[Air-L] Funded post-doc and 2 MA positions at University of Calgary

[ryan burns]

Dr. Victoria Fast & Dr. Ryan Burns are pleased to announce three fully
funded positions in the Department of Geography at the University of
Calgary. We are recruiting emerging researchers to fill one
Post-Doctoral Fellowship
and two MA opportunities.


*Post-Doctoral Fellowship*

As cities across the world turn to information and communication
technologies to overcome social, environmental, and economic challenges,
new questions are arising around whose interests are served, who is left
out, and how we might strive for greater social justice in this new
context. We seek a post-doctoral scholar who specializes in research
related to digital geographies, social justice, and smart cities to take a
leading role in a project designed to deepen understanding of how
assemblages of technologies, data flows, policies, actors, and systems of
governance across geographic contexts influence the differential
implications of smart cities. In this project we are particularly
interested in struggles around competing notions of social justice: how
particular conceptions are operationalized, (re)produced, and contested in
new socio-technical milieu. The ideal candidate will be able to place these
considerations into the broader context of the developing research agenda
of digital geographies: the interdisciplinary study of the implications of
society, space, and technology’s mutual imbrications.

The ideal candidate will be a scholar with a PhD (ABD will be considered)
in geography, urban studies, communications, sociology, or a related field,
who will maintain a high degree of research productivity and extend
existing capacities of the growing UC Cities <http://uccities.ca/>research
group. They will demonstrate a high degree of self-direction and
creativity, and will ideally be familiar with the Canadian funding
landscape. They will be expected to apply for further funding. This
position is initially for one year, with the possibility of renewal pending
successful funding applications.

We especially encourage applications from scholars representing First
Nations-majority areas and cities in the Global South. We will give special
consideration to minorities with regard to race, national or ethnic origin,
gender, sexual orientation, class, and disability.

By October 19, Please send your CV, a cover letter outlining broad research
interests and contributions, and a one-page research proposal pertaining to
the themes above, to Victoria.Fast at ucalgary.ca and Ryan.Burns1 at ucalgary.ca.
Successful applicants will be required to provide letters of reference.

*Fall 2019 MA opportunity: the politics of open data*
The successful candidate will join the Engaging Open Data Research
<https://geog.ucalgary.ca/opendata/> project, headed by Dr. Ryan Burns
<https://geog.ucalgary.ca/profiles/ryan-burns>, to study struggles around
how data are produced, circulated, and acted upon in smart cities. In close
collaboration with non-profit organizations and community associations in
Calgary, this project seeks to deepen our understanding of the growing, yet
uneven and complex, impacts of open data platforms and policies within
smart cities. The ideal candidate will play a leading role in this
project’s efforts to advance debates in digital geographies and the social
implications of new technologies.

The ideal candidate should demonstrate a record of strong, proactive, and
independent intellectual growth and contributions to their local
communities (broadly defined). They should demonstrate excellence in their
endeavors to date, suggesting the ability to develop creative insights into
the research goals. They would ideally have broad methodological training,
but be ready to engage with primarily qualitative methods. They will be
expected to provide a complementary tack to this research, for the
successful completion of their master’s program.

The successful candidate will begin their master’s program September 2019,
with research assistant opportunity starting summer 2019. Formal
applications to the master’s program are due January 5th, 2019.

By October 19, please send your CV, statement of interest, and transcripts
(unofficial accepted) to Ryan.Burns1 at ucalgary.ca. Successful applicants
will be required to provide letters of reference.


*Fall 2019 MA opportunity: Accessible Mobility in the Smart City*
The successful candidate will join the Urban Participation Lab of Digital
Geographies, headed by Dr. Victoria Fast
<https://geog.ucalgary.ca/profiles/victoria-fast>, to study barrier-free
mobility. Drawing on participatory GIS, smart cities, and critical
disability studies, the funded project will focus on crowdsourcing spatial
data on barriers and aids to accessibility mobility for people with
disabilities. The ideal candidate will be able to spatially analyze the
data while also developing a critical understanding of the physical,
political, and social barriers to a more accessible urban and digital
environment.

The ideal candidate must demonstrate a record of scholarly achievement and
contributions to their local communities (broadly defined). They would
ideally have a strong GIS background, and a demonstrated interested in
social/disability advocacy. I especially encourage applications with
disability/ies to apply.

The successful candidate will begin their master’s program September 2019,
with research assistant opportunity starting summer 2019. Formal
applications to the master’s program are due January 5th, 2019.

By October 19, please send your CV, statement of interest, and transcripts
(unofficial accepted) to Victoria.fast at ucalgary.ca. Successful applicants
will be required to provide letters of reference.

*About the University of Calgary / the City of Calgary:*
The University of Calgary is in the Top 10 universities in Canada, offering
ample opportunities for professional and personal development. The City of
Calgary is often ranked one of the most livable cities in the world
(Economist ranked #4 in 2018), with an extensive urban pathway and bike
system, and only an hour from the Rocky Mountains. With 1.2 million
inhabitants, the city is dynamic, diverse, safe, sunny (333 days of
sunshine annually), and family-friendly. Find more information here:
https://www.ucalgary.ca

Join our 9th-floor corner research space with a 180-degree view of campus
and the Rockies!

Sincerely,
Ryan Burns

-- 
Ryan Burns, PhD
Department of Geography
Engaging Open Data Research
O'Brien Institute for Public Health
University of Calgary

http://burnsr77.github.io