Instructor, Assistant, Associate or Full Professor of Science

As a signatory of the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion, Dalhousie has committed to taking decisive action to recruit Black scholars to the university and to employ best practices to support their retention and advancement. This commitment is expressed in our Strategic Plan’s second pillar, Inclusive Excellence. In keeping with these commitments and our institutional drive and obligation to enrich our research, teaching, and learning environment and community engagement, Dalhousie University invites applications for the below position.

This opportunity is part of a cluster hiring initiative supported by the Dalhousie Diversity Faculty Award (DDFA) program. In keeping with the principles of employment equity, the DDFA program aims to correct historic underrepresentation. This initiative will support inclusive excellence by appointing five Black scholars to the university across multiple disciplines. Cluster hires promote interdisciplinary collaboration, while creating communities of support for scholars from underrepresented groups. These new scholars will find opportunities for scholarly contributions, collaboration, and support as Fellows of the newly established Black Studies Research Institute (BSRI) and will contribute to our emerging transdisciplinary program in Black and African Diaspora Studies (BAFD).

Further information about this initiative may be found here https://www.dal.ca/dept/senior-administration/provost-vp-academic/inclusive-hiring.html

The Faculty of Science invites applications for a career-stream appointment at the rank of Instructor, or Assistant, Associate or Full Professor. The successful candidate will contribute to one of the disciplines in the Faculty and Dalhousie’s transdisciplinary BSRI and BAFD.

Prospective candidates should be aware of the breadth of disciplinary areas in the Faculty – Economics, Psychology and Neuroscience, Physics and Atmospheric Science, Mathematics and Statistics, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Resource and Environmental Studies, Medical Sciences, Marine Affairs, Biology and Marine Biology, Chemistry, and Oceanography.

The successful candidate will be provided with substantial start-up and longer-term resources to support their work.

Candidates are expected to hold a PhD in any disciplinary area existing in the Faculty of Science, and their scholarly work should overlap the BSRI/BAFD and a discipline in the Faculty. Without being prescriptive, potential areas include Racism in Science, Economics of Racism/African Economic history/Economics of inequality/Sexuality in Economics, Psychology and the Black experience (e.g. Mental health in Black populations). Social justice elements of research, such as the use of statistical methods in understanding exclusion, medical physics and health disparities, or resource and environmental studies in Black communities, are some other connected areas. For questions about this position, please contact Dr. Kevin Hewitt ( Kevin.Hewitt@Dal.ca ), Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion in the Faculty.

The Faculty of Science is the largest at the university, and values strong teaching, outreach, and research. Over 250 faculty and staff members are spread across our 19 programs, eight departments and dozens of research units. Our faculty and staff members deliver some of the best science programs in Canada.

The successful candidate will join a supportive Faculty that has several initiatives in place to accelerate and complement their research, teaching, and outreach/community interests. Black faculty are in leadership roles in the Dean’s office and at the departmental level, and are resident in Economics, Physics and Atmospheric Science, Psychology and Neuroscience and Biology. The Faculty is also home to the two decades old and award winning STEM outreach program for Black students, Imhotep’s Legacy Academy (ILA).

Information about the Faculty of Science may be found here: https://www.dal.ca/faculty/science.html

Dalhousie University is located in Nova Scotia, Canada (Mi’kma’ki) with four campuses in Halifax and Truro, and satellite locations in Yarmouth and Saint John, New Brunswick. As Atlantic Canada’s primary research-intensive university and a member of the U15 Group of Canadian Universities, our 13 academic Faculties expand understanding through teaching excellence and a drive for discovery that results in more than $214 million in research funding each year.

Each year, Dalhousie welcomes almost 21,000 students from more than 115 countries around the world. A diverse population of Black students call Dalhousie home, including those from African Nova Scotian, Black/African Canadian, and international communities. The United Nations recognized African Canadians as a distinct group and Dalhousie acknowledges African Nova Scotians as a distinct people who have shaped the province and the university for centuries. In 2018, Dalhousie launched the African Nova Scotian Strategy, which was then further updated in 2021 through the work of the strategy’s working group, which includes Dalhousie’s Director of African Nova Scotian Community Engagement. The Strategy is aimed at ensuring sustainable initiatives that support African Nova Scotian students, staff, and faculty members.

Dalhousie has a strong history of introducing ground-breaking initiatives that have created many opportunities for Black students including the Indigenous Blacks & Mi’kmaq Initiative at the Schulich School of Law and Promoting Leadership in Health for African Nova Scotians program. The university has also developed strong ties to several organizations serving that community, for example to the African Canadian Services Branch of the Department of Education – the only such branch in Canada serving Black students in K-12, to the Delmore Buddy Daye Learning Institute and to the Afrocentric Math cohort at Auburn High school.

In 1970, Dalhousie established the Transition year Program (TYP), which provides opportunities for individuals who may face barriers to post-secondary education to prepare for all aspects of academic life and gain access to the university. Nearly two decades ago, Imhotep’s Legacy Academy was established, an innovative university-community partnership designed to create pathways into STEM for students of African descent.

Dalhousie established the James R. Johnston (JRJ) Chair in Black Canadian Studies in 1991 which was at the time, the only endowed Black Studies Chair at a Canadian university. The current Chair, Dr. OmiSoore Dryden, recently established the Black Studies Research Institute (BSRI), a pan-university institute centering transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary research in Black studies. The BSRI will intersect closely with the university’s minor in Black and African Diaspora Studies, developed by former JRJ Chair Dr. Afua Cooper, and the university is now working on a proposal for a full degree program, the development of which is being championed by members of Dalhousie’s Black Faculty and Staff Caucus and supported by senior leaders across the university.

Dalhousie was also the first in Canada to join the Universities Studying Slavery group of institutions, out of which the Lord Dalhousie Report was published. Recommendations led to the Sankofa scholarships, renaming of streets to reflect the Black contribution to Canada and a concerted plan in our international strategy to form even more meaningful educational partnerships with the Caribbean.

As a signatory of the Scarborough Charter, and in keeping with these long-standing institutional commitments to recruiting and supporting Black faculty, staff, and students across the university, Dalhousie is now in an excellent position to support this cluster hiring initiative and candidates will enter a Faculty and university that has demonstrated outstanding and unique support for Black faculty and students.

More information about Dalhousie may be found here: www.dal.ca

A complete application includes a cover letter, Curriculum Vitae, statement of teaching interests (2 pages max), statement of research interest (2 pages max), EDIA statement (1 page max) describing potential links between the applicant’s discipline and the BSRI/BAFD. Applicants should also supply the names and contact information for three referees.

This position is designated to candidates who self-identify as persons of Black/African descent, especially African Nova Scotians. All such qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Dalhousie recognizes that candidates may self-identify in more than one equity-deserving group, and in this spirit, we encourage applications from candidates who (in addition to being of Black/African descent) also identify as Indigenous persons (especially Mi’kmaq), members of other racialized groups, women, persons with a disability, and/or members of 2SLGBTQ+ communities.

See https://www.dal.ca/dept/hr/employment_equity/definitions-equity-deserving-groups.html for definitions of equity-deserving groups.

International applicants are encouraged to note that while we must give priority to Canadian applicants, there are several routes to Canadian work permits. These include the Mobilité Francophone program for French-speaking applicants, the CUSMA agreement for applicants from the United States or Mexico, and others. If you are an international applicant wondering about your potential eligibility to work in Canada, please contact Miriam.Breslow@dal.ca.

Dalhousie’s vaccine mandate has been suspended at this time, and employees no longer need to provide proof of full vaccination. However, health and safety risks will continue to be monitored, and a vaccine mandate may be reinstated if necessary.

Dalhousie University recognizes its obligation to accommodate candidates to ensure full, fair, and equitable participation in the hiring process. Our complete Accommodation Policy can be viewed online at: www.dal.ca/policies. To request accommodation at any stage in the hiring process, please contact Dawn Belliveau ( Dawn.Belliveau@dal.ca ), Executive Assistant to the Dean.

Review of applications will begin April 1, 2023, and continue until the position is filled.