Staff Scholar (STS and Sustainability)

Date Posted: 12/19/2023
Req ID:35475
Faculty/Division: Faculty of Arts & Science
Department: Acceleration Consortium
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Description:

The Acceleration Consortium (AC) at the University of Toronto (U of T) is leading a transformative shift to accelerate materials discovery informed by ethics, economics, and Indigenous science and technology studies.The AC is a global community of academia, industry, and government that brings together artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, materials sciences, and high-throughput chemistry to create self-driving laboratories (SDLs), also called materials acceleration platforms (MAPs). These autonomous labs rapidly design materials and molecules needed for a sustainable, healthy, and resilient future, with applications ranging from renewable energy to drugs. A mandate of the AC is to ensure that all materials and technologies are ethically designed, create sustainable materials, and engage with community and Indigenous knowledges

 The Acceleration Consortium (AC) promotes inclusive research environment and supports the EDI priorities of the unit.

The Acceleration Consortium received a $200M Canadian First Research Excellence Grant for seven years to develop self-driving labs for chemistry and materials, the largest ever grant to a Canadian University. This grant will give the Acceleration Consortium seven years of funding to execute its vision, including support for Indigenous STS research.

The Staff Scholar for STS and Sustainability will contribute to our research on the question of sustainable and ethical substances and how that can transform the practices of using AIs and non-animal forms of testing in Self-Driving Labs. This position can contribute to this work through expertise in STS and/or environmental justice approaches to chemicals and toxics, social and justice-based environmental life cycle research, innovative justice approaches to sustainability, or approaches from Indigenous studies.
 

This position will work closely with faculty and staff at the Indigenous-led Technoscience Research Unit (TRU) to ensure the ethical integration of Indigenous knowledges and values into research design for materials discovery and applications as it relates to the AC and to develop Indigenous Science, Technology and Environment (Indigenous STE) and Indigenous Science and Technology Studies (Indigenous STS) at the University, broadly.

The Technoscience Research Unit (TRU) is an Indigenous-led interdisciplinary lab for creative and critical social science, humanities, and design research concerning science and technology, with a strength in Indigenous-led research, environmental justice, and data/AI ethics. The TRU is affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Science, the Faculty of Information, and the Acceleration Consortium. The TRU hosts an Indigenous Environmental Data Justice Lab, organizes public events and workshops, and supports the research of students, faculty and community researchers. The TRU is particularly dedicated to fostering Indigenous Science and Technology Studies as well as supporting BIPOC and 2SLGBTQA+ researchers.

This position will also work with the AC Indigenous Research Circle (IRC), which is an Indigenous leadership team and advisory body to the Scientific Leadership Team on matters related to research design, ethical governance, Indigenous-led research activities, Indigenous engagement in research team building, and partnership development with Indigenous communities.
 

Candidates that have experience in several or as many of the areas below will be prioritized:
 

• Environmental Justice
• Critical approaches to sustainability
• Community-based research
• Social and environmental life cycle research
• STS approaches to toxics and sustainability
• Questions of sustainability as they relate to AI
• Indigenous approaches to sustainability and environmental research
• Environmental media
• Environmental Data Justice
• Collaborative research practices
• Environmental racism
• Environmental knowledges and public policy

The components and duties of the work include:

Leading research in science and technology studies as it relates to sustainablity and ethical subtance frameworks.
 

Working with the AC and TRU community, including faculty and partners, to publish research in relevant journals, op-eds, etc. Research can be both independent and collaborative in design and can leverage the AC’s and TRU’s resources while supporting the advancement of STS/Indigenous STS/STE at the University.

Research tasks could include:

• Developing plans to support research and research collaborations
• Estimating financial resources required for research programs and/or projects.
• Contributing to the development and advancement of STS/Indigenous STE
• Promoting AC’s and TRU’s research capacity, including delivering presentations at conferences.
• Collaborating on preparing and submitting research proposals to granting agencies and progress reporting. 
• Preparing manuscripts for submission to peer review publications/journals and stewarding them through the process.

 Other

• Working in collaboration with other research staff.
• Support research-focused events.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Education 

• Candidates must have earned a Ph.D. in science and technology studies, environmental studies, or a related discipline, by the time of appointment.

Experience 

• Five to ten years of experience (inclusive of PhD and/or post-graduate work) in Science and Technology, sustainability and ethical substance framework research and development with demonstrated academic and research excellence
• Experience in research design
• Experience in collaborative research
• Experience or strong desire to support community-based research
• Experience or strong desire to support environmental justice
• Experience writing and presenting research at academic conferences and in academic journals

Skills

• Strong in communicating effectively and efficiently in oral and written English
• Ability to work collegially with team members and collaborators
• Ability to work independently

Other 

• Must have a strong publication record and or/demonstrated success in writing and preparing manuscripts, presentations, reports, briefs, and manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals, or a strong record in relevant organizational and community work.

Preference will be given to candidates who self-identify as Indigenous. Recognizing that there are a variety of terms that potential candidates may use to self-identify, the University uses the term “Indigenous” in this search, which forms part of the University of Toronto's response to Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to encompass the people of Turtle Island, including those who identify as First Nations, Métis, Inuk (Inuit), Alaska Native, Native American, and Native Hawaiian people.

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

Closing Date: 06/30/2024, 11:59PM ET
Employee Group: Research Associate
Appointment Type: Grant - Continuing
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone: $60,304 - $150,000 (salary will be assessed based on skills and experience)
Job Category: Research Administration & Teaching