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Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) is a multi-partner initiative accelerating the global push for resilient and equitable clean energy solutions through local, community-based collaborations. You can learn more about us here or through our stories.

We're looking for talented, motivated and value-driven professionals to help advance our mission. See below for our current employment opportunities!

Post-Doctoral Fellows, Business and Finance Innovation

Number of positions: 2

Location: ӣ��Ӱ��, ӣ��Ӱ��, BC, Canada

Reports To: Dr. Basma Majerbi

Salary: $70,000 CAD + benefits

Deadline for applications: November 16 (Postdoc 1) & December 15 (Postdoc 2)

 Are you passionate about accelerating an equitable clean-energy transition? Do you want to be part of an innovative and dynamic team helping drive change in communities across Canada and beyond? Do you have a scholarly background in alternative forms of organizing and governance and/or sustainable finance/impact investing, and an interest in how ownership design, business models, policy, and financial instruments mobilize capital for community and support SME transitions? If so, join us to be a part of a transformative journey with the ӣ��Ӱ��’s Impact Investing Hub and the ACET initiative.

The Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) is a multi-partner international initiative accelerating the global push for resilient and equitable clean energy solutions through local, community-based collaborations. Established at the ӣ��Ӱ�� in 2023, ACET is a partnership between Royal Roads University, University of British Columbia, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, and Yukon University, supported by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.

Positions Summary

We are seeking two post-doctoral fellows to advance research and knowledge mobilization activities in two research streams under ACET’s Business and Finance Innovation Strategic Research Area (SRA 4) led by the Impact Investing Hub:

Position 1: Community Ownership, Governance & Access to Capital

Goal: Conduct research in collaboration with communities and partners to co-develop alternative business and governance models that support community energy transition initiatives, reflect local values, ensure community control, and facilitate access to capital.

Scholarly anchor: organizational & institutional theory; corporate governance & law-and-finance; cooperative & community economic development; Indigenous governance & law; energy policy.

Why it matters: Ownership and governance determine who controls assets, bears risk, and captures value - core levers for investment readiness and long-term viability of community energy transition and climate initiatives.

What we study: How control rights, accountability mechanisms, and institutional arrangements shape financing terms, capital structure, and achievement of environmental and social outcomes; how governance innovations reduce perceived risk and unlock capital at community scale; what policy changes or regulatory mechanisms are needed to support alternative forms of organizing and governance and facilitate access to capital.

Position 2: Place-Based Sustainable/Transition Finance for SMEs and Communities

Goal: Conduct research in collaboration with partners to understand challenges and opportunities for SMEs and community-based organizations to navigate the energy transition and sustainable finance policy mechanisms; co-create sustainable and impact finance frameworks and instruments that reflect community-defined outcomes and values and ensure a just transition.

Scholarly anchor: sustainable/climate finance; entrepreneurial/corporate finance; public finance & regulation; ESG risks and opportunities, impact measurement and management.

Why it matters: Mobilizing capital for equitable energy transitions requires instruments, policies, and metrics that reflect local priorities and real SME constraints.

What we study: How standards, incentives, and financial instruments channel (or choke) capital flows; how to design investable vehicles and policy pathways (e.g. ESG disclosure, taxonomies, procurement policies, etc.) that achieve measurable environmental and social outcomes and lead to inclusive prosperity.

Objectives

• Deliver world-leading research, enabling equitable, community-led energy transformations that can be scaled globally to reduce emissions, improve economic resilience, and enhance community well-being.
• Influence policy and practice through delivery of applied outputs for communities, investors, SMEs, community-based organizations and policymakers (decision tools, implementation guides, policy briefs, factsheets and educational material, etc.).
• Translate insights into action across communities, SMEs, investors, and policymakers to accelerate capital deployment for the net-zero transition.

Key Responsibilities

• Independently scope and lead partnered projects.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with community and government stakeholders related to the research project.
• Write and publish peer-reviewed manuscripts, including gathering and analyzing data and systematically analyzing relevant literature.
• Write and publish cases studies, policy briefs and other practitioners-focused material that support community capacity building needs and influence policy and practice.
• Present to academic and practitioner audiences. (conferences, workshops, symposia, webinars).
• Mentor other project team members, including undergraduate and graduate students providing research assistance.
• Prepare written project communications including reports, memos, and presentations, and maintain clear records of all project activities.
• Uphold respectful engagement and appropriate data governance (e.g. OCAP® principles where applicable) and ensure ethical research practices and standards are always followed.
• Work with the Knowledge Mobilization Lead to design strategies for broader policy and sector engagement based on research outputs.
• Manage timelines and deliverables.
• Contribute to grant applications and impact reports on research activities.

Skills and Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field completed within the last three years: finance/financial economics; public policy/regulation; organizational studies; law (incl. Indigenous governance/law); energy policy/economics; development/environmental economics; management/sustainability studies, or related.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and lead partnered research from scoping to publication and translation.
• Familiarity with sustainable finance, impact investing, and social finance trends and debates.
• Strong quantitative and/or qualitative research (interviews, institutional/legal/policy analysis, comparative cases) and excellent academic/practitioner writing.
• Evidence of high-quality publication or potential to publish (accepted/submitted papers or equivalent research outputs).
• Ability to coordinate and manage projects, including leading team meetings, overseeing day-to-day tasks (both research and administrative), meeting deadlines, and working with government and community partners, including Indigenous communities.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, both written and oral.
• Openness and adaptability in working with others, including multidisciplinary teams.

 Work Location & Terms

The primary work location is the ӣ��Ӱ�� campus. The position is a one-year appointment renewable for 2-3 years subject to performance and funding availability.

Accessibility and Equity Statements

Information about our accessibility and equity policies can be found below and/or accessed using the navigation menu on the left.

How to Apply

Please submit your application to contactacet@uvic.ca with subject line:

“Post-Doctoral Fellow - Community Ownership” by November 16, 2025, at 11:59 PM.

Or

“Post-Doctoral Fellow - Place-Based Sustainable/Transition Finance ” by December 15, 2025, at 11:59 PM.

Please include:

• A cover letter expressing your specific interest in this position, initial ideas about research questions you would like to undertake in this role, and your qualifications with respect to the position requirements.
• A complete academic C.V., including all publications and the names and contact information for two references. We will only contact references for short-listed candidates.
• Two scholarly writing samples, or other types of publications, ideally those closely related to the research stream you are applying to. Please also include a statement documenting your role in each paper.

We will only consider complete applications. Review of applications will begin on November 3, 2025, and will continue until each position is filled. Short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews that will take place virtually.

The anticipated start time is January 2026 (or sooner) for position 1 and March 2026 (or sooner) for position 2. Both dates are flexible based on our chosen candidate’s circumstances. For any additional questions on the roles, contact Dr. Basma Majerbi at majerbi@uvic.ca (please, do not submit applications to this address. Apply at: contactacet@uvic.ca)

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

Please note that we will review all applications, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Equity Statement

ACET and the ӣ��Ӱ�� are committed to upholding the values of equity, diversity, inclusion and  in our living, learning and work environments. In pursuit of our values, we seek members who are eager to actively participate in that shared responsibility. We actively encourage applications from members of historically and systemically marginalized groups.

Read UVic's full equity statement at www.uvic.ca/equitystatement.

Accessibility Statement

 If you anticipate needing accommodations for any part of the application and hiring process contact uviccareers@uvic.ca. Any personal information provided will be maintained in confidence.

Territory Acknowledgement

We acknowledge and respect the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Xʷsepsəm/Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples, the Musqueam people, the fourteen Yukon First Nations, Atikamekw and other Indigenous People on which ACET partner institutions stand, whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.