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Canada Research Chair (CRC) Tier 2 in Indigenous Knowledges, Community-led Partnerships, and Transformational Education

The Department of Educational Foundations, College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is pleased to invite applications from outstanding candidates for a full-time, tenure track Tier 2 Canada Research Chair appointment in Indigenous Knowledges, Community-led Partnerships, and Transformational Education.  The Canada Research Chairs Program is the flagship of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world's top countries in research and development. (http://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca). 

We are seeking a Chair who will lead research grounded in Indigenous epistemologies, knowledge stewardship, community-led partnerships, and land-based, intergenerational learning utilizing strengths-based, healing-focused, decolonizing research approaches. The Chair's work will be deeply connected to holistic wellness, recognizing that Indigenous education, identity resurgence, and community-led knowledge stewardship are inseparable from emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical well-being. Land-based, strengths-based, and trauma-informed approaches will guide the research program, supporting pathways to individual and collective healing. The Chair will lead cutting-edge community-led education research that uplifts Indigenous knowledge sovereignty, protocol-based methodologies, and recognizes the integral role of intergenerational and land-based learning. This work will revitalize Indigenous knowledges, strengthen identity, enhance community well-being, and transform educational systems. The Chair will also train the next generation of highly skilled people by providing strong mentorship and learning opportunities in Indigenous methodologies, land-based practices, and community-engaged research for students and junior colleagues, as well as working in relation with established researchers and community knowledge keepers to learn together in respectful reciprocity, supporting undergraduate and graduate research and academic programming.

Acting as a catalyst for inter- and multi-disciplinary collaboration at the University of Saskatchewan connecting researchers from across the campus, the Chair will build upon the emerging Indigenous Knowledges Research Hub in the College of Education and existing centres such as the Centre for Indigenous Scholarship, the kihci-okawimaw askiy Knowledge Centre, the Waniska Centre (Pewaseskwan - Indigenous Wellness Research Group), the Saskatchewan Network Environments for Indigenous Health Research (SK-NEIHR), the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre, and long-standing community partnerships.The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to build and sustain reciprocal, respectful relationships with Indigenous communities, grounded in relevant protocols and principles of Indigenous knowledge stewardship.

The Department of Educational Foundations and the College of Education's strengths in Indigenous education, reflecting over five decades of Indigenous-led endeavours, will significantly support the work of the Chair. The College's Indigenous Strategy is grounded in relationship, protocol, knowledge and data sovereignty, and Indigenous control of Indigenous education. Its ohpahotan | oohpaahotaan Committee, composed of faculty and staff, has led sustained efforts to embed Indigenous perspectives into curriculum, research practices, hiring, governance, and faculty/staff learning. Building on a rich history of research, scholarship and programming, the College of Education offers human infrastructure that will support the work of the Chair, including the Aboriginal Education Research Centre; long-standing anti-racist and anti-oppressive education leadership; the recently created ceremonial space dedicated to culturally grounded and protocol-informed relations, and nationally recognized Indigenous programs such as ITEP, SUNTEP, the Indigenous Education Leadership Cohort, the Certificate in Indigenous Languages, and the Masters of Indigenous Land-based Education. 

Candidates must hold a PhD with areas of focus in Indigenous epistemologies, knowledges, land-based intergenerational learning, have experience in community-led partnerships and must demonstrate their potential excellence, innovation and creativity through a promising record of high-quality, impactful research, scholarly and artistic works. The successful candidate is expected to demonstrate evidence of, or a strong trajectory toward, leading a vibrant, externally funded research program. Applicants should demonstrate leadership abilities in graduate student and postdoctoral fellow supervision, the ability to secure competitive external research funding, and a strong record of research output. This latter criterion will be assessed broadly and we encourage candidates to consider their research impact, including community academic publications and relevant alternate measures of research output.  Applicants will serve to strengthen leadership in the College's ohpahotan | oohpaahotaan Strategic Direction, positioning the College as a catalyst for reconciliation locally, nationally, and internationally.

The successful candidate will demonstrate experience and/or familiarity with Indigenous knowledge systems and the cultural competencies necessary to engage authentically with Indigenous peoples, communities, and knowledge holders. This may include knowledge of Indigenous languages, kinship and relational systems, land-based teachings and learning practices, intergenerational knowledge transmission, Indigenous communication protocols, ceremonial and cultural practices, and community-engaged approaches to research, teaching, and service. Candidates should be able to demonstrate meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities and an understanding of Indigenous knowledge stewardship, ethical engagement, reciprocity, and relational accountability. Such experience may have been developed through community involvement, professional practice, research partnerships, leadership roles, or other forms of sustained engagement that support respectful and authentic collaboration with Indigenous peoples and communities.

Given the research focus of this Chair position, this search is restricted to First Nations, Metis, and Inuit candidates, while we will also promote intersectionality by encouraging applicants who identify with underrepresented groups, women, gender-equity-seeking groups, racialized individuals, and persons with disabilities, and those who demonstrate a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in their teaching, mentorship and service.

Tier 2 Chairs are intended for exceptional emerging scholars (i.e., candidates must have less than 10 years of experience as an active researcher in their field at the time of nomination). Applicants who are more than 10 years from their first independent academic research-related appointment (and where career breaks exist, such as maternity, parental or extended sick leave, clinical training, etc.) may have their eligibility for a Tier 2 Chair assessed through the program's Tier 2 justification process.  Please consult the CRC website for eligibility details or contact the Research Acceleration and Strategic Initiatives (RASI) unit for more information (rasi.support@usask.ca).  The impact of leaves (e.g., maternity leave, leave due to illness) will be carefully considered when reviewing the candidate's record of research achievement.

The successful applicant will be appointed as a tenure-track faculty member at the Assistant or Associate Professor level in the College of Education and will be nominated for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair.

The standard salary bands for this position for the 2026-2027 academic year are as follows: Assistant Professor - 113,527 to 135,535; Associate Professor - 135,535 to 157,543 with the possibility of merit-based additions. A chair stipend is also provided. This position includes a comprehensive benefits package which consists of a dental, health and extended vision care plan; a pension plan, life insurance (compulsory and voluntary), academic long-term disability, sick leave, travel insurance and death benefits; an employee assistance program; a professional expense allowance; and a flexible health and wellness spending program.

The University of Saskatchewan is one of Canada's top 15 research-intensive universities. Its main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Metis and in Saskatoon, a city on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River known for its quality of life, diverse and thriving economic base, vibrant arts community, and full range of leisure opportunities.

Applications must be made using the University's online application portal.  Complete applications will include a curriculum vitae, a research statement, a statement regarding mentorship and/ or teaching philosophy, and the names and contact information of three references.  Applications will be accepted and evaluated until the position is filled. The anticipated start date is January 1, 2027, but is negotiable. The University of Saskatchewan is committed to supporting employees in need of accommodation in an employment context. For more information on the University of Saskatchewan's accommodation policy, please contact Megan Paul (megan.paul@usask.ca).

For questions about position or the selection process, please contact Dr. Lynn Lemisko, lynn.lemisko@usask.ca  

Due to federal immigration requirements, we also ask candidates to indicate whether they are Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or are otherwise already authorized to work at this position for the duration of the appointment, with an explanation if this last category is indicated.