Call for Associate Director – Apply by May 19, 2023
The Guelph Institute for Environmental Research (GIER) tackles complex environmental problems through innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration. By breaking down barriers among disciplinary silos and bringing engineering and sciences, social sciences and humanities, and the arts together, GIER builds on the University’s expertise in the environment and sustainability. The institute represents a commitment to identifying new arenas of research and recognizes that the significant contributions are often found at interdisciplinary boundaries. Environmental research is construed broadly, and refers to work that examines environmental processes, functions, services, and values; environmental technologies and technological impacts on the environment; environmental policy formation and analysis; environmental health; human relationships with, and cultural understandings of the environment; and artistic engagement with the environment, among others.
Call for Associate Director
The Associate Director will work collaboratively with the GIER Director to champion and highlight environmental research capacity across all seven colleges of the University of Guelph and assist with the strategic planning and administrative work of directing the Institute. The Associate Director will take on a Research Chair role and lead an interdisciplinary Thematic Working Group (TWG) in their area of interest, with financial support from GIER. The goal of the TWG will be to support the development of interdisciplinary environmental research within the University of Guelph community. The working group focus will be of the Associate Director’s choosing, so long as it is a) wide-reaching, b) interdisciplinary, c) works to tackle complex environmental problems, and d) brings together researchers from multiple U of G colleges (e.g., environmental governance, Indigenous perspectives on the environment, sustainability science, environmental storytelling, connecting data and methodologies across disciplines). GIER’s vision for the outcomes of a TWG includes: enhanced interconnectedness and sense of community among researchers, and a variety of research outputs (e.g., published paper, report, or web-based material) and outreach activities (e.g., workshop, presentation, webinar, event).
Duration & Compensation
The term length will be two years (September 1, 2023 – August 31, 2025), with a TWG program review after one year. $13,000 CAD/year is available for the Associate Director to be used as deemed appropriate and in consultation with their respective Dean (e.g., some combination of a research stipend and/or teaching release).
To apply, please submit the (short) GIER Thematic Working Group form linked below and a CV to info.gier@uoguelph.ca by May 19, 2023 at noon.
GIER is actively working on developing themes through its thematic working group program. These themes will include broad, cross-cutting environmental areas such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, urbanization, pollution, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and more.
Stay tuned for more details!
