Assistant Professor - Social and Community Development Planning

Date Posted: 08/03/2022
Closing Date: 09/07/2022, 11:59PM ET
Req ID: 20701
Job Category: Faculty - Tenure Stream (continuing)
Faculty/Division: Faculty of Arts & Science
Department: Dept of Geography
Campus:St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Description:

The Department of Geography & Planning in the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto (St. George campus) invites applications for a full-time tenure stream position in the area of Social and Community Development Planning. The appointment will be at the rank of Assistant Professor, with an expected start date of July 1, 2023.

We are particularly interested in candidates whose work addresses equity and social justice in planning, preferably with a clear focus on contesting anti-Black, anti-Indigenous and other racisms in planning practice and scholarship.

Candidates must have earned a PhD degree in Planning, or in a cognate field with a demonstrated research focus in social and community development planning, by the time of appointment or shortly thereafter, with a demonstrated record of excellence in research and teaching. We seek candidates whose research and teaching interests complement and enhance our existing departmental strengths. The successful candidate will have had substantial demonstrated practical experience working with community-based organizations. The successful candidate will offer a graduate-level survey overview course of Social and Community Development Planning, with appropriate attention to the Canadian context. The candidate will also be expected to teach a core graduate planning course required of all MScPl students, along with other courses in the undergraduate and graduate programs of the Department of Geography and Planning. The ideal candidate will be expected to supervise MScPl capstone papers each year, and should also be interested in supervising PhD students in the department. They will be expected to pursue innovative and independent research at the highest international level and to establish an outstanding, competitive, and externally funded research program.

Attention to the issues of anti-BIPOC racism is imperative in all courses in the department. Similarly, all core courses in the graduate MScPl program must make links between the practice of planning and commitments to anti‐oppression, including anti-ableism and anti-BIPOC‐racism, as well as the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Elective courses, at both the undergraduate and graduate program levels, might also cover topics such as: Black planning; Indigenous planning; community engagement and community organizing; participatory action research; digital planning and community media tools; food insecurity; planning in/for immigrant, refugee, and diaspora communities; youth and seniors’ inclusion and development; homelessness and housing insecurity; and substance-related harm reduction planning. Other specialized courses will be considered.

Membership in the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) with the requisite Registered Professional Planner designation, or in any other comparable national/regional planning body, will be considered an asset, and may be acquired subsequent to the hire.

Candidates must provide evidence of research excellence which can be demonstrated by a record of publications in top-ranked and field relevant journals or forthcoming publications meeting high international standards, the submitted research statement, presentations at significant field-related conferences, awards and accolades, and strong endorsements from referees of high standing. Demonstrated experience of community-based and/or practice-oriented research will be considered an asset.

Evidence of excellence in teaching must be provided by a teaching dossier that includes: teaching accomplishments, a statement of teaching philosophy, sample course syllabi related to Social and Community Development Planning and/or community-engaged pedagogies, and teaching evaluations or other evidence of superior performance in teaching‐related activities; as well as strong letters of reference. Other teaching‐related activities can refer to previous experience as a teaching assistant or course instructor, leading workshops or seminars, student mentorship, or awards for oral presentations and posters at conferences.

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

The University of Toronto is a tri-campus, research-intensive institution. This appointment is at the St. George campus, which is in the heart of Toronto and offers the opportunity to conduct research, teach and live in one of the most diverse cities in the world. The University also offers opportunities to work in a wide range of collaborative programs and centres of research. For more information about the Department of Geography & Planning, please visit our home page.

All qualified candidates are invited to apply online by clicking on the link below. Applicants must submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, a research statement outlining current and future research interests, a recent writing sample, and a teaching dossier. All application materials must be submitted online.

Applicants must provide the name and contact information of three referees. The University of Toronto’s recruiting tool will automatically solicit and collect letters of reference from each once an application is submitted (this happens overnight). Applicants, however, remain responsible for ensuring that referees submit letters (on letterhead, dated and signed) by the closing date.

Submission guidelines can be found at http://uoft.me/how-to-apply. Your CV and cover letter should be uploaded into the dedicated fields. Please combine additional application materials into one or two files in PDF/MS Word format. Inquiries should be directed to Professor Richard DiFrancesco, Chair of the Search Committee, at chair.geoplan@utoronto.ca.

All application materials, including reference letters, must be received by September 7, 2022.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Diversity Statement
The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

As part of your application, you will be asked to complete a brief Diversity Survey. This survey is voluntary. Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff. Results will be aggregated for institutional planning purposes. For more information, please see http://uoft.me/UP.

Accessibility Statement
The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission.

The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities.

If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact uoft.careers@utoronto.ca.

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