Canada Research Chair in Indigegogy (Tier 2)

Lakehead University (Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada)

Tenure-Track Assistant or Associate Appointment 

Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Indigegogy  

Restricted Hiring to Indigenous Women and Indigenous Gender Minorities*

 

Lakehead University invites applications for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in the area of Indigegogy. This tenure-track appointment will be at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. This CRC position is for five (5) years and is renewable once. Tier 2 Canada Research Chairs are intended for outstanding and innovative emerging researchers whose accomplishments have made a major impact in their fields and are recognized as leaders in their fields. 

By combining discovery and translational research, the Chair will increase the research capacity and training opportunities at Lakehead University. The Chair will add to the continuing development of research excellence in the area of Indigegogy – a community-focused and holistic approach to teaching and learning Indigenous languages, knowledges, literatures, and scholarship alongside applications of practices such as activity-based learning from Aki (land, water, air, and spirit) and learning from Indigenous places, peoples, languages, traditions, ceremonies, and practices. The CRC has many potential research foci, including: Indigenous approaches to local and cultural teaching and learning; language-learning for revitalization, reclamation and resurgence; and/or learning through doing such as land-based learning, all of which are at the cutting edge of research within the University. 

*To ensure equitable distribution of CRC positions for equity-deserving groups, hiring will be restricted to qualified Indigenous women and gender minority scholars who self-identify as such through the application process. This initiative is a special program under the Ontario Human Rights Code. Lakehead University reserves the right to follow up with individuals in the event that concerns are raised about the accuracy of the applicant’s Indigenous identity. Lakehead University will engage in a transparent process to confirm an applicant’s Indigenous identity before an offer of employment is made.

 

Lakehead University and our Community

Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has 9 faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2022 University Rankings; as well as being included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2020 World Universities Rankings for the second consecutive year, and 64th among 1,410 universities from around the world in THE's 2022 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). For further information, please visit: www.lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University is recognized as one of Canada’s top research-intensive universities in its category for the last decade (Research Info$ource). Aligned with our Strategic Plan, Research Plan, CRC Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, and Institutional EDI Action Plan, we are actively recruiting outstanding scholars to enhance and grow our research and innovation capacity. Situated in the diverse and multicultural communities of Thunder Bay and Orillia, our unique campuses and their locations inspire us to discover and innovate in exciting and non-traditional ways. 

Lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for innovative programs and cutting-edge research. Our campuses are located in Thunder Bay on the traditional lands of the Fort William First Nation, Signatory to the Robinson Superior Treaty of 1850 and in Orillia on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, and Rama First Nation. Lakehead University acknowledges the history that many nations hold in the areas around our campuses and is committed to a relationship with Métis and Inuit and First Nations peoples.

 

The Faculty and Keewatinase (the Department of Indigenous Education)

The appointment of this Canada Research Chair will be in the Faculty of Education; this opportunity is available at the Thunder Bay campus.  For information about the Faculty of Education, please visit our website. 

Keewatinase, the Department of Indigenous Education, is undergoing a transformational process to better reflect traditional Indigenous ways of doing, being, and seeing. Offering programs in elementary and secondary school teacher education, as well as one of the longest-running Indigenous language teacher programs in the country, Keewatinase believes in ‘learning by doing’ and becoming a model for delivering Indigenous teacher education programs within its working culture. The CRC position will work closely with Keewatinase faculty and staff members. Their work will be essential to shaping the direction of the KIE department. Their research should be collaborative, community based and community-led, and relational in nature to ensure they not only speak the words of Indigenization and decolonization, but actively demonstrate their commitment to Indigenous ways of doing, being, and seeing. 

Keewatinase is currently being led by an Anishinaabeg scholar (Dr. Paul Cormier) and plays a critical role in Indigenous initiatives across the university. We believe in creating an environment where staff and students feel part of a larger community and as such, encourage a family-focused environment which demonstrates Indigenous values. The department is focused on a number of Indigenous community-based initiatives including the delivery of teacher training programs in partnership with Indigenous communities and the delivery of Aki-based courses and programs. The department continues to be actively engaged with school boards across Northwestern and Simcoe County within Ontario and is especially concerned with language preservation, revitalization, and language learning. As a consequence, the successful candidate will have experience working directly with Indigenous communities conducting research, capacity building, funding proposal writing, or other activities related to the development of research programs.

Although we focus on Indigenous communities in the regions around our two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, we also recognize the connection with, and between, Indigenous peoples around the world. Lakehead International has facilitated relationships with universities in other countries that demonstrate a keen interest in Indigenous issues including Australia, Mexico, Norway, and New Zealand. The CRC should consider international partnerships/initiatives as a component of their research agenda.

 

Requirements

Tier 2 CRCs are for exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. Candidates for Tier 2 Chair positions must meet all the requirements for Tier 2 CRCs, and be eligible for assistant or associate professor positions. Tier 2 CRC’s normally are not more than 10 years from the highest degree at the time of submitting the nomination to the CRC secretariat. However, nominating institutions may nominate a professor or a researcher who is more than 10 years from their highest degree at the time of nomination and has experienced career interruptions based on the categories outlined here. 

Successful candidates will: 

• 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 trainers, students and future Indigenous researchers; and 
• be proposing an original, innovative research program of the highest quality.

 

CRCs at Lakehead University are appointed and governed by the provisions of the Lakehead University Faculty Association Collective Agreement. For the duration of the CRC, the CRC will be given a reduced teaching load in order to dedicate the majority of their time to research, be provided with a start-up grant, an annual research grant, and research space appropriate for the proposed CRC’s program of research. 

In accordance with the Lakehead University Faculty Association Collective Agreement, candidates who do not have a doctorate degree may be considered when exceptional research and scholarly and creative output compensates for lesser degree qualifications (LUFA 25.02.02 (B)). Similarly, in line with Indigenous values and practices in support of Indigenous ways of doing, being, seeing, and community-based research, consideration will be given for work with Indigenous communities. This would include any combination of experience related to developing Indigenous community-based projects or initiatives such as formal long-term working relationships with Chiefs and Councils or other Indigenous organizations, proposal writing and funding applications outside of the normally accepted traditional academic  ‘research’ funding sources (e.g. Tri-Council Funding), Indigenous community-based initiatives in capacity building or governance, or demonstration of Indigenous traditional knowledge, how that knowledge was learned, and how it would contribute (where appropriate) to the candidate's research program.  

 

Application Deadline and Process

The Faculty of Education will begin the review of applications on Friday, the 30th of June 2023, and the position will remain open until filled.

A complete application as one electronic pdf file consists of:

• Letter of application (1 page) that includes your interest in the position; your Indigenous community affiliation, what you would bring to the department and faculty; the impact that your research will have on the field of Indigegogy (your research statement can elaborate on this); and what makes you a strong candidate overall as a researcher, educator, and community member;
• A detailed curriculum vitae (CV) (any format) that provides a clear sense of your Indigenous community-based work and traditional knowledge; your scholarly and professional development via your education and your research activities and outcomes; your contributions to making Indigegogy a more equitable and inclusive discipline through committee work, community engagement, social media, and advocacy.;
• Research Statement (up to 6 pages) that describes your proposed CRC program of research using CRC section headings  (page limitation excludes the summary and list of references) and Indigenous community involvement (see link provided (under the Nomination heading) for further instructions on requirements for each section and link for Lakehead University’s Strategic Research Plan);
• Teaching statement (up to 2 pages) and a dossier of syllabi and other evidence, if available. These must demonstrate how you engage, encourage, and develop the learning capacity of students entering higher education from a diverse array of backgrounds, and how you embed practices and principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in your classroom, your assignments, and your classroom style. Of particular interest will be your experience with Indigenous students and how you incorporate Indigenous knowledges and approaches to pedagogy in your syllabi and statement;
• EDI statement (1 page) that includes your record of attracting and mentoring a diverse group of students, trainees, and research personnel, and establishing an equitable and inclusive research environment with special emphasis on Indigenous peoples. This should include a plan for establishing and maintaining a diverse core team (at the student, trainee, personnel and early-career researcher levels), and an environment that is safe and inclusive and allows all team members to reach their full research potential (e.g., through the recruitment and outreach strategy, equitable training opportunities, and professional development and mentoring); and
• The names and contact information for three references, one of whom must be at arm’s length and one who must be from an Indigenous community.

A Self-Identification Survey is mandatory and must be completed by applicants.  This survey can be found at https://forms.gle/sA5uWmTTdZXK6yNB7.  

Please note that this search is only open to Indigenous Women and/or Indigenous gender minorities. Indigenous People “are inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment. They have retained social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live”, as defined by the United Nations.

In order to protect and support Indigenous Peoples, if a candidate discloses Indigenous identity, documentation will be required in order to verify their Indigenous membership upon hiring. Applicants are invited to submit an optional letter or oral statement of support from the individual’s community that describes the individual’s involvement/role within the community, or a statement of lived experience.

Please note that the CRC Program imposes no restrictions on nominees with regard to nationality or country of residence; however, applicants should indicate their current citizenship status within their application. 

Complete applications are to be directed via email to: Dr. Wayne Melville, Dean of Education at dean.educ@lakeheadu.ca

Please note that only those selected for an interview will be notified.

The successful candidate will be expected to work with the Office of Research Services in completing a complete nomination package due to the CRC Secretariat on October 17, 2023. 

If you have questions about the CRC program at Lakehead University, please contact Anne Klymenko, Director, Research Services by email: anne.klymenko@lakeheadu.ca or by telephone at 807-343-8110 Ext 8223.

 

Equity Statement

Lakehead University has an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan 2019-2024 with a goal to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as measured by increasing representation of under-represented groups among applicants, candidates and hires. We encourage candidates to self-identify, if you are from an under-represented group, and prefer candidates with the knowledge, competencies and relationships derived from lived experience. Experience working with Indigenous or racialized communities, and/or members of other equity-deserving groups is a strong asset. A lived experience or worked experience of any of these issues is preferred.

Lakehead University recognizes that alternative career paths and/or career interruptions (e.g., maternity leave, leave due to illness) can impact research achievements and commits to ensuring that leaves are taken into careful consideration in the assessment of the candidate.  Candidates are encouraged to highlight how alternative paths and/or interruptions have impacted their research in their application.  Lakehead also recognizes the value of mentoring and research training, outreach, professional service, community-based research, other forms of scholarly expression, and/or research outputs; demonstrated experience in increasing diversity in the previous institutional environment, and in curriculum, is also an asset.   

Lakehead University is committed to supporting an accessible environment. Applicants requiring accommodation during the interview process should contact the Office of Human Resources at (807) 343.8010 ext. 8334 or human.resources@lakeheadu.ca to make appropriate arrangements.

Please note: *To ensure equitable distribution of CRC positions for equity-deserving groups, hiring will be restricted to qualified Indigenous women and gender minority scholars who self-identify as such through the application process. This initiative is a special program under the Ontario Human Rights Code. 

Please visit our Office of Human Rights and Equity website: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/faculty-and-staff/departments/services/human-rights-and-equity and our Human Resources policies related to accommodations and supports: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/faculty-and-staff/policies/human-resources to explore all of the supports our organization provides to enable a strong and connected employment experience.  Should an applicant require accommodations for interviews or other meetings, please contact Human Resources at (807) 343-8334 or by emailing human.resources@lakeheadu.ca.

 

Additional Information

Additional information regarding the Canada Research Chair program can be found at: https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/program-programme/nomination-mise_en_candidature-eng.aspx#s2.  Tier 2 CRC nominees must be Assistant or Associate Professors. The Canada Research Chairs Program supports outstanding researchers in areas that will further Lakehead's Strategic Research Plan. All Chair nominations are subject to review and final approval by the CRC Secretariat. Please consult the Canada Research Chairs website https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca for full program information and further details on eligibility criteria. Information regarding our CRC EDI Action Plan is available here: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/111/LakeheadU_CRC%20EDI%20Action%20Plan_ETWG_Sept%2027_2019_final.pdf and information regarding our EDI policies can be found here: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/faculty-and-staff/departments/services/human-rights-and-equity/resources