Academic
Job Category
Faculty Non Bargaining
Job Title
Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Decolonizing Science Education and Chemical Risk Assessment
Department
Research | Oberg Lab | Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability | Faculty of Science (Gunilla Oberg)
Posting End Date
May 8, 2025
Note:Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.
Job End Date
May 31, 2026
The expected salary for this position is $70,000CAD, plus benefits.
The appointment will be for one year with a possibility for extension subject to satisfactory performance and funding.
Should you have any queries about this position, please contact Dr. Gunilla Öberg, Gunilla.oberg@ubc.ca
Postdoctoral Fellowship – Decolonizing Science Education and Chemical Risk Assessment
Our team at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, is seeking a postdoctoral fellow (PDF) to help re-imagine the training of the next generation of chemical risk assessment professionals to boldly transform chemical risk management. The PDF will work with Indigenous and non-indigenous experts, designing teaching materials for undergraduate and graduate students in disciplines relevant to chemical risk assessment (e.g., toxicology, chemistry, endocrinology, AI/machine learning) and governmental staff presently involved in chemical risk assessment.
The Project
The successful candidate will be a member of the new, large, interdisciplinary, and inter-institutional initiative Towards sustainable futures. Transforming Chemical Risk Management with Indigenous Expertise led by Professor M. Murphy (Red River Métis), University of Toronto, in collaboration with Professor Sue Chiblow (Anishinaabe Kwe, Garden River), University of Guelph and Professor Gunilla Öberg (recent settler from Sweden), University of British Columbia. More information on the larger project can be found here and here.
The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Drs. Öberg and Chiblow, taking on a leadership role in supporting all aspects of the sub-project “Curriculum Development”. This includes coordinating with other member universities, planning and conducting workshops, focus groups, and interviews, and developing and testing educational modules and an online learning portal. Additionally, the candidate will prepare presentations, manuscripts, and reports. Applicants should be comfortable working in a collaborative team environment. The successful candidate will mentor and support graduate students and undergraduate members involved in the sub-project.
Key responsibilities:
Research Activities & Outputs:
- Support and manage research activities, including designing research protocols, applying for ethics approval, developing educational modules, implementing interventions, and developing evaluation strategies.
- Support the development of an online learning platform and other knowledge translation outputs, including writing academic papers and delivering presentations.
Sub-project Support:
- Organize curriculum development meetings within the subproject and across the larger project.
- Support hiring and mentoring of undergraduate research assistants.
Data Collection and Facilitation:
- Assist with participant recruitment and conduct workshops, focus groups, and interviews.
All responsibilities listed require a candidate to collaborate with research staff and trainees contributing to the research project.
Qualifications and Experience:
- A PhD in an area relevant to the project (e.g., Indigenous studies, Science communication, Science education, Science studies), completed within the last five years.
- Familiarity with present debates on decolonization of science education and governance in Canada.
- Familiarity with OCAP(c), Indigenous data sovereignty or Indigenous research methodologies.
- Experience conducting qualitative research using interviews, participatory, or observational studies.
- Familiarity with software for qualitative data analysis, such as NVIVO, is an advantage.
- Outstanding interpersonal skills, able to communicate with diplomacy and tact with diverse participants (e.g., from various disciplines in academia, government staff and members of Indigenous communities and organizations)
- Higher education in a discipline of relevance to chemical risk assessment professionals, for example, but not limited to: (eco)toxicology, chemistry, endocrinology, AI/machine learning)
- Documented experience in science communication and/or science education.
- Demonstrated ability to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
- Demonstrated a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Organizational status
Reports to and works closely with the Principal Investigators (PIs) Gunilla Öberg and Susan Chiblow. Collaborates with other postdoctoral fellows involved in the Towards sustainable futures project hosted at the University of Toronto. Mentors and supports graduate and undergraduate students involved in the sub-project.
Application procedure
An application package should include:
- A letter of application outlining the applicant’s research and teaching interests, (including a list of publications and other research output)
- A detailed curriculum vitae;
- 2 research outputs (e.g., publications, podcasts, or other work)
- Contact information for three referees
We invite applications from qualified candidates who share our commitment to employment equity and inclusive excellence. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous candidates (e.g., First Nation, Métis, Inuit). We welcome applications from candidates who belong to groups that historically, persistently, or systemically have been marginalized: racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and trans and non-binary people.
We are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and equitable work environment for all our members. An inclusive work environment presumes an environment where differences are appreciated, recognized, and integrated into current structures, planning, and decision-making modes. Within this hiring process, we are committed to creating an inclusive and. equitable process for all candidates (including but not limited to people with disabilities). Confidential accommodations are available on request. Please contact UBC’s Center for Workplace Accessibility via email atworkplace.accessibility@ubc.caor phone at 604-822-8139. For any questions regarding accommodations or accessibility during the recruitment and hiring process or for more information and support, please visit UBC’s Centre for Workplace Accessibility website athttps://hr.ubc.ca/health-and-wellbeing/workplace-accessibility/centre-workplace-accessibility.
With gratitude, we acknowledge that we who work and live in what is now known as Canada have the privilege of gathering, learning, and researching on the traditional and ancestral territories of the Indigenous Peoples who have lived and governed these lands for millennia. With gratitude, we recognize that we are allowed to work and play on the lands where UBC is located, even though the rights to this land never was ceded by the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), or səlilwətaɬ(Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples. As members of the UBC community, we strive to play an active role in decolonizing academia and environmental policy, particularly regarding chemical risk. We are working to learn and expand our knowledge of the history, knowledge, and expertise of the original peoples of these territories.