About The Role

About the School of Rehabilitation Science: The School of Rehabilitation Science in the College of Medicine is committed to advancing health, participation, and quality of life through excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement. This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to an innovative interdisciplinary research project at the intersection of artificial intelligence, speech-language pathology, accessibility, and health technology. The successful candidate will work with a research team developing AI-based tools to improve communication access for individuals with dysarthria, including people with cerebral palsy. This project has the potential to significantly enhance communication accessibility and participation for individuals with speech disabilities. Primary Purpose: To support the development and evaluation of artificial intelligence models designed to improve communication accessibility for individuals with dysarthria. The successful candidate will contribute to the collection, preparation, management, and analysis of speech and language data used to refine AI systems that translate unintelligible speech into intended written messages. Nature of Work: Reporting to an Assistant Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science, the Undergraduate Research Assistant will work as part of an interdisciplinary team that includes speech-language pathology researchers, students, and community partners. This is a part-time casual position requiring approximately 5-10 hours per week. Work can be completed remotely and on a flexible schedule that accommodates the student's academic commitments. Occasional virtual or in-person meetings may be required. The position requires initiative, attention to detail, and the ability to work independently while maintaining regular communication with the research team. The successful candidate will exercise judgment when handling research data, maintaining confidentiality, troubleshooting technical issues, and documenting procedures. Work assignments may vary throughout the project cycle depending on research and development needs. Travel and shift work are not required. Typical Duties or Accountabilities: Assist with the preparation, organization, cleaning, and management of speech and language datasets. Support the development, testing, and refinement of machine learning and artificial intelligence models. Conduct literature reviews related to speech recognition, accessibility technologies, machine learning, and natural language processing. Develop and maintain scripts or software tools to support data processing and analysis. Document coding procedures, workflows, and project outcomes. Assist with evaluating model performance and identifying opportunities for improvement. Participate in team meetings and provide updates on assigned tasks. Maintain confidentiality and comply with ethical requirements related to research involving human participants. Contribute to knowledge translation activities, including preparation of reports, presentations, or research dissemination materials as appropriate. Education: Applicants must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Data Science, or a related field at the University of Saskatchewan. Preference may be given to students who have completed coursework in machine learning, artificial intelligence, data science, natural language processing, speech processing, software development, or related areas. Licenses: No licenses are required for this position. Experience: Experience with programming and software development through coursework, personal projects, research, or employment. Experience with data analysis, machine learning, or artificial intelligence projects is considered an asset. Experience working with speech, audio, language, or accessibility-related technologies is considered an asset but is not required. Previous research experience is beneficial but not required. Skills: Familiarity with machine learning frameworks and data analysis tools is an asset. Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities. Ability to learn new technical concepts and software tools independently. Excellent attention to detail and commitment to data quality. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Effective organizational and time-management skills. Ability to work independently and collaboratively within an interdisciplinary research team. Commitment to ethical conduct, confidentiality, and respectful engagement with disability and accessibility research. Interest in applying computing technologies to address real-world health and accessibility challenges. Inquiries regarding this position can be directed to Adrianna Noyes at <[email hidden]>