2 PhD positions available beginning Fall 2021:
- Open to international or domestic student(s)
- Funding guarantee (minimum of $25,000 CAD per year for four years)
1 MES position available beginning Fall 2021:
- Funding guarantee (minimum of $20,000 CAD over two years)
Location: School of Environment, Resources, and Sustainability, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Globally, there are 370 million Indigenous Peoples with unique knowledge systems and cultural connections to the land and water (UN, 2010). The international community has increasingly recognized the importance of Indigenous Knowledge toward improving environmental sustainability. In 2015, the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), many of which directly affect Indigenous Peoples. We are recruiting members for a new lab that will examine the approaches of Indigenous nations and communities to addressing pressing sustainability concerns related to water justice (SDG 6), climate action (SDG 13), ocean governance (SDG 14), and data sovereignty (SDG 17). Candidates of all disciplinary backgrounds are welcome, as the research team aims to build interdisciplinary approaches to Indigenous sustainability science.
As a PhD/MES lab member students will have the opportunity to carry out a project of their own design under the larger research team objectives. This project is global in scope and scale and new PhD/MES students are encouraged to propose empirical studies with an Indigenous regional focus that reflect their interests and expertise and support the advancement of Indigenous resilient and sustainable futures in the water-climate-ocean justice nexus.
Potential research areas include:
- Indigenous water justice (SDG 6)
- Indigenous water security and sustainability (SDG 6)
- Indigenous water governance (SDG 6)
- Indigenous adaptation to climate change in freshwater and ocean systems (SDG 6, 13, 14)
- Indigenous ocean justice and governance (SDG 14)
- Indigenous led marine protected areas and marine spatial planning (SDG 14)
- Indigenous climate adaptation policies (SDG 13)
- Indigenous responses to climate change impacts on natural and cultural resource resilience (SDG 13)
- Indigenous data sovereignty (SDG 6, 13, 14, 17)
The successful applicant will have a strong background in Indigenous research, experience and understanding of Indigenous water, climate, and ocean governance, excellent grades, and a passion for Indigenous environmental and sustainability studies. Students should also have a strong background in Indigenous methodologies and mixed methods approaches for interdisciplinary research and demonstrated commitment to working with Indigenous nations and communities. Applications from Indigenous scholars are encouraged.
PhD students working with our lab will join the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability PhD or MES programs. This is one of several vibrant PhD programs in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo. Students can expect to be part of a large group of outstanding graduate students, faculty, and post-doctoral researchers.
Please submit the following to Dr. Leonard (kelsey.leonard@uwaterloo.ca) by March 25, 2021 to express interest for a PhD or MES position and provide: (1) a cover letter detailing background and research interests; (2) CV including the names of 3 referees; (3) unofficial transcripts from previous degrees.
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