Faculty Positions

Position Title / Rank: Assistant or Associate Professor in One Welfare

College: Ontario Veterinary College

Department: Clinical Studies

Date Posted: January 25, 2023

Deadline: February 23, 2023 or until a suitable candidate is found

Please reference AD #23-02

Position Description:

The Department of Clinical Studies at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph invites applications from Black or Indigenous scholars for a tenure-track position at the Assistant or Associate Professor level.

To take its Animal Welfare/Studies programs to the next level of impact and relevance, the University of Guelph is aiming to expand its engagement with diverse perspectives on animal and human relationships and wellbeing. Thus, the Ontario Veterinary College is seeking an exceptional emerging Black or Indigenous scholar whose research focus could include (but is not limited to):

• Animals in society, animal studies, human-animal relationships/kinship, multispecies studies, animal ethics/philosophy;
• Black or Indigenous Thought or Ways of Knowing, or other areas of Critical/Cultural Theory, related to human-animal relationships;
• Animal Welfare Sciences, One Health, One Welfare, animal behaviour, stress biology, multi-generational impacts of stress;
• Human dimensions of animal welfare/wellbeing, humane education, the human-animal bond, social determinants of animal health/wellbeing.

The position is open to researchers working with knowledge and ways of knowing that exceed or challenge Eurocentric knowledge paradigms. There are no restrictions as to focal species or geographical region of interest. A PhD or equivalent in a field relevant to animal welfare studies and perspectives on animals and animal relationships and well-being is required. A university primary or undergraduate qualification in animal science, veterinary or another animal welfare-related field will be given favorable consideration but is not an essential requirement for an application.

The ideal candidate will have relevant academic qualifications, and the potential to engage interdisciplinary approaches or collaborations, contributing to theoretical and/or methodological innovation, ideally at the convergence of human society and animal wellbeing. The successful candidate’s research and teaching will contribute to emergent dialogues at the intersections of animal, environmental, and social justice, aligning with the University of Guelph’s mandate to Improve Life.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to contribute to emergent One Welfare initiatives at the University of Guelph with researchers from other Colleges, disciplines, and research clusters, including the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, the Community Healthcare Partnerships Program, the Translation Institute, and the One Health Institute.

This tenure-track faculty position is part of the University of Guelph’s Black and Indigenous Hiring Initiative. Launched in June 2022, the Black and Indigenous Hiring Initiative (BIHI) calls for hiring fifteen or more Black and Indigenous faculty and four or more Black and Indigenous professional staff across the University of Guelph during the next three years. The faculty and staff positions will be filled in areas that support the advancement of Black and Indigenous academic excellence and the University of Guelph’s commitments to inclusion, anti-racism, indigenization and decolonization.

The University of Guelph seeks qualified individuals who identify as persons of Black African or Caribbean descent and/or Indigenous (First Nation, Inuit, Métis, Native American, Alaskan Native, or Native Hawaiian). Applicants will be asked to self-identify through the Applicant Tracking Questionnaire (ATQ) facilitated by Diversity and Human Rights. Applicants who self-identify as Indigenous on the ATQ will be asked to confirm their Indigenous citizenship/membership and/or ancestral and kinship connections to a recognized and inherent Indigenous nation, community, treaty, land claim, territory or region through a confidential follow-up process facilitated by Indigenous Initiatives.

We acknowledge the burden often placed on Black and Indigenous faculty when it comes to Indigenization, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in workplaces, and the challenges inherent to engaging in work that runs counter to entrenched paradigms. We also acknowledge the ways in which holding non-traditional research programs, conducting community-engaged research, holding traditional knowledge, community relationships, etc., can adversely impact researchers with respect to conventional measures of academic excellence.

The University of Guelph is the third largest employer in Guelph, a city of approximately 130,000 people, located about an hour drive west of Toronto, Ontario. University of Guelph is a top-ranked comprehensive university in Canada with an enrolment of over 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across over 40 academic units. The University is known for its commitment to student learning, innovative research, and collaboration with world-class partners. It is a unique place, with transformative research and teaching and a distinctive campus culture. People who learn and work here are shaped and inspired by a shared purpose: To Improve Life. Reflecting that shared purpose in every experience connected to our university positions us to create positive change, here and around the world. Our university community shares a profound sense of social responsibility, a drive for international development, and an obligation to address global issues.

Application Process

Assessment of applications will begin on February 23, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled. Interested applicants should submit the following materials (preferably as a single PDF file) to: OVC Dean, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1. Email: searchcv@uoguelph.ca.

1. A letter of intent that identifies the alignment of the applicant’s research with the University of Guelph’s goal of expanding its capacity in animal welfare and/or animal studies, and engagement with diverse perspectives on animal and human relationships and wellbeing.
2. A full curriculum vitae (include details of research and teaching, scholarly record, funding, collaborations, partnerships and leadership experience).
3. An Equity, Diversity & Inclusion statement (one-page maximum) that describes the applicant’s experience with attracting and mentoring a diverse group of students, trainees and research personnel, and establishing an equitable and inclusive research and work environment.
4. The letter of intent (maximum 3 pages) should include:
• An overview of the applicant’s research success and focus
• Alignment with OVC’s existing or emerging areas of research strength
• Potential to collaborate with other researchers at UofG, in Ontario and Canada
• An explanation of how Indigenization, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion is considered in the incumbent’s teaching and research approaches
5. The names and email addresses of 3 potential referees who are prepared to submit a letter of recommendation.

At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion (https://uoguel.ph/ox2p9) is an institutional imperative. Acknowledging the University’s diverse population and ensuring that every member of an inclusive campus is a valued contributor is a foundational pillar of a successful post-secondary institution. The University of Guelph is committed to an Employment Equity Program. The university especially seeks and prioritizes qualified applications from all underrepresented groups, including members of racialized minorities, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, women, and individuals from the LGBTQ2+ community.

The University recognizes that applicants may have had obligations outside of work that have negatively impacted their record of achievements (e.g., parental, elder care, and/or medical). You are not required to disclose these obligations in the hiring process. If you choose to do so, the University will ensure that these obligations do not negatively impact the assessment of your qualifications for the position.

The University of Guelph resides on the ancestral lands of the Attawandaron people, and the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit and we offer our respect to our Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Métis neighbours as we strive to strengthen our relationships with them.

If you require a medical accommodation during the recruitment or selection process, please contact Occupational Health and Wellness at 519-824-4120 x52674.