Get involved
Volunteer opportunities
CISUR has very limited opportunities available at this time.
Prospective students
Undergraduate studies: In the past, our undergrads have written Honours theses, done directed readings, or received If you are interested in doing undergrad work with us, you will need to have a supervisor who is one of our Directors or Scientists. See our Scientists page for a list of our scientists, their research areas and contact information.
Graduate studies: Many of our graduate students are from the interdisciplinary , but we have also had graduates from the Psychology, Sociology, Geography and Nursing faculties, as well as many other departments, schools and programs on campus. If you think your area of research would be a good fit with CISUR's work, please see our Scientists page to connect with a potential supervisor from the Centre.
CISUR Summer Undergraduate Internships
We are now opening up applications for our summer undergraduate internship positions at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR)! We have 2 part time (approx. 10-20 hours/week, negotiable with supervisor) positions for current undergrads or 2025 graduates that will occur over the summer for 6 weeks between June 2nd and August 29th (depending on the projects as described below, the student’s schedule, and the supervisor’s schedule). These opportunities will pay 1250$ and provide students with valuable research experience at CISUR.
Interested students should provide us with a 250 word write up for why they are drawn to working at CISUR and rank the below projects from 1-3 (1 being your favorite and 3 being least favorite). Applications are due by March 31st and we will let people know our decision by April 17th. Submit your applications to admincisur@uvic.ca.
Projects
A comparative analysis between our safe consumption sites (SCS) in Latin America and synergies with BC models
Description: This research aims to conduct a comparative analysis of Safe Consumption Sites (SCS) in Latin America, exploring their impact on public health, harm reduction, and social outcomes. It will examine the operational models, policies, and effectiveness of these sites, with a particular focus on identifying synergies with the British Columbia (BC) model. By analyzing shared challenges and successes, the project seeks to offer insights on how Latin American SCS can evolve or adapt through cross-regional learnings, promoting more effective harm reduction strategies in diverse socio-political contexts.
Alcohol Industry Lobbying Activities in BC
Description: Alcohol is a leading preventable cause of health and social harms in BC, and alcohol policies can effectively prevent or reduce those harms, particularly for vulnerable persons. However, many effective alcohol policies have not been implemented by the BC government, and part of this is because of opposition from alcohol companies. However, information about alcohol lobbying activities has rarely been studied in Canada, and never studied in BC. The summer student will have the opportunity to assess two registries of lobbying activity, and talk to key government stakeholders in order to better understand a key “commercial determinant of health” and shine a light on industry activity to influence policy making in BC.
Alcohol Container Litter in Victoria
Description: While much is known about health effects of alcohol consumption, alcohol use has social impacts that are less well characterized, including the generation of alcohol-related trash/litter in public places. The student project will use sampling to help get a sense of the amount and nature of alcohol litter (e.g., beverage type, container type, brand) laying on the ground in public spaces in Victoria including beaches, parks, and busy residential streets. The student could also work with data analysts to see what types of products are disproportionately represented relative to their overall sales volume in BC.