Posting Expiry
Plenty Canada, in collaboration with Lakehead University, is seeking an 8-month community-based Postdoctoral Fellow to support Indigenous people in efforts to establish their food systems and adapt to the new CV-19 world. This initiative is part of a larger project working with a Consortium of four Indigenous-led or Indigenous-serving organizations who work to support Indigenous Food Security and Food Sovereignty.
This position requires that eligible candidates hold a PhD in a relevant field (granted within the last 5 years). The successful candidate will become a Postdoctoral Fellow at Lakehead University, co-supervised by Charles Levkoe, Plenty Canada, and members of the Consortium (Northern Ontario Indigenous Food Sovereignty Collaborative, Canadian Feed The Children and Northern Manitoba Food, Culture & Community Collaborative).
Conditions
8-months, full time contract beginning May 2021 and ending December 2021
The ability to work independently from home
Salary: $26,000
Deadline to apply: rolling, until the position is filled*
*We encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible, as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Position Summary
Currently, gross inequities exist in food security rates, poverty statistics and population health between Indigenous communities and the rest of Canadian society due to systemic racism and colonialism. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted those inequities and motivated urgent action to support Indigenous communities to address food access and the strength of local food systems. This project aims to support Indigenous people and communities in efforts to establish their own food systems through a better understanding of CV-19 food responses and adapting to the new CV-19 realities. It will explore ways to address long-term CV-related food security challenges led by Indigenous people in over 180 Indigenous communities spanning six provinces. This project will act as a catalyst for informed data collection and address gaps in Indigenous knowledge sharing spaces. The Researcher will gather information from existing research and from experiences across Indigenous communities focusing on CV-19 challenges and gaps, responses, and opportunities to achieve food security. The Researcher will also support the creation of an Indigenous-led national knowledge sharing platform. The platform will amplify the stories and work being done on the ground in Indigenous homes, communities and organizations, as well as host research and resources and eventually convene inter-provincial dialogues to enhance knowledge sharing and develop collaborative solutions. Voice, power, control of the narrative, and the policy making process are often undertaken by those with privilege; this platform will be an opportunity to flip this around.
Objectives
This project aims to support Indigenous people in efforts to establish their food systems and adapt to the new CV-19 world. The Researcher will work across local, regional and national scales and will act as a catalyst for informed data collection that will address gaps in Indigenous-led knowledge sharing spaces.
The Researcher will participate in and lead research and conversations in the following areas:
- Design and implement data collection approaches that will work directly with, and engage communities, organizations, health centres, individuals rooted in Indigenous methodologies.
- Collect relevant information from existing data sources from both academic and grey literature (e.g., scholarly articles, public reports, news articles, government documents).
- Analyze data and compile report to share findings.
- Lead the layout and content design for a virtual knowledge sharing platform.
- Implement the knowledge sharing platform through a launch to a select number of communities. The knowledge sharing platform will be designed as a virtual space and hosted on a website that will have a multi-faceted platform that will engage Indigenous communities through knowledge and storytelling but also a place to host relevant research and project findings.
- Collect feedback and input from partners and the communities about the knowledge sharing platform.
Deliverables
- Report on the research conducted with communities and organizations and the literature review
- Presentation to the Consortium about the research
- Development of the knowledge sharing platform
- Report on the feedback and recommendations from the pilot knowledge sharing platform
- At least one scholarly article
- Popular article and promotional material about the knowledge sharing platform and project
Position Requirements
- Experience with Community-based research and/or (Participatory) Action Research
- Understanding of Decolonizing Research Methods
- Experience working with Indigenous Nations/communities along with a commitment to work in a relational way with Indigenous Nations and communities and understand the importance of community-led self-determined development
- Ability to work remotely, communicate effectively with a wide range of people and organizations, develop plans and monitor progress, and provide accurate and timely reporting
- Strong written/ verbal/relational communication skills
- Experience with conducting interviews and/or facilitating group discussions
- Ability to build productive working relationships with internal and external teams including peer organizations and various groups and knowledge holders
- Demonstrated adaptability, professionalism, attention to detail, collaboration, teamwork, self-direction and initiative
- Accreditation from a recognized post-secondary institution
- Familiarity with building an audience through online content (eg. Social media, blogs, email updates)
- Ability to work independently and in a team environment
- Valid Driver’s license with access to a personal vehicle an asset
- Eligible candidates must hold a PhD in a relevant field (granted within the last 5 years) or be enrolled in a PhD program
- Must be eligible to work in Canada
Application process
To apply, please send your Resume and Cover Letter including two references with contact information, with this position’s title in the subject line of your email, to
jobs@plentycanada.com. We encourage all candidates to apply as soon as possible, as we will be considering applications on a rolling basis. We thank all applicants for their interest but will only be contacting those selected for interviews.
Plenty Canada and Lakehead University are strongly committed to diversity within their communities and welcomes applications from all qualified individuals including Indigenous persons, visible minority group members, women, persons with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.