The College of the Humanities and the Digital Humanities program at Carleton University is accepting applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in Community Based Digital Humanities. The anticipated start date will be May 1st 2024 with a duration of 24 months. The postdoctoral fellow will be involved in developing a new public-facing aspect of the DH program called ‘StudioDH’, in the context of their own research in community based DH.
Department Background Information
The Collaborative MA in Digital Humanities at Carleton University, situated in the College of the Humanities, is one of the most comprehensive Digital Humanities programs in Canada. Students and faculty come from 14 participating programs in the Faculty of Arts, ranging from Public History to Cognitive Science. In this program we take the view that our role is to provide humanistic and artistic perspectives on digital culture. At the same time, we critically employ the tools of a variety of informatics and digital technologies on the key questions of the humanities. We use the process of building or making to help us think with – and through – the materials of our study. Currently we offer a Specialization in DH at the MA level and an undergraduate Minor in DH; soon we will also be able to offer a specialization in DH at the PhD level. For more about the program, see https://carleton.ca/dighum/.
Research Project Overview
StudioDH is initially envisioned as an annual public-focused, inside-out community-based research/art collective, where students will have the opportunity to work closely with public- and private-sector partners via a physical ‘pop-up’ style collaboratory or studio, set in the community and open to the public. These would be partners who rely heavily on digital media, including partners in art and entertainment, media production, library and archives, museum, digital gaming, travel and tourism, advertising and technical writing sectors. The successful candidate will take this idea and develop it within the context of the Ottawa region.
The first twelve months will focus on researching and planning how to implement the StudioDH model given the resources available at Carleton and in the community, building capacity for this model to be run into the future and given the applicant’s particular strengths and interests. The incumbent will also have the support of a Research Assistant. There may also be an opportunity for teaching a graduate-level DH course in the applicant’s discipline of interest. In the second twelve months, the applicant will lead the first cohort of MA students through the StudioDH model, putting on a public facing-event or series of events and will assess the success of the model.
Research Project Supervisor and Principal Investigator
The incumbent will work with the Coordinator of the DH Program and members of the DH Management Committee, principally Dr. Shawn Graham and Dr. Laura Banducci.
Salary
The postdoctoral fellow will be offered a salary of $CAD 60 000 per annum, with the additional ability to opt into an extended health and dental benefit plan. The postdoc will not be considered unionized.
Position Duties and Responsibilities
The incumbent of this position will, under the direction of Dr. Shawn Graham be responsible for leading the research activities of the project, including but not limited to the following core responsibilities:
- develop and implement the StudioDH concept in the context of their understanding of community based DH
- conduct community based DH work as appropriate in conjunction with the students in the program
- report twice per year to the DH community at Carleton on the work
Job Requirements
The ideal candidate will have:
- Experience and research in any aspect of DH type work, understood broadly
- Experience or enthusiasm for public-facing work
- Demonstrated teaching and/or supervising experience
- A relevant PhD in hand awarded within the last ten years
Accommodations and Accessibility
Should you require a copy of this posting in an alternate format, please contact us as soon as possible and we would be happy to get one to you in a timely manner. We believe in the importance of supporting on the-job success for the incumbent and are pleased to discuss and/or provide specific tools, resources or other requirements for day-to-day work requirements, as needed.
About Carleton University:
Carleton University is a dynamic and innovative research and teaching institution with a national and international reputation as a leader in collaborative teaching and learning, research and governance. To learn more about our university and the City of Ottawa, please visit www.carleton.ca/provost.
Carleton University is committed to fostering diversity within its community as a source of excellence, cultural enrichment, and social strength. We welcome those who would contribute to the further diversification of our university including, but not limited to: women; visible minorities; First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples; persons with disabilities; and persons of any sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression. Carleton understands that career paths vary. Legitimate career interruptions will in no way prejudice the assessment process and their impact will be taken into careful consideration.
We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. If contacted for an interview, please inform us should accommodation be required, and arrangements will be made in a timely manner. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.
How to Apply
Candidates that would like to apply for this fellowship opportunity are invited to submit:
- A cover letter with research statement of 2 – 3 pages, addressing how you see community-based DH intersecting with your own research
- Please also consult the https://carleton.ca/dighum/faculty/ page to identify potential research colleagues whose work might usefully be in dialogue with your own
- An academic CV
Please upload your materials at https://carleton.ca/dighum/community-dh-postdoc/ as a single .zip file. We will begin reviewing applications after January 20th 2024. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled and the vacancy may close without notice. For questions or further information, please contact shawn.graham@carleton.ca.
Candidates who are shortlisted will be asked to provide two letters of reference.
If selected for an interview, candidates will be asked to draft a proposal about how they would envision that first StudioDH event (in year two), given their own strengths and interests.