Research Chair, Systems Transformation and Family Justice, Faculty of Law

Description

The Faculty of Law is seeking outstanding candidates for an exciting community-based RESEARCH CHAIR at the rank of Assistant Professor (Tenure Track), Associate Professor with tenure or Full Professor with tenure. This position will be based in Calgary, Canada, with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2025. This position will report to the Dean of Law.

The Research Chair Opportunity
The Research Chair in Systems Transformation and Family Justice will focus on generating new knowledge to be translated into practical action. The Chair will work with community to identify innovative approaches and actions to help transform the family justice system from an adversarial, court-centric model to one that focuses on helping families. The Chair will explore opportunities for long-term, sustainable, community-engaged, cross-sectoral research collaborations with key players in the family and social justice systems, post-secondary institutions, governments, foundations, community organizations, those with lived experience, and collective impact initiatives. The anticipated outcome is to improve the quality of life of children, individuals, and families encountering the family justice system by providing pathways to support and services, building resilience, addressing family violence, and achieving well-being. 

The Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Social Work are collaborating to bring two new Research Chairs to work closely with the new Centre for Systems Transformation and Family Justice (the Centre) at the University of Calgary. These two Research Chairs will bring an intersection of academic knowledge, networks, and practical experience in family justice, human services, health, disability, and other systems to translate knowledge into practical action. They will also collaboratively lead transdisciplinary partnerships with various organizations, including other post-secondary institutions, provincially and nationally. The Chairs will be expected to:

• Conduct evaluative and innovative research and develop action plans to generate impact.
• Leverage funding to support community-engaged research partnerships in Canada.
• Attract highly qualified researchers interested in long-term careers in system change.
• Build trust and credibility with the community.

The position entails 60% research, 20% teaching and 20% service. The teaching component will include Juris Doctor (JD), LL.M. and PhD courses. The service component includes service at faculty, university, professional, and community levels.

The successful candidate will provide impactful Chair leadership - from grant applications to determining and operationalizing methods decisions to donor stewardship for a community-based, expanding collaborative, unified, and diverse research hub team. The Chair will provide co-leadership for a provincial/nationwide research centre to support the work of transforming systems that will incorporate approaches to justice by Indigenous communities and vulnerable racialized communities who faced trauma. 

The Centre will be housed at UCalgary, in the community, and virtually and include a team of researchers, postdocs, grad students, and various research projects in cooperation with community, justice sector, and social service organizations. Two new UCalgary Law and Social Work faculty research associates, along with these Chairs, will support the Centre's work. 

The researcher's innovative and collaborative engagement with the community invites participatory action as an orientation to move to knowledge mobilization. The Chair will provide training for the public in non-credit and credit offerings. The Chair will also provide funding stewardship of community donors and diversify the resourcing of research and demonstration projects. An emphasis on service to society while including all stakeholders involved is necessary. The Research Chair will make Alberta one of the world's top research areas for transforming systems and developing family wellness/justice. The Chair will attract and retain a diverse cadre of world-class researchers, reinforcing academic research and training excellence in justice-related systems, processes, and agencies. 

The Faculty of Law Research Chair in Systems Transformation and Family Justice and the Faculty of Social Work Research Chair in Systems Transformation and Family Justice will work together to develop new knowledge and train others in the best practices to support the transformation of the family justice system. Given the complex link between the justice and social services systems, the two transdisciplinary research Chairs will maximize impact. The two Chairs will aim to accomplish the following:

• Work collectively with others to transform the family justice system from an adversarial, court-centric model to one that focuses on child and family resilience and well-being.
• Focus on research and knowledge development, as well as reflection, learning, and evaluation of the Reimagining the Family Justice System initiative and what is currently happening locally, nationally, and internationally.
• Research emerging best practices and better understand the integration of family justice, human services, and other systems to provide prevention services and reduce long-term complex issues causing toxic effects.
• Research appropriate equitable and inclusive interventions and partnerships to provide quality services and supports to Indigenous communities and marginalized communities accessing (or failing to access) the family justice system.
• Develop research-informed public awareness initiatives to educate communities in navigating and accessing alternative dispute resolution methods as well as legal and social services and supports. 
• Develop professional development programs to build the capacity of organizations serving Albertans who are encountering the family justice system.
• Integrate new knowledge from this initiative into the Faculties of Law and Social Work's academic curricula, ensuring the next generation of lawyers, social workers, and allied professionals can practice their professions best to enhance child and family well-being.
• Facilitate collaboration and integrate expertise through learning networks with other faculties and researchers in other post-secondary institutions in Alberta and globally.
• Identify best practices through research and transformatively advance research into action through the Centre.
• With Centre support, play a key role in learning, evaluating, and documenting impact, thus contributing to practice advancement.
• Initiate knowledge mobilization so that the Centre can implement learnings and changes for the benefit of the community.

The Chairs will work closely with the new Centre for Transformation to contribute to sustainable impact in the following ways:

• The Centre is practice-focused and will implement and mobilize knowledge that the Research Chairs are developing and publishing as part of their research findings.
• The Centre's purpose is to build community capacity to implement the Chairs' transformative research. This will be a continuous feedback loop involving program evaluation.
• Infrastructure will support a larger scale (province-wide) initiative and engage partners across multiple systems to develop meaningful transdisciplinary, community-engaged, participatory research partnerships with post-secondary institutions, governments, and regulatory bodies (Canadian Bar Association, Law Society of Alberta, Alberta College of Social Workers) and other associations seeking advancement in professional practice. 
• The Research Chairs and the Centre are uniquely positioned to mobilize collective action and community leadership in family justice transformation work by involving systems partners, post-secondary institutions, government and philanthropic funders, community leaders and influencers, and citizens, in the processes. The Chairs will also help attract research funding from SSHRC, CIHR, MITACS, and various capacity-building sources and attract diverse and influential partners committed to systemic change.

The Research Chair Candidate
The successful candidate will dedicate their time to community-based research, leading a vibrant and impactful knowledge translation hub, attaining tri-council funding as principal investigator, submitting scholarly works to high-quality publications, developing impactful knowledge engagement activities, teaching in our Juris Doctor (JD) and graduate programs, and providing service at the faculty, university and community, and within the legal profession. 

The successful candidate will be appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) or Associate Professor with tenure or Professor with tenure. 

The Chair is intended for an exceptionally collaborative and impactful emerging or established scholar. This Chair position provides an opportunity for an outstanding researcher to establish, develop, and maintain an active research program in multisector and system service. The Chair will grow and expand this research area and seek transdisciplinary collaborations across universities and local, national, and international organizations and communities. The research program will focus on community engagement and justice system transformation and create conditions for families to flourish. The candidate will implement an innovative and socially significant research program within a dynamic and collaborative environment.

The candidate must have the capacity to create impacts in these areas:

• Ensuring quality and accessibility in justice services
• Protecting equity for underserved and marginalized populations in justice policy
• Positioning family-serving champions to address justice service advancement and transformation
• Systems transformation to support families so they can thrive

In addition to maintaining an active and funded research program, the Chair will supervise graduate students, teach JD and graduate courses in their areas of specialization, and demonstrate leadership in service, collaboration, and mentorship within the university and the community. The Chair will also be expected to engage actively with the public and the media in matters related to the Chair. The Chair will effectively respond to critical events and processes and facilitate meaningful engagement.  As a visionary, collaborative leader, this Chair will have an established, externally funded research program focused on family well-being, demonstrate success in teaching and graduate supervision, and build integrity with justice-related community outreach and engagement.

Candidate Requirements
This Faculty of Law Chair position is a community-based Research Chair in system transformation and family justice. Preference will be given to candidates with a track record in impactful systems transformation and family justice research.
 

Appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor normally requires evidence or promise of original high-quality research and scholarship and future development as a scholar. Evidence or promise of the ability to obtain funding may also be required where appropriate. Evidence or promise of teaching proficiency or professional activity may also be required. 

Appointment at the rank of Associate Professor requires evidence of an established academic program of a calibre equivalent to national recognition by peers. It is expected that a record of high-quality research and scholarship in Law has been achieved. Evidence of ability to obtain funding to sustain a research program is required. Evidence of teaching effectiveness and expertise, including a demonstrated ability to teach a variety of courses, design learning experiences and supervision of graduate students is required. A satisfactory record of active involvement in university, professional or community service is expected.

Appointment at the rank of Professor is reserved for those whose academic achievements are of a caliber equivalent to international standing and as outstanding in the field of Law. It is expected that a record of the highest quality of contributions to research and scholarship, teaching and service, including leadership contributions, impacts and innovation within the Law discipline, has resulted in distinguished recognition. Evidence of teaching effectiveness, including a demonstrated ability to teach a variety of courses, educational leadership and supervision of graduate students, is required. A distinguished record of service contributions to the institution, the legal profession, and the broader community is required for appointment to full Professor.

Requirements for this position include:

• For Associate and Professor rank, the candidate will hold a PhD (or other doctoral degree) in Law. Near completion of PhD (or other doctoral degree) in Law will be considered for Assistant Professor. Preference will be given to candidates with a track record in impactful family justice research.
• The successful candidate must have evidence of commitment to child and family wellness, program evaluation, systemic change, and practice-based research using real-world data. 
• The candidate will have evidence of past and potential excellence in family justice research, participatory approaches, and knowledge exchange and mobilization. 
• Evidence of excellence in teaching at the university level in diverse delivery contexts and unique delivery models at the JD and graduate levels is also required.

Other required credentials include:

• A minimum of two to five years of full-time leadership or clinical practice experience in a family justice area.
• Knowledge, skills, and commitment to reconciliation, equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, pluralism, futures studies, and social justice.
• Evidence of excellence in team leadership.
• Expertise in leading innovation and design thinking relevant to translating new research into practice (the continuum from ideation, designing, piloting, and scaling). 
• Skills linked to Indigenous approaches/ethical space, i.e. Indigenous approaches to justice. 
• Facilitation skills (as part of the process of building trust / authentic relationships), especially working with vulnerable communities (e.g. racialized and indigenous communities) who have faced trauma.
• Knowledge and experience in working with Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers, and civil society leaders.
• Research experience in addressing intersectional vulnerabilities in the family justice sector with other sectors. 
• Experience with systems transformation regarding social issues such as child protection, domestic violence, settlement, system integration, and people with disabilities.
• Capacity and willingness to engage institutions and donors to diversify funding for research and demonstration projects.
• An outstanding publication record in peer-reviewed journals for the stage of career.
• An outstanding track record of securing ongoing external research funds as principal investigator.
• Evidence of international-level influence.
• Service in University and Faculty committees.
• Evidence of excellence in contributing to ongoing curriculum development.
• Expertise and knowledge of clinical and systems support to families.
• Experience and knowledge in restorative justice practices and other conflict resolution approaches that foster dialogue, address harm and promote accountability.
• Demonstrated success with building capacity and training highly qualified personnel, and providing early research mentorship to colleagues.
• Demonstrated advanced ability for graduate student (LLM and PhD) supervision.  
• Experience in collaboration and sharing scholarship with community-based practitioners.
• Experience in developing training for the public in non-credit and credit offerings.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated the potential to engage outstanding students and future researchers, build individual and community capacity through local and global partnerships, and attract competitive research funding. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to ensure a transformational voice in policy based on research, and facilitate discussions regarding research, services, programs, and systems transformation.

The candidate will have a deep knowledge of service systems, the use of databases and system methodologies, and significant research experience in law, social sciences, or social policy.

Interested individuals are encouraged to apply online as early as possible. Please include a cover letter, curriculum vitae (including the name and contact information of three references), teaching dossier (including a statement of teaching philosophy, evidence of teaching effectiveness, and educational development plan), and statement of research. Please provide all documents in one file. The closing date for applications is May 12, 2025.

By applying to this posting, you will be considered for all vacancies.

For more information about applying, please contact Dr. Evar Oshionebo at [email protected].

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Institutional Commitments ([email protected]) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources ([email protected]).

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. In this connection, at the time of your application, please answer the following question: Are you a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada? (Yes/No)

For a listing of all academic opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Academic Careers website. For more information about the Faculty of Law, click here.

About the University of Calgary

UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

About Calgary, Alberta

Calgary is one of the world's cleanest cities and has been named one of the world's most livable cities for years. Calgary is a city of leaders - in business, community, philanthropy and volunteerism. Calgarians benefit from a growing number of world-class dining and cultural events and enjoy more days of sunshine per year than any other major Canadian city. Calgary is less than an hour's drive from the majestic Rocky Mountains and boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America.