Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Labrador Institute

The Postdoctoral Fellowship program of the Faculty of Arts and the Labrador Institute (Goose Bay) supports promising new scholars in the social sciences and humanities with a focus on issues relating to Labrador and Aboriginal communities.

The Labrador Institute is a multi-disciplinary administrative unit of Memorial University with responsibility for delivery of academic initiatives such as research and education. The institute accomplishes much of its mission and mandate through collaboration with other units of Memorial University and partner groups in Labrador and abroad. The Institute also has a substantial outreach function which provides university expertise to Labrador people for less formal, community-driven projects and requests, often dealing with language retention, culture and heritage.

Description

Postdoctoral Fellowships provide stipendiary support to recent PhD graduates who are:

• undertaking original research;
• publishing research findings;
• developing and expanding personal research networks;
• broadening teaching experience; and
• preparing to become competitive in national research grants competitions.

Value and Duration

Postdoctoral Fellowships are valued at approximately $38,000 per year, plus an accountable research allowance of up to $5,000 and an additional travel / accountable research allowance of $5,000 per award. The award is subject to funding availability. Fellowships are tenable for a one year period but may be renewed for a second year subject to budget allocation and upon review and approval by both the Faculty of Arts and the Labrador Institute. The award must normally begin on September 1 of the year which the fellowship is awarded.

Eligibility to Apply

The applicant must:

• have earned the doctorate from a recognized university within the last five years of the proposed commencement of the postdoctoral period. A career interrupted or delayed for the purpose of childrearing will be taken into consideration with a letter of explanation from the applicant
• not hold a tenure or tenure-track faculty position;
• have developed a proposed program of research in consultation with the Labrador Institute and the appropriate academic unit(s) in the Faculty of Arts at Memorial University
• have finalized arrangements for supervision with (a) department(s), the head of department(s), and (a) faculty member(s) at the Labrador Institute or in the Faculty of Arts at Memorial University.

Eligibility to Hold a Fellowship

To hold the award, applicants must:

• have completed all requirements for the doctoral degree by August 15, 2013
• engage in postdoctoral research for the period of the award
• provide one course relevant to both the needs of the Labrador Institute and the interests of the applicant
• reside in Labrador for the duration of the Postdoctoral fellowship
• not hold or have held a tenure or a tenure-track position or hold any other employment

Federal government employees must be on an unpaid leave of absence (no salary or special allowances permitted).

Research Eligibility

It is the objectives and content of a proposal, rather than the institutional affiliation of the applicant, that determine research eligibility. Research programs proposing only the adaptation of doctoral theses for publication or the editing of scholarly materials are ineligible.

Evaluation Criteria

The Faculty Research Committee evaluates applications solely on academic merit, measured by:

• originality, potential significance and feasibility of the proposed program of work;
• relevance of proposed research to Labrador fellowships, scholarships or other awards previously obtained;
• previous research experience and/or publications;
• comments of the PhD supervisor.

The Arts Research Committee will provide a short-list of candidates for the Labrador Institute

PDF position; this list will inform the concensus decision by the Director of the Labrador Institute and the Dean of Arts.

Areas of possible specialty: Aboriginal studies; Labrador history; Linguistics; Anthropology; Archeology; or another area relevant to Labrador.

How to Apply

Please send the following information electronically to Betty Foley (efoley [at] mun [dot] ca), with the heading “Labrador Institute postdoc” by March 1, 2013:

1. Cover letter outlining academic profile and research interests 
2. Curriculum vitae 
3. Research proposal (limit of 2 pages) 
4. A letter of support from PhD supervisor 
5. A letter of support from intended supervisor(s) at Memorial University 
6. A letter of support from the head(s) of the intended host department(s) in Arts 
7. Documentation of a finalized program of research with the Labrador Institute (a copy of e-mail correspondence is acceptable)

More Information:

Keith Chaulk, PhD
Director, Labrador Institute
Memorial University of Newfoundland
219 Hamilton River Road
Goose Bay, Labrador, NL
Box 490, Stn "B", A0P 1E0
709 896-6211 (phone)
709 896-2970 (fax)
keith.chaulk@mun.ca

For further information about this opportunity, and about living and working in Labrador, please Labrador Institute website. 

Copyright © 2013 Memorial University of Newfoundland.   Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

A-Z listing | About mun.ca | Accessibility | Careers | Contact | Emergency | Privacy | Web Feedback