DIRECTOR, MCMASTER INDIGENOUS RESEARCH INSTITUTE (

The Director is expected to raise awareness, attract substantial research support, educate and advance Indigenous research methodologies. The Director will emphasize and support community capacity building and research priorities, promote and foster innovation, collaboration and partnership, enhance existing research infrastructure at McMaster and build sustainable Indigenous research infrastructure. The incumbent will also support the recruitment, mentorship and training of undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, and work to build greater research capacity and strength in Indigenous research across all faculties at McMaster University.  Details are available at https://research.mcmaster.ca/miri/terms-of-reference.

McMaster is a medium-sized university, located in the Westdale neighbourhood of Hamilton, and boasts 300 acres of scenic property at the western end of Lake Ontario, between Toronto and Niagara Falls. Our 30-acre central campus core is designated for pedestrians and cyclists, and is located just minutes from downtown Hamilton, which is ranked among the top cities in Canada.  It has a geographic proximity to Six Nations of the Grand River, the largest First Nation in Canada, along with a quarter century of collaborative work developing Indigenous educational and research programs.  

The successful candidate will join a community of leading Indigenous scholars from across multiple disciplines, along with an active Indigenous community of students, staff and community members at McMaster.  President Patrick Deane’s principles and priorities articulated in his “Forward with Integrity” open letter (FWI Open Letter) to the University community include:  cultivating human potential; adopting a multi-disciplinary perspective; and engaging our local, national, and international communities.  Furthermore, he has given our researchers the mandate to “build on the work that has already begun to strengthen and support Indigenous learners and Indigenous scholarship.”

McMaster is Canada’s most research-intensive university (Research Infosource, 2017) and ranks among the top 100 universities in the world; placing 66^th in the Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities and 78^th in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking.  With more than 18,000 universities in the world, McMaster places in the top one percent. These results speak to the inspiring work of our faculty, staff and students, and the University’s unique approach to research teaching and learning – an approach that helps McMaster continue to improve the health and well-being of our communities and the world.

McMaster University has a strong commitment to achieving diversity among faculty and staff that reflects the multicultural makeup of our student body.  The successful candidate will be committed to inclusion and excellence and the Search Committee is especially interested in candidates who can contribute, through their research, teaching and/or service, to the diversity of the academic community.  Women and applicants from traditionally underrepresented populations are strongly encouraged to apply.  Gender diversity is being addressed at McMaster University through our policies and actions.  One recent action in this area was the completion of a gender pay equity study and a resultant base salary adjustment applied to all female faculty members in July 2015.

Faculty members at McMaster University enjoy a number of both personal and professional benefits.  University employees are offered an excellent benefits package which includes, but is not limited to, extended health care benefits, dental care, group life, long term disability, worldwide travel assistance, and retirement plan.  Progressive policies are in place to assist faculty who become parents or are needed to care for family members.