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Post Doctoral Associates, Multiple Research Areas, Faculty of Arts

Job ID: 24670
Location: Main Campus
Updated October 18, 2022

This job posting is no longer active.

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We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta.
The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Districts 5 and 6.

Position Description

Areas:

  1. Justice, Equity and Transformation, 
  2. Indigenous Research, 
  3. Transdisciplinary Research 
  4. Sikh Studies    

Duration: Up to 2 years

Start Date: Between July 1, 2022 and September 1, 2022

Salary: $54,000 $CAD per annum, plus a research allowance (10,000 $CAD) and University of Calgary Plan C health benefits

 

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 postdoctoral fellowship opportunities available in four areas of scholarship: Justice, Equity, and Transformation; Indigenous Research; Transdisciplinary Research; and Sikh Studies. We invite scholars with projects that span diverse areas of scholarship represented in the Faculty of Arts, from the visual, creative, and performing arts, the humanities, to social sciences.

Each appointment will be tenable for two years (non-renewable). Up to five postdoctoral fellowships are available to be distributed among the four research areas. The postdoctoral fellowships are open to research in all areas of research/creation in the Faculty of Arts. Supervisors for all projects must be affiliated with 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/). 

Faculty of Arts is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in recruitment, opportunities for training, and research environment.

Research Areas: clearly indicate the area of research you wish to be considered for in your application:

Area 1: Justice, Equity and Transformation 

We invite projects that promise to transform our understanding and meaningfully address problems of justice and inequity in our culture and society. We seek outstanding applicants from diverse areas represented within the Faculty of Arts, from within and across the social sciences, humanities, and visual, creative, and performing arts. 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 should be engaged with equity-deserving groups, including, but not limited to, women, racialized persons, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQ2S+ communities.

Area 2: Indigenous Research

We invite scholars with lived experience or strong connection to communities to propose projects that promote opportunities for culturally responsive and collaborative research, and which centre around Indigeneity in Canadian or global contexts. We seek outstanding applicants from diverse areas represented within the Faculty of Arts, from within and across the social sciences, humanities, and visual, creative, and performing arts. The Indigenous Research fellowships will support emerging scholars who are seeking to connect to Indigenous communities, for example within the Treaty 7 region, and who engage in research or creative/artistic activities that promote Indigenous knowledge, methodologies, and ontology, and which may focus on, for example, Indigenous futurism, health and wellbeing, land rights, culture and language, and Truth and Reconciliation. 

The proposals must align with the following principles of conducting Indigenous research: 

  • Indigenous/traditional knowledge
  • Reciprocity
  • Community
  • Respect, relevance, and contribution

NOTE: A letter of support from Indigenous partners/communities with whom the scholar intends to work will be an asset. In the absence of a letter of support, the supervisor’s statement must clearly indicate how the work undertaken by the PDS will be supported by the community(ies) engaged in this research. 

Area 3: Transdisciplinary Research

We invite projects that transcend the traditional disciplinary boundaries and combine approaches and theories intersecting multiple disciplines, especially those that typically do not work together, to bring novel perspective to a well-defined question, challenge, or opportunity. We seek outstanding applicants 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 how the research integrates approaches from different disciplines to offer new ways of examining phenomena or issues. 

NOTE: The primary supervisor must be from the Faculty of Arts. A letter of support from a co-supervisor is required. Both supervisors must be affiliated with the University of Calgary. 

Area 4: Sikh Studies

We invite applications from scholars with projects that focus on Sikhs and Sikhism in a particular historical period or in a modern context. Projects might address issues around religious expression, pluralism and diversity, the Sikh diaspora, and/or Sikh engagement with social advocacy and social justice. Preference will be given to candidates with an interest in community relation-building, especially with the Calgary Sikh community. We seek outstanding applicants from any area or area represented within the Faculty of Arts, from within and across the social sciences, humanities, and visual, creative, and performing arts. 

Position Description

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
Please review the Postdoc Eligibility Guidelines for more information prior to applying for this opportunity

  • Applicants must have a current or prospective supervisor who is a faculty member at the University of Calgary.
  • Applicants must have earned their PhD or equivalent degree after September 1, 2019. If the PhD is still pending, it must be completed before 1 September 2022. 
  • Justification must be provided to extend the eligibility window if the PhD was completed before September 1, 2019
    • You may submit a one page justification if had any career interruptions and are requesting an extension to the window of eligibility for degree completion. Please be sure to indicate the duration of and reason for all delays (e.g. family responsibilities, illness, covid  restrictions, etc.). 
    • For applicants who have completed more than one PhD or equivalent, the most recent one will be used to determine your eligibility to be appointed as a postdoctoral scholar. 
  • International postdocs are eligible to apply.

The Faculty of Arts Fellowship may not be held simultaneously with any other fellowship.

Presentation Standards

  1. Pages must be 8½” x 11”
  2. Minimum margin of 2cm (3/4”)
  3. Minimum font size of 11 (Arial)
  4. Single-spaced
  5. Ensure applicant name and research area you are applying for are clearly indicated in the pdf. file name of the application package (e.g. Jane Smith, Area 1, Arts Fellowship application.pdf)

All Documents Listed Below Must Be Submitted as One PDF Document
Maximum file size: 10 MB
All applications must include:

  1. Cover Letter (up to 3 pages)
    1. Personal contact information,
    2. Faculty of Arts supervisor information, 
    3. Research Area you are applying for (i.e. Justice, Equity, and Transformation; Indigenous Research; Transdisciplinary Research; or Sikh Studies),
    4. Research project summary, 
    5. Confirmation of PhD degree completion or anticipated date of completion.
    6. Names and contact details of two professional references from academic institutions or community organizations. At least one reference must be from outside the host institution (UCalgary). Do not include your proposed faculty supervisor as a reference.
  2.  Project description (up to 3 pages)
    1. State the objectives of the proposed program; theoretical framework, situate your research/creation in the field(s).
    2. Describe significance of the proposed research, methodology, ethical considerations where applicable, knowledge mobilization/translation plan, impact, timeline. 
    3. 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. 
    1. 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 of up to 3 pages – Applicant (include special circumstances, where applicable).
    1. Description of why you are the right person to hold this fellowship.  This can include, but is not limited to, previous work in the area proposed in the fellowship, previous outreach activities, relevant aspects of your training, technical, or methodological expertise. 
    2. A description of five most significant contributions. Please offer a general description of the most important work you have done so far, including contributions that are not related to the fellowship theme. Contributions to research/research creation can include but are not limited to, the historical context which framed the problem/opportunity; the actual problem itself; your work or finding(s) and their influence; your specific role or contribution to this work. Cite previous work to corroborate key arguments in the narrative (e.g., publications, reports, datasets, policy briefs, creative works). 
  6. Narrative CV of up to 3 pages – Supervisor(s)
    1. Description of why you are the right person to hold this fellowship.  This can include, but is not limited to, previous work in the area proposed in the fellowship, previous outreach activities, relevant aspects of your training, technical, or methodological expertise. 
    2. A description of five most significant contributions. Please offer a general description of the most important work you have done so far, including contributions that are not related to the fellowship theme. Contributions to research/research creation can include but are not limited to, the historical context which framed the problem/opportunity; the actual problem itself; your work or finding(s) and their influence; your specific role or contribution to this work. Cite previous work to corroborate key arguments in the narrative (e.g., publications, reports, datasets, policy briefs, creative works). 
    3. A description of mentorship/supervision. Provide information about mentorship and supervision in the last 5 years. Describe how you work with trainees, what opportunities you afford them, and what kind of support you offer. Where applicable, include information about scholarships your trainees may have received, career pathways they followed, opportunities for growth you created, including equity, diversity and inclusionary practices in building and sustaining the research/training environment.

Applicants to Area 2, Indigenous Research, should demonstrate a record of direct engagement with Indigenous communities in Canada or internationally.

Application Deadline: Please submit your application on or before March 14, 2022 MST at 11:59 pm MST
Results of the competition are expected to be announced by mid-June 2022.  For more information, please contact Kinga Olszewska at [email protected].

Additional Information

To learn more about postdoctoral scholar opportunities at the University of Calgary and all we have to offer, view our Postdoc Careers website. For more information about the Faculty of Arts visit Careers in the Faculty of Arts.

COVIDSafe Campus Strategy

The University has implemented a new Vaccination Directive that requires all faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 1, 2022. You will be required to upload proof of vaccination prior to commencing your duties. Please review the COVIDSafe Campus website for further information and access to additional resources.

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is Canada’s leading next-generation university – a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation’s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

To succeed as one of Canada’s top universities, where new ideas are created, tested and applied through first-class teaching and research, the University of Calgary needs more of the best minds in our classrooms and labs. We’re increasing our scholarly capacity by investing in people who want to change the world, bringing the best and brightest to Calgary to form a global intellectual hub and achieve advances that matter to everyone. For more information visit research.ucalgary.ca/postdocs.

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 in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High, 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.

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 professional success while they are here. 

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