Post-doctorate Opportunity: Vital Signs and the Jarislowsky Chair in Cultural and Economic Transformation
Memorial University’s Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, the Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Jarislowsky Chair in Cultural and Economic Transformation are seeking a Public Engagement Postdoctoral Fellow to assist in:
1. Developing the Newfoundland and Labrador Vital Signs report
2. Advancing the mandate of the Jarislowsky Chair in Cultural and Economic Transformation at Memorial
The holder of the fellowship will work under the joint supervision of the Newfoundland and Labrador’s Vital Signs Steering Committee (co‐chaired by Ms. Jennifer Guy, Chair, CFNL, and Dr. Rob Greenwood, Executive Director, Public Engagement and Harris Centre) and Dr. Tony Fang (Department of Economics, Faculty of Arts), the recently‐appointed Stephen Jarislowsky Chair in Cultural and Economic Transformation. The activities of the postdoctoral fellow will be divided between these two areas of work.
Vital Signs:
Newfoundland & Labrador’s Vital Signs is produced yearly as a partnership between the Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador and Memorial University’s Harris Centre. Part of a national program, Newfoundland & Labrador’s Vital Signs is one of nearly 30 local Vital Signs reports produced across the country that provide a check‐up of the quality of life in each community in a number of theme areas, such as health, education, economy, and the arts. 50% of the Public Engagement Post‐
Doctoral Fellowship would be spent increasing the rigorous research capacity of the Vital Signs team, offering the successful candidate a tremendous opportunity to build their capacity in both relevant issue‐oriented research and public engagement.
Responsibilities:
1. Working collaboratively with the community partner (CFNL), as well as other community stakeholders through a substantive consultation process in the development of the Vital Signs report, as well as a variety of activities to mobilize their research, including articles in academic and popular publications, presentations to academic and public audiences, and other means as necessary, including Harris Centre public policy programming (forums, workshops, etc.).
2. Involvement in developing the 2016 Newfoundland and Labrador Vital Signs report, to be released in October 2016 in conjunction with national reports Dr. David Freshwater (Department of Geography ) and Dr. Alvin Simms (Faculty of Arts) of the Harris Centre’s Regional Analytics Lab will provide academic support to the Fellow, as needed, in the production of research and related materials during the project.
Assisting the Jarislowsky Chair:
The remainder of the work will be determined at the discretion of Dr. Fang in fulfillment of the mandate of the Jarislowsky Chair—to promote research in the areas of global and local cultures, immigration, diasporas, demographic change and strategies for immigration retention and integration.
Responsibilities:
1. Assisting the Chair in research related to the recruitment, retention and labour market integration of recent immigrants to Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador.
2. Assisting with the preparation of research proposals for the SSHRC Insight Grants and Partnership Grants.
3. Assisting with securing the SSHRC Connection Grants to host a workshop or conference to engage local community partners.
4. Develop a database related to migration and demographic changes and maintain it.
5. Presenting at least once at the Memorial Labour/Migration Seminar Series about their postdoctoral research and submitting at least one joint or single authored paper to a reputable refereed academic journal over the period of the fellowship.
6. Presenting at a national or international migration conference during the course of the fellowship.
7. Supervising undergraduate and graduate student assistants as requested.
Dr. Fang will provide academic supervision for the Fellow, with at least 50% of the work emerging from an agreed upon work plan developed in conjunction with the Vital Signs Steering Committee.
The successful applicant will have completed all requirements for a doctorate or equivalent degree in any of the wide range of disciplines related to the research area prior to taking up the position. Previous experience in international migration, cultural change, or other policy relevant research is a definite asset. A high proficiency in a statistical package such as STATA (preferred) or SPSS, and SAS is required.
Time period: The postdoctoral fellowship will be a one‐year position.
Start Date: Negotiable. However, the position must be taken up before (January 1, 2016).
Location: Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
Interested applicants should submit a current CV, a one‐page statement of research plans, and contact information for 3 referees to Tony Fang at tfang@mun.ca.
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS IS: November 9, 2015