June 7, 2024
The Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Campus invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant or entry-level Associate Professor, specializing in Indigenous approaches to the environment, from a natural and/or social science perspective. Priority research areas include, but are not limited to, 1) Indigenous land and water stewardship, conservation, restoration, and/or biocultural diversity; 2) biodiversity or environmental science; 3) relationships between biodiversity and Indigenous sovereignty, governance, self-determination, and law; 4) relationships between environmental justice, dispossession and biodiversity loss; and 5) the intersection between Indigenous community well-being and ecosystem health. Lived experience within Indigenous communities is foundational to the knowledge of and research on Indigenous environmental studies and sciences. The successful applicant will engage in collaborative, action-oriented research to advance just, equitable, and inclusive strategies to support a biodiverse world, rooted in their lived experiences.
We seek applicants with the following qualifications:
- Ph.D. in Geography or a related discipline (consideration will be given to promising applicants who are near completion of a doctorate degree by the time of appointment).
- Demonstrated potential for research excellence including an ability to initiate and maintain an externally funded research programme.
- Capacity to teach and develop curriculum in the undergraduate and graduate programmes in Geography, including developing a course broadly defined within Indigenous Environmental Studies and Sciences.
- Verifiable connections to Indigenous communities in formal affiliation and/or established relationships.
The University is located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking Musqueam people. The successful candidate will be a member of the Department of Geography and affiliated with UBC’s Interdisciplinary Biodiversity Solutions Collaboratory (IBioS). UBC Geography is a department that ranges through the natural sciences to the humanities, committed to Indigenous self-determination, community engagement, land-based learning, critical theory and experiential practice, and international impact. The Geography department offers several undergraduate and graduate degrees: a BSc, MSc and PhD in Geosciences, BAs in Environment and Sustainability and Human Geography, as well as an MA and PhD in Human Geography. IBioS is a vibrant and supportive interdisciplinary research and scholarship cluster at UBC whose mission is to develop science-to-solutions approaches to improve biodiversity outcomes and promote a sustainable future for our planet. Informed by multiple ways of knowing, the IBioS Collaboratory aims to identify and support mechanisms for transformative social and ecological change that supports biodiversity and diverse peoples.
This is a tenure-track position in the Research stream and the successful candidate will be reviewed for reappointment, tenure, and promotion in subsequent years in accordance with the Collective Agreement. For a description of ranks, criteria for reappointment and promotion and the review schedule, please review the Collective Agreement (Part 4: Conditions of Appointment for Faculty; Article 3. Titles and Ranks).
The anticipated start date for this position is July 1, 2025. The closing date for applications is September 4, 2024. Applicants must have a Ph.D. (or provide solid indication of imminent completion) in geography or a related field.
Applications are to be submitted via this online form: https://geog.air.arts.ubc.ca/position-000175244/
Applicants should be prepared to upload by the closing deadline of September 4 2024 in the following order and in a single PDF (maximum size 15 MB):
- a letter of application (up to two pages) which should explain your fit with both Geography and IBioS;
- a curriculum vitae that lists the names and contact information of three referees;
- research statement (up to 2 pages) describing your current and proposed research program.
- teaching statement describing your teaching philosophy (up to one page) and evidence of teaching effectiveness (e.g., sample syllabi, teaching evaluations);
- statement (up to one page) identifying your past contributions to equity, diversity and inclusion, along with your ability to work with a culturally diverse student body; as well as your philosophy of, and potential future contributions to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging at UBC. If appropriate, provide details of how your teaching, service and/or scholarship has supported the success of students in your academic field who are underrepresented or marginalized, including but not limited to on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Métis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. Applicants who have not yet had such experience should note how their work will further UBC’s commitment to diversity.
- up to two writing samples (e.g., peer-reviewed publications, book chapter, etc.).
- additional relevant materials, including up to two letters from Indigenous community groups/organizations you have worked with (along with names and contact information of community references).
Only complete applications will be considered by the search committee. Questions may be directed to the co-chairs of the search committee: Marwan Hassan (marwan.hassan@geog.ubc.ca) and/or Geraldine Pratt (gpratt@geog.ubc.ca). For more information about our department, go to: http://www.geog.ubc.ca/. For more details about IBioS see: https://ibios.ubc.ca/.
This position is subject to final budgetary approval. The expected pay range over a 12-month period for Assistant Professor is $9,442 – $10,730/month and $11,854 – $13,104 for entry-level Associate Professor. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Equity and diversity are essential to academic and creative excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We especially encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including status as a First Nation, Métis, Inuit, or Indigenous person, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, and/or age. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority. Preference will also be given to Indigenous candidates as permitted by Section 42 of the BC Human Rights Code. Candidates requesting preferential consideration may be required to prove eligibility for this consideration.