GIER Newsletter - April 2023

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES

Faculty Opportunity: Call for GIER Associate Director

Are you working on research that has broad applicability across disciplines? Do you have ideas for cross-college collaborations? Would you like time and resources to lead a broad, interdisciplinary working group in your area of research? The Guelph Institute for Environmental Research (GIER) is pleased to share that we are seeking an Associate Director.

 The Associate Director will be a tenure-track or tenured faculty member at the University of Guelph and will work collaboratively with the GIER Director to champion and highlight environmental research capacity across all colleges of the University of Guelph and lead the institute. The Associate Director will also have the opportunity to lead an interdisciplinary Thematic Working Group (TWG) in their area of interest. GIER will provide funds for a teaching release and a small stipend to the successful applicant.

Applications are due Friday, May 19, 2023, at midnight.

More information and how to apply can be found HERE and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions to Julia at info.gier@uoguelph.ca.

Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity: Call for Applications

The International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation (IICSI) and the Guelph Institute for Environmental Research (GIER) invite applications for a co-hosted twelve-month residential postdoctoral fellowship position to be held at the University of Guelph in the 2023-2024 academic year.

The postdoctoral fellowship provides stipendiary support, valued at $40,500 CAD to recent PhD graduates who are undertaking original research, publishing research findings, and developing and expanding personal research networks. A $5,000 top-up stipend and $5,000 for working group expenses will be provided to the candidate to help lead a year-long thematic working group for the Collaboratory for Creative Writing, Environmental Sciences, and the Arts, culminating in an interdisciplinary GIER event. 

Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals focused on how improvisational skills and frameworks can lead to research discoveries at the interface of disciplines and help in addressing our environmental crises, including but not limited to climate change and biodiversity decline. Applicants must have experience in interdisciplinary environmental research across both: a) the Natural Sciences and/or Engineering, and b) the Social Sciences, Arts, and/or Humanities.  

Applications are due May 1, 2023. 

More information and how to apply can be found HERE and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions to Julia at info.gier@uoguelph.ca.

Part-time Employment Opportunity: GIER Administrative & Communications Assistant

The Guelph Institute for Environmental Research (GIER) is looking for a temporary part-time Administrative Assistant to support a parental leave. The Administrative Assistant will report directly to the GIER Director, Dr. Madhur Anand. Your key duties will be supporting the Institute with administrative and communication activities, and you’ll play a key role in the success of GIER’s research, events, and partnerships.

This position affords several opportunities depending on your individual skill set and interests:

• Building relationships within both the U of G and City of Guelph art and science communities
• Collaborating with academics and partners on interdisciplinary research engagement events
• Developing professional skills through the U of G’s Learning and Development and Library Workshops

The hourly rate will be $31.29 as a Band 2 on the P&M salary grid.

For more information, please contact Julia at info.gier@uoguelph.ca.

Student & Early Career Researcher Opportunity: Planning Committee Member

GIER is looking for a student or early career researcher interested in gaining experience with interdisciplinary research, community-building, and event planning to join the planning committee for our Spring Gathering event: Spring Mix! to be held in June 2023. 

Please email Julia at info.gier@uoguelph.ca for more information!

EVENT UPDATES

Re-Situating: Field Trip to rare Charitable Research Reserve

Sunday May 7, 9 am - 5:30 pm

This event follows and concludes several interdisciplinary dialogues on ethics of care, ecology, symbiosis, and human-plant relations. Our goal is to acquire better awareness of the ecological community to which we belong, with the intention of rethinking and resituating the human within a diverse, complex, and multifaceted ecosystem of other-than-human lifeforms.

The day will begin with a panel between artists and scientists investigating the social, economic, and natural complexities affecting both human and plant life. The afternoon events will include a 30-minute walk through the wetlands at rare (wetland as carbon sinks), a Master Class led by Dr. Alice Jarry (the design of plant-based air filtration), and a rare-led walk following the ecological lichen monitoring program.

More information and registration available HERE.

Congratulations to the 2022-2023 GIER Small Grants Program Awardees! From climate impacts on migrating caribou to the “green” effects of plant-based ingredients, six projects by University of Guelph researchers have been selected for funding by GIER. For a full list of awardees and their projects read the article HERE and watch our video HERE!

In Partnership: YESWriters Field Guides Launch

On April 12 GIER gathered with participants, collaborators, and partners of the Young Environmental Science Writers (YESWriters) initiative to celebrate the launch of the Field Guides workbook. Attendees spent a celebratory evening of science, art, and poetry in the beautiful Musagetes Offices in downtown Guelph.

The Field Guides workbook invites readers and writers to engage with the surrounding environment as both an environmental scientist and a creative writer.

For more information on the YESWriters program or next steps for the Field Guides contact Julia at info.gier@uoguelph.ca.

GIER Affiliates in the News