Saint Mary's University - Faculty Employment Opportunities

Date Posted: February 1, 2024

Posting Deadline: March 1, 2024

Department: Department of Global Development Studies

Type of Employment: 1 year term

The Department of Global Development Studies at Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to work on the topic of "Trade and Climate Change." The Postdoctoral Fellowship will be carried out under the supervision of Dr. Gavin Fridell (Principal Investigator, PI) and is funded by an Insight Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), project title: "Sustainable Trade, Between Token and Substantive Change."

Start Date: September 1, 2024.

Duration of Work: 1 year (full time) with the possibility of renewal for 1 additional year.

Salary is $60,000 CAD including EI, CPP, Health + Dental, and other benefits provided by Saint Mary's University.

Job Information and Responsibilities

Project description: After decades of trade justice groups contesting free trade for its negative impacts, an array of sustainable trade policies have emerged in recent years. These policies appear to mark a reorientation toward promoting labour, gender, human, Indigenous, and environmental rights through trade agreements. Examining this new development, this project seeks to explore: 1) what is lost and gained by seeking sustainability goals through trade agreements; 2) what it is about popular desire for "trade" that make it appear necessary to pursue sustainability through trade agreements, as opposed to other multilateral governing bodies? The successful candidate will examine this and other themes with an emphasis on trade and climate change. The anticipated focus will be new climate initiatives at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and related intiatives (the Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate, CBAM, the Bridgetown Initiative etc.)

The successful candidate will work with the PI (Dr. Gavin Fridell) in all aspects of the project, including conducting research, publications, assisting with event preparation, and dissemination activities. The selected candidate is not required to relocate to Halifax given the possiblities for virtual communication.

Core responsibilities will include:

• Conducting research, analysis on writing on key topics
• Co-author peer-reviewed articles, research briefs and public engagement pieces
• Participate in planning and coordination of panels and/or event(s)
• transcribing interviews;
• coding/analyzing key informant and participant interviews;
• coding/analyzing discourse of key WTO and related documents
• attaining, mantaining, and renewing REB approvals as required
• maintain project budget and submit expenses to Financial Services

Additional funds for research/conference travel are available.

Experience and Education Requirements

Required Skills and Experience:

• PhD in hand in the Social Sciences with a track record of published journal articles and/or conference papers
• Familiarity with key debates around international trade and development/sustainability
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Background in qualitative research and interviews
• Background in writing in the social sciences
• Familiarity with university financial services and understanding of budgeting
• Experience with discourse analysis and interview coding will be an asset

Application Details

Review of applications will begin starting March 1, 2024, with an anticipated start date of September 1, 2024. Interested applicants should submit the following documents by email: (a) cover letter detailing relevant research experience (two pages max) (b) up-to-date CV (c) one writing sample (recent publication or Ph.D. chapter) and (d) names and contact information for two academic references.

Please merge these documents into one PDF file and send to Dr. Gavin Fridell at [email protected].

We appreciate all applications and note that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No telephone calls please.

At Saint Mary's University equity and diversity are integral to excellence and enrich our community. As an institution committed to fostering an environment of inclusion and respect, we welcome applications from women, Indigenous peoples, racialized persons/visible minorities, persons with disabilities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity and others who might contribute to the growth and enrichment of our community. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. If you require accommodations during the recruitment process, please contact Human Resources at [email protected]