Post Doctoral Position in Social Economy

Posted date:
05-Jan-10

The Centre for Sustainability and Social Innovation at the Sauder School of Business is focused on research and development related to the incubation of new interventions that tackle globally significant social and environment problems.

CSSI is seeking a highly qualified candidate to apply emerging research and practice in the field of social finance to the development of novel interventions that reduce the burden of disease among vulnerable populations in developing and developed countries. This involves a detailed examination of the financial incentives that support the development of conventional pharmaceutical commercial products. The candidate will also work as part of a wider team examining novel intellectual property mechanisms and innovative solutions to the problems associated with the distribution of treatments for neglected diseases.

The Open Health Initiative (OHI) is run by the Centre for Sustainability and Social Innovation in partnership with Mindset Social Innovation Foundation. Mindset Social Innovation Foundation supports organizations that are pioneers in the social and humanitarian crises mitigation; and possess vast global reach and impact.

The goal of OHI is to develop a better understanding of key aspects of drug development and delivery for neglected diseases (ND) and orphan diseases that arise in both developing and developed nations (and also for orphan diseases in the developed world), with the goal of developing novel ways to encourage medical and social innovation aimed at treating or preventing these diseases.

Toward this end, the OHI research team is examining a) the global burden of disease of NDs, b) medical innovation for NDs c) existing business models of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, particularly those engaging in ND research d) in-depth analysis of the viability of alternative IP regimes including open-source drug discovery and drug/drug candidate patent pools and e) innovation in both financing of ND drug development and drug distribution methods.
The OHI team has demonstrated capacity for collaboration with a number of leaders in the ND, drug development and IP fields.

Key players in the field, such as Prof. Peter Hotez (NTD expert; President, Sabin Vaccine Institute), Mary Moran (ND research, funding and GBD expert; The George Institute of International Health), Prof. Dianne Nicol (patent pool expert; University of Tasmania) and Janet Hope (open source expert; Australian National University), are part of the growing network that OHI is developing. In addition OHI has an ongoing collaborative relationship with Emily Marden (drug approval regulation expert; University of British Columbia) at the W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics, UBC.

The first phase of the OHI project was completed as of July 3, 2009 and has resulted in an output of 20 basic research briefing papers including extensive literature reviews. Four of these briefing papers were written by the applicant and were focused on open source models for ND drug discovery. The OHI project is now entering Phase 2, which will be focused on academic research.

The ideal candidate will have a mix of advanced education credentials, work experience and a track record of solving problem oriented research and development. While experience in health is preferred, it is more important that the candidate demonstrate a real depth of understanding of a range of well-established financial vehicles and instruments in the financial sector.

The candidate will be expected to build on research completed during the first phase of the project with existing and new partners to the Centre. The goal is to develop a viable intervention that could be executed through partnerships with international agencies, foundations or companies. The candidate is required to have a PhD in Finance, Economics, Health Economics or a related field.

Applications should be submitted electronically to joanna.buczkowskasauder.ubc.ca, no later than January 30, 2010. The application should include:
Cover letter (2 page max)
CV (5 page max)
Briefing note describing a leading innovation in the field of social finance that is relevant to this project (1000 word max).

The Centre for Sustainability and Social Innovation provides a platform for Canadian business leaders to create and assume new roles in sustainability and social entrepreneurship focusing on creating foundations for robust corporate governance, strategic philanthropy, social innovation and sustainable growth. The Centre focuses on four pillars: Incubation of Social Innovation, Research in Social Innovation, Strategic CSR, and Enhancing Human Capital. The Centre is situated within the Sauder School of Business at UBC.

Mindset Social Innovation Foundation (MSF) supports initiatives that take risks and capitalize on the power of the collective to realize the emergent possibilities in sharing while acting on developing new social, economical and political paradigms that can change the world. MSF supports educational institutions, governments, UN organizations, policy makers and artists to create an alternative collective consciousness. When people are inspired, they create movements which change the way we THINK, FEEL and ACT towards some of the most pressing issues of our time: HIV/AIDS, CHILD SOLDIERS, and ACCESS TO LIFE-SAVING DRUGS. MSF provides a platform for this collaboration.