Employment opportunities

Definite Term Lecturer, Indigenous Curriculum Expert

The University of Waterloo is seeking an exceptional scholar with expertise in Indigenous curriculum for a three-year definite-term appointment as Lecturer in the Faculty of Environment, with the possibility of renewal. The anticipated start date is September 1, 2021, or shortly thereafter.

The successful candidate will have a Master’s Degree in Indigenous Studies, Environmental Studies or Science, or a related field. Candidates with a PhD in the stated areas are preferred. Ties to or a demonstrated ability to forge fruitful educational partnerships and maintain relationships with Indigenous communities in Waterloo Region and Ontario would be considered an asset.

The salary range for this position at the Lecturer rank is $85,000 to $100,000.

Duties include teaching and service, the latter related mainly to the development of curriculum.

The successful candidate will teach three courses each year.  The individual will design and teach courses for the Faculty’s majors, as well as for students outside of the Faculty of Environment. Strong candidates will integrate theory and practice in courses and will have experience teaching Indigenous/environmental courses to students. Demonstrated excellence in undergraduate or graduate teaching, a commitment to experiential learning, and familiarity with diverse student groups are all considered assets for the role.

The successful candidate also will provide leadership and guidance for the creation of course materials on Indigenous ways of knowing for inclusion in the Faculty of Environment curriculum. This will include working collaboratively with faculty to assist with the integration of course material that will help students and faculty develop an understanding of Indigenous histories and how they relate to specific courses and learning outcomes. This curriculum will contribute to the University’s understanding of Indigenous Peoples, their histories, and their worldviews. The individual will work both independently and with members of the Faculty of Environment to design and deliver synchronous and asynchronous content, provide advice to instructors, and contribute to implementing the University’s Indigenization Strategy.  Experience liaising with university faculty and staff is also considered an asset for this role.

The position is based in the Faculty of Environment, a world leader in interdisciplinary research and teaching on environment and sustainability. The Faculty is home to five academic units: the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, the Department of Knowledge Integration, the School of Planning, the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, and the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development. The Faculty is a dynamic and vibrant academic environment with 100 regular faculty members, 65 staff, 2,400 undergraduate students, and 600 graduate students.

The deadline for applications is June 15, 2021. Three letters of reference, of which at least one must be academic, will be requested for those applicants who are invited for an interview. Send curriculum vitae, cover letter and a maximum three page statement which discusses the applicant’s approach to teaching and learning and the relevance of their professional experience to the position to:

Dr. Jean Andrey

Faculty of Environment

env-dean@uwaterloo.ca

If you have any questions regarding the position, the application process, assessment process, eligibility, or to request accommodation during the hiring process, please contact Juli-Ann Perkins at juli-ann.perkins@uwaterloo.ca.

The University is committed to implementing the Calls to Action framed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River.

The University of Waterloo regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. As such, we encourage applications from women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, members of visible minorities, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

However, this particular selection process will follow the provisions for a special program as described by the Ontario Human Rights Commission in order to address the underrepresentation of individuals from equity-seeking groups. Improving the representation, participation and engagement of equity–seeking groups within our community is a key objective of Waterloo’s Strategic Plan 2020-2025. As such, this opportunity is open only to individuals who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations Status or Non-Status, Métis, and/or Inuit).

All applicants for this opportunity are required to self-identify in their application. Candidate self-identification information will be used by the selection committee for consideration and screening processes.

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

Three reasons to apply: https://uwaterloo.ca/faculty-association/why-waterloo

 Postdoctoral Fellowship – Sustainability Policy Research on Urban Transformations (SPROUT Lab)

We seek a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to help lead research on any of the following areas: the governance of sustainability transitions; pathways to deep decarbonization; linkages between COVID-19 recovery and broader sustainability/climate change goals; and sustainability entrepreneurship.

Dr. Sarah Burch (University of Waterloo) leads an international partnership project (TRANSFORM).  TRANSFORM connects hubs of research and practice in Canada, Australia, the USA, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands.  Together, we explore the role of small businesses in triggering and accelerating sustainability transitions. We are working to build capacity for transformation in the small business community, while investigating and supporting governance processes that enable these transformations.  This postdoctoral fellowship will directly support the TRANSFORM project, as well as related sustainability/climate change governance research in the SPROUT Lab. 

In close collaboration with colleagues in each hub, the successful candidate will help to lead a team that will:

1. Engage and support capacity building and experimentation work with small businesses to strengthen sustainability-enabling ecosystems.
2. Coordinate Master’s and PhD students, including developing targeted engagement activities and research designs aimed at accelerating sustainability practice.
3. Develop and strengthen knowledge translation and mobilization activities, tools, and strategies to share the results of TRANSFORM targeting public, private sector stakeholders, including academia, financial sector, government actors and practitioner audiences.
4. Lead the design and production of rigorous and engaging peer-reviewed scholarly publications based on existing qualitative data collected by the TRANSFORM and SPROUT team.
5. Expand our research agenda by exploring new avenues of research into the dynamics/governance sustainability transitions in different sectors, industries or geographies on the basis of the applicant’s research experience and interests.

The successful candidate will be responsible for leading these activities, including managing a small team of Master’s and PhD students and collaborating with a broader advisory group.  They will be based at the University of Waterloo, in the Sustainability Policy Research and Urban Transformation (SPROUT) Lab. The candidate will have significant opportunities to develop networks and publish in the fields of sustainability transitions and environmental governance. 

The anticipated start date for this position will be July 1^st, 2021.

Anticipated salary is $50,500/annum (plus reasonable research/dissemination expenses).  The position is for a 2-year term. Future travel opportunities exist in order to carry out fieldwork and collaborate with colleagues within Canada, the U.S., Western Europe, and Australia. The candidate must be legally eligible to work in Canada.

 Qualifications:

• Ph.D. degree, field open, although candidate must have strong skills in empirical social scientific research related to the environment, in particular interview-based research and qualitative data analysis.
• Extensive knowledge in some combination of: governance, sustainability, transformations/transitions, entrepreneurship, climate change mitigation and adaptation, comparative politics, and participatory processes.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; fluency in English required.
• Excellent organizational skills, including the demonstrated capacity to manage a team.
• Proven ability (ie in progress or established track record) of rapidly and rigorous mobilizing data to craft excellent peer-reviewed publications.
• Experience with interdisciplinary environmental research (e.g., incorporating philosophy, sociology, political science) or transdisciplinary research (e.g., working with diverse stakeholders to develop research outcomes of local relevance) would be valuable.
• Ability to self-motivate and to work semi-independently on a research project through to publication (evidenced in letters of reference and by publication record). 
• Ability to commit to the project for a period of at least 2 years.

To apply:

Please send the following materials to Dr. Sarah Burch (sburch@uwaterloo.ca) by May 14, 2021.

• A letter of interest outlining your experience and fit for the position
• Curriculum vitae
• Contact information for two academic referees
• Two recent publications that you feel are relevant to this position (ie methodologically, theoretically, etc)

For more information on the Faculty of Environment and the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Waterloo, see https://uwaterloo.ca/environment/  

More information about Dr. Sarah Burch can be found here: https://uwaterloo.ca/geography-environmental-management/people-profiles/sarah-burch or here: https://www.cigionline.org/person/sarah-burch