Post-doctoral Fellow in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS)

Post-doctoral Fellow in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS).
The Department of Environment, Agriculture and Geography at Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, is looking for a highly qualified candidate with a strong interest in sustainable food systems for a full-time, 2-year funded post-doctoral fellow position in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS).
The SAFS Postdoctoral Fellow will be expected to undertake a program of original research under the supervision of Dr. Vivian Valencia (Research Chair in Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Action) and Dr. Darren Bardati (Director of SAFS) and in collaboration with the SAFS faculty team (www.ubishops.ca/safs). The successful candidate will join an ongoing research program in investigating how to foster a transformation towards more sustainable food systems. Topics of interest may include agroecology, transformative processes, amplification/scaling processes, and leverage points for food system change. We encourage candidates to reflect on how positive outliers (also known as positive deviants, lighthouses, and bright spots) in farming and food systems may foster a food systems transformation, and what type of research design may enable such exploration. Core activities may include the collection of quantitative and qualitative data (e.g., surveys, farm assessments, interviews, workshops), analyzing data, and publishing results. This research may be conducted with farmers in Quebec and/or Latin America (such as Mexico, Colombia, Cuba or Brazil). The candidate should specify in the cover letter if they have a preference for either of the aforementioned research locations, and experience working there. The SAFS Postdoctoral Fellow will also be expected to apply to external granting agencies if they wish to continue their research at Bishop's in subsequent years.
Required:
• PhD in relevant natural or social sciences fields such as agroecology, agricultural sciences, rural sociology, geography, or related fields
• Experience in interdisciplinary work
• A proven track record demonstrating research skills
• Experience in conducting field work with farm and/or food system actors
• Experience in collecting and analyzing social and/or environmental data
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong scientific writing and communication skills and a track record of academic publications
• Interest to collaborate in a multi-disciplinary research team
• English language proficiency
Recommended:
• Experience in transdisciplinary work
• Experience in statistics
• Working French communication skills if field work is conducted in Quebec
• Working Spanish or Portuguese communication skills if field work is conducted in Latin America
Bishop's University is located in Quebec's Eastern Townships. The region is renowned for its agro-tourism, organic and community-supported food production, and a growing culture of entrepreneurship within the context of sustainable agriculture. Bishop's 500-acre campus includes a new 140-acre Educational Farm (www.ubishops.ca/farm), which is currently under development. The farm will be a showpiece of sustainable agriculture design, and serve as the setting for the SAFS programs' practical teaching and research projects.
Bishop's University observes an equal access employment in public bodies for women, visible minorities, ethnic minorities, Indigenous and disabled people (including the possibility of accommodation during the selection process). Candidates who anticipate needing accommodation for any part of the process may contact Human Resources at HR@ubishops.ca. In accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, priority will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, but all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.
The salary is $45 000/year, and the successful applicant is expected to start June 1, 2023 (flexible). Application packages, including a cover letter, curriculum vitae, statement of research achievements and proposal for what research the candidate would like to conduct under this postdoctoral fellowship (maximum four pages), and names and contact information of three referees who are willing to be contacted, must be sent by email as one PDF file, labelled by last name-Postdoc (e.g., Smith-Postdoc.pdf) to Jiayi Gu at jgu@ubishops.ca by February 17, 2023 at 4pm. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Bishop's University is located on the traditional territory of the Abenaki people.