Postdoctoral Fellowship, Faculty of Arts

Description

Areas: 1) Justice, Equity and Transformation; 2) Connection, Community and Culture.

Duration: Up to 2 years.

Start Date: Award needs to be taken up between July 1 and September 30, 2025.

The Faculty of Arts at the University of Calgary, located in the Province of Alberta at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, is pleased to announce two Postdoctoral Fellowships available in two areas of scholarship: 1) Justice, Equity; and Transformation and 2) Connection, Community, and Culture.

Job Description: 

We invite scholars from diverse areas represented within the Faculty of Arts, from within and across the social sciences, humanities, and visual, creative, and performing arts. Applications should clearly demonstrate research excellence.

Postdoctoral Fellowships will be tenable for two years (non-renewable) with the value of $75,000 per year distributed in the following way: $70,000 for the salary (which includes the extended Health Benefits Plan, which is mandatory for all postdoctoral associates, as well as the employer's contribution to CPP/EI), and $5,000 research allowance. Up to two postdoctoral fellowships are available to be distributed among the two research areas. The postdoctoral fellowships are open to research in all areas of research/creation in the Faculty of Arts, and Supervisors for all projects must have continuing appointments in the Faculty of Arts. To learn more about disciplines and areas housed in the Faculty of Arts, please visit our website (https://arts.ucalgary.ca/). 

While applicants with a strong transdisciplinary background are strongly encouraged to apply, it is not a mandatory requirement for the fellowships. Transdisciplinary approaches will seek to engage and co-produce knowledge and solutions with societal actors, both at the level of individual projects, and at the institutional level within the University of Calgary. Transdisciplinarity can be understood as the inclusion of non-academic stakeholders in the process of knowledge production. Faculty of Arts is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in recruitment, opportunities for training, and research environment. Applicants who wish to work with non-academic stakeholders must provide: 

a. A support letter from the partner(s) or
b. A plan for engagement throughout the duration of the fellowship.

Area 1: Justice, Equity and Transformation

This theme of the Faculty of Arts strategic plan describes research on historical and systemic inequities experienced by specific marginalized groups, and promotes social cohesion, integrity, appreciation of and support for diversity and social justice. This field contributes to positive social impact, innovations, and the overall welfare and dignity of individuals and communities. We invite projects that promise to transform our understanding or meaningfully address problems of justice and inequity in our culture and society. Such transformative projects might raise understandings of social inclusion/exclusion, structural or situational equity/inequity, justice/injustice, or diversity, or advance change through action-oriented research. Projects may be engaged with equity-deserving groups, including, but not limited to, women, racialized persons, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQ2S+ communities.

Area 2:  Connection, Community and Culture 

This theme of the Faculty of Arts strategic plan describes research on cultural diversity, as it enriches societies by offering different perspectives, promoting tolerance and fostering cross-cultural understanding. We invite scholars with lived experiences and/or strong connections to communities to propose projects that promote opportunities for creative and cultural practices. Projects may include community-engaged and/or community-based research, decolonizing practices, diverse ways of knowing and being, and may centre on migration, wellbeing, land-based and/or urban studies, culture and language. 

Qualifications:

• Applicants should be within five years of having received the PhD. Special circumstances and career interruptions, such as leaves and other delays, can extend the eligibility window. Please be sure to indicate the duration of and reason for all delays. For applicants who have completed more than one PhD or equivalent, the most recent one will be counted. 
• International scholars are eligible to apply.

Application Details:

Note: All Documents Listed Below Must Be Submitted as One PDF Document

1. Cover Letter: 

• Personal contact information,
• Faculty of Arts supervisor information, 
• Research project summary, 
• Confirmation of PhD degree completion or anticipated date of completion. 
• Names and contact details of two professional references ONLY. At least one of the letters must come from outside the host institution (UCalgary) and neither may be from the proposed supervisor(s). Letters can come from scholars at academic institutions or community organizations. 

2. Project description (up to 3 pages)

• State the objectives of the proposed program; theoretical framework, situate your research/creation in the field(s).
• Describe significance of the proposed research, methodology, ethical considerations where applicable, knowledge mobilization/translation plan, impact, timeline. 
• Provide rationale for choosing the proposed supervisor, including details of how your proposed work aligns with the work of the supervisor(s), and how you will work together throughout the fellowship tenure. If the applicant received their PhD from the University of Calgary, they should articulate how the proposed project differs from their PhD dissertation.

3. Bibliography (up to 2 pages)

4. Supervisor letter (up to 2 pages). Supervisor must be affiliated with the Faculty of Arts

• Should address the following: synergy between the work of the supervisor(s) and the applicant; the applicant's ability to conduct the proposed research and the quality of the proposed work within the context of the discipline(s) and your own work. Describe the research environment within which the applicant will work, this can include but is not limited to opportunities for collaboration within your professional networks, opportunities for engagement in skill development (e.g., proposal writing, mentorship, leadership), how you will support successful completion of the proposed project.

5. Narrative CV ¿ applicant (include special circumstances, where applicable) 

• Tri-agency instructions for narrative CVs are available under this link.

6. Narrative CV ¿ supervisor(s)

• Tri-agency instructions for narrative CVs are available under this link.

7. Transdisciplinary projects should also include a support letter from the partner OR a plan for engagement throughout the duration of the fellowship. 

Questions about the application should be addressed to: Kinga Olszewska, PhD, Senior Research Advisor ([email protected]). 

Deadline: May 16, 2025.

The terms and conditions of employment are covered under the UCalgary and PDAC Collective Agreement. To find out more about postdoctoral scholar program at the University of Calgary visit our Postdocs website.  

To learn more about postdoctoral scholar opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Postdoc Careers website.

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 the strongest economy in the nation and enjoy more days of sunshine per year than any other major Canadian city. Calgary is less than an hour's drive from the Rocky Mountains and boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America.

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]).