (with a valid work or study permit, SIN and Canadian bank account).
- Current students at OCAD University will be given priority consideration for all Research Assistant positions, with the highest priority given to those not currently holding any other TA/RA positions at the University.
- This appointment is conditional upon funding of the Project by OCAD U’s external funding partner(s)
- If you are a work or study permit holder, please note a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN) and Canadian bank account is a condition of employment.

Application Process:

- Applications must include:
- A one-page cover letter explaining the candidate’s interest and fit based on past work/
- A portfolio with 3-5 relevant samples of work, including a written rationale or each of the samples that is connected to the scope of the project and demonstrates `some of the required responsibilities
- A curriculum vitae
- The contact information for three (3) referees

Please upload all four (4) components as one PDF. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please name your upload: FirstName_LastName-Job Code

Interested applicants are invited to submit their application in confidence, addressed to Associate Professor, Angelika Seeschaaf Veres, Faculty of Design.

The review of applications will begin on September 26, 2026 and will continue until the position has been filled.

If you require application support, please contact the People & Culture Office. Please note that People & Culture cannot update you on the status of your application as these searches are decentralized. You will only be contacted if you are shortlisted for an interview. If the posting is advertised, we are still accepting applications.

As an employer committed to employment equity, we encourage applications from members of equity-seeking communities including women, racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions.

We encourage members of designated equity-seeking groups to self-identify within the voluntary Applicant Questionnaire.

OCAD U is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier free experience to applicants with accessibility needs. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact People & Culture for more information or refer to OCAD U’s Policy of Accommodation in Employment for Persons with Disabilities.

All qualified persons are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority. While we thank all candidates for their interest, only those short-listed will be contacted.

📌 Graduate Research Assistant: HuggER Project – Designing Solutions to Support Neurodivergence in the Pediatric Emergency Departments (Toronto)
🏢 OCAD University
📍 Toronto