Since time immemorial, the Mi’kmaq People have walked gently on the traditional territories of Epekwitk, which is where the University of Prince Edward Island is located. We acknowledge that Mi’kma’ki is the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people, who, in 1725 first signed Treaties of Peace and Friendship. We recognize Elders past and present who have cared for, and continue to care for, the land. In offering this acknowledgement, we affirm the history, experiences, and resiliency of Indigenous people who are still here today. We are grateful to live, work, and learn here and we are committed to building relationships based in honour and respect.

UPEI is inviting applications for a Tier II Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Children, Youth and their Educational Geographies. We seek a leading and emerging scholar whose research program and expertise would ideally align with one or more of the following five broad but intersecting research areas: 

• Child and youth educational geographies (lived experiences considering place, space and time);

• Child and youth agency within and in relation to surrounding structures, such as the public school system, community socio-economics, historical and family contexts, social supports and the living and built environment within which they reside; 

• Decolonizing pedagogies and embracing an ethical commitment towards inquiry-based, play-based, land-based and place-based teaching and learning as ways to enhance child and youth development, well-being and resilience, for all, but particularly for those from Indigenous, minority francophone and other historically under-served communities; 

• Equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, underpinned by the UNESCO Education 2030 to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all'; 

• Meaning making through multiliteracies (about what and how youth communicate in the face of adversity, changing technologies and societal needs) where the development of multiliteracies (including numeracy) are significant social determinants of health (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual) and prosperity; 

The ideal candidate would draw on and employ a range of disciplinary, conceptual, and methodological backgrounds, which may include but is not restricted to post-humanism, critical theory and socio-constructivism. The ideal Chair’s research agenda would have strong practical applications, including a strong focus on children and youth socio-emotional development and mental health. 

Qualifications: 

UPEI seeks a candidate who:

• Demonstrates the capacity to undertake research in an area of scholarship that involves ongoing, active involvement with relevant communities, organizations, and/or institutions. UPEI and the CRC program recognize and reward the scholarship of teaching, professional service, community service, outreach, mentoring and research training, and recognize the importance and relevance of non-traditional areas of research and/or research outputs;
• Demonstrates the ability to obtain research funding and successfully implement research projects;
• Demonstrates the potential to contribute to teaching at the senior undergraduate or graduate levels.

To meet the criteria of the CRC program nominees must:

• Be excellent emerging world-class researchers who have demonstrated research creativity
• Have demonstrated the potential to achieve international recognition in their fields in the next five to ten years
• As chairholders, have the potential to attract, develop and retain excellent trainees, students and future researchers
• Be proposing an original, innovative research program of high quality

The successful applicant would join a community of scholars (Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research and Applied Studies, Faculty of Nursing, Faculty of Arts) who are dedicated to this complex and multi-faceted field of study. While the Chair’s academic faculty of record would be negotiable, it is anticipated that the selected candidate will be at least cross-appointed to the Faculty of Education.

The CRC program was created by the Government of Canada to cultivate world-class research and development. The Tier II Chair will be awarded for a five-year period, renewable once upon approval from the CRC program. Tier II Chairs are intended for exceptional emerging scholars (i.e., candidates must have been active researchers in their field for fewer than 10 years at the time of nomination). Applicants who completed their highest degree more than 10 years ago (and where career interruptions exist) may have their eligibility for a Tier II CRC assessed through the program’s Tier II justification process (Nominate a Chair (chairs-chaires.gc.ca). Life circumstances such as illness, disability, family and community responsibilities (e.g., maternity leave, parental leave, sick leave, leaves due to caring for family members, or slowdowns due to chronic illness or disability) are expected to have an impact on a candidate’s record of research achievement. These impacts will be taken into careful consideration during the assessment process if revealed and explained by the applicant.

Please contact UPEI’s Research Services Office (mlsteele@upei.ca) for eligibility details and consult the CRC Program for full program information, including further details on eligibility criteria (http://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/program-programme/nomination-mise_en_candidature-eng.aspx). 

We welcome candidates from diverse backgrounds, including scholars from inside and from outside of the UPEI community. Applicants may choose to self-identify as a member of a historically marginalized community in their application. Ideally, UPEI seeks a recognized  scholar whose research program and research foci facilitate and foster reconciliation with Indigenous and other equity-deserving communities and which embody the vision and values of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Applicants are also encouraged to identify their strengths and experiences in increasing EDIDA in research in their previous work environment, in curriculum and teaching, and in supporting diverse students.

UPEI is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation and believes in providing a positive learning and working environment where every person feels empowered to contribute. UPEI is committed to the principle of equity in employment and encourages applications from underrepresented groups including women, Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity, and others with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities. If you require accommodation in any part of the process, please direct your inquiries, in confidence, to the UPEI Research Services Office in care of Maria Steele (mlsteele@upei.ca).

Application packages, including a letter of intent, a research and teaching dossier including an updated curriculum vitae, a statement of research achievements and future objectives, an overview of how equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) are integrated into the applicant’s research design and practices ,and the names and contact of at least three referees, must be sent as one PDF file to the UPEI Research Office in care of Maria Steele (mlsteele@upei.ca).

Review of the applications will begin on October 7, 2024 and will continue until a nominee is chosen. The start date is negotiable and will depend, at least in part, on the realistic date of submission of the completed application to the CRC Secretariat.

In accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority.

Closing date is October 7, 2024; however, the competition will remain open until a suitable candidate is identified.