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Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Climate Action and Social Innovation

Employer
School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan
Location
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Closing date
Dec 22, 2021

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Discipline
Global Environmental Change, Interdisciplinary/Other, Planetary Sciences, Social Sciences
Career Level
Faculty
Education Level
PhD
Job Type
Full-time
Relocation Cost
Paid
Sector Type
Academia

The School of Environment and Sustainability (SENS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is pleased to invite applications from outstanding candidates for a full-time, tenure track or tenured Tier 2 Canada Research Chair appointment in Climate Action and Social Innovation. The Canada Research Chairs Program is the flagship of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world’s top countries in research and development. 

We seek a chair who will apply and extend social innovation theory and methods to bring about concrete action on climate change. The chair will develop and implement a research program that is holistic, action-oriented and responsive to stakeholders and rights-holders in one or more sectors or geographic regions. The chair will work with the national and global climate science community and operate comfortably within multidisciplinary climate policy processes, while growing a unique applied social science research program that addresses pragmatic problems of climate change adaptation and mitigation. Ideally, the chair will build on their background in social science with behavioural applications that focuses on developing tools, techniques and adaptations that can be applied at and across multiple societal scales. Saskatchewan offers a unique context to conduct applied, partner-driven climate action research because of our multiple resource sectors with global interconnections, strong Indigenous entrepreneurship, and known geographic vulnerabilities to climate change. As a place where “local meets global”, there is a particular opportunity here to answer questions about scaling-up innovations for climate action.

SENS is the home of a diverse and interdisciplinary group of faculty who engage in collaborative and community-engaged scholarship to solve pressing issues that concern our planet,  including complex sustainability challenges related to global water security, regenerating and sustaining healthy ecosystems, conserving biocultural diversity, assessing and managing pollution, improving energy security, and advancing good environmental governance – all aligned with USask Signature Research Areas and several of the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Our faculty and staff work beyond disciplinary and institutional silos and are committed to partnerships with diverse academic units, Indigenous and other communities, government departments, non-profit organizations, and private sector companies.

The University of Saskatchewan is one of Canada’s top 15 research-intensive medical doctoral universities. Its main campus is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a city on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River known for its quality of life, diverse and thriving economic base, vibrant arts community, and full range of leisure opportunities. The University has a reputation for excellence in teaching, research and scholarly activities and offers a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs to a student population of over 25,000.

Qualifications

We are seeking candidates who demonstrate excellence, innovation and creativity through an outstanding record of high-quality research with demonstrated national and international impact in their field. The successful candidate is expected to have a track record of leading a vibrant, externally funded research program. SENS values diversity and feel strongly that it is essential to an innovative, high-quality and modern academic community. Therefore, we strongly encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply, and are particularly interested in those who can demonstrate a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in their teaching, mentorship and service. The successful candidate will be expected to make strong contributions to teaching (at primarily the graduate level) and mentoring that supports diversity and inclusion. Applicants should demonstrate excellence in graduate student and postdoctoral fellow supervision, outstanding ability at securing competitive external research funding, and a strong record of research output. This latter criterion will be assessed broadly and we encourage candidates to consider their research impact, including academic publications and relevant alternate measures of research output.

Tier 2 Chairs are intended for exceptional emerging scholars with less than 10 years of experience as an active researcher at the time of nomination. Applicants who are more than 10 years past the year when they earned their highest degree (and where career breaks exist, such as maternity, parental, or extended sick leave, clinical training, etc.) may have their eligibility for a Tier 2 Chair assessed through the program’s Tier 2 justification process.  Please contact the USask Research Acceleration and Strategic Initiatives (RASI) unit for more information (rasi.support@usask.ca).

The successful applicant will be asked to prepare the Tier 2 CRC proposal with the assistance of USask and, if successful, will subsequently be appointed as a tenured or tenure-track faculty member at the Assistant or Associate Professor level in the School of Environment and Sustainability.  The CRC nomination is subject to review and final approval by the Canada Research Chairs Program.  The faculty appointment is conditional on approval of the CRC.

The standard salary bands for this position for the 2021-2022 academic year are as follows: Assistant Professor – $98,178 - $117,798; Associate Professor – $117,798 – $137,778, with the possibility of merit-based additions. A chair stipend is also provided. This position includes a comprehensive benefits package which consists of a dental, health and extended vision care plan; a pension plan, life insurance (compulsory and voluntary), academic long-term disability, sick leave, travel insurance and death benefits; an employee assistance program; a professional expense allowance; and a flexible health and wellness spending program.

How to Apply

Complete applications will include a cover letter, a detailed curriculum vitae, a research statement, a teaching statement, a brief statement on how your teaching, research, and/or mentorship demonstrates a commitment to diversity and inclusion, and the names and contact information of three references. Interested candidates must submit their application using the University’s online application portal. As part of the application process, applicants will be asked to complete a voluntary employment equity survey.

Review of applications will begin on October 18, 2021; however, applications will be accepted and evaluated until the position is filled. The anticipated start date is contingent upon the timeline for review and approval of the Tier 2 CRC proposal.  The impact of leaves (e.g., parental leave, extended leave due to illness, etc.) will be carefully considered when reviewing the candidate’s record of research achievement. Therefore, candidates are encouraged to explain in their application how career interruptions may have impacted them.

The University of Saskatchewan is committed to supporting employees in need of accommodation in an employment context. For more information on the University of Saskatchewan’s accommodation policy, please contact carine.paley@usask.ca (306-966-6278).

All qualified candidates, Canadian and other nationalities, are encouraged to apply. The University of Saskatchewan is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in its faculty complement. To achieve this goal and meet the EDI targets and rules set internally and by the CRC Secretariat, the University of Saskatchewan will not be able to nominate someone who does not self-identify as a racialized minority for this position. Therefore, applications from racialized minorities are especially encouraged and will be given priority. The University of Saskatchewan relies on section 48 of The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code to give preference in employment for this position. Recruitment will be guided by the CRC Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Practices (https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/program-programme/equity-equite/index-eng.aspx) and by the strong commitment of the University of Saskatchewan and SENS to diversity, inclusion and equity.

For questions related to this position or the selection process, please contact Jennifer Milburn, Executive Assistant, jennifer.milburn@usask.ca; (306) 966-8431.

The University believes equity, diversity and inclusion strengthen the community and enhance excellence, innovation and creativity. We are dedicated to recruiting individuals who will enrich our work and learning environments. We are also committed to providing accommodations to those with a disability or medical necessity. If you require an accommodation in order to participate in the recruitment process, please notify us and we will work together on the accommodation request.

The University of Saskatchewan’s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. We pay our respects to the First Nations and Métis ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with one another. Together, we are uplifting Indigenization to a place of prominence at the University of Saskatchewan.

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