Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Critical Surveillance and Security Studies

Applicants must be full-time tenure-stream Associate or Full Professors at the University of Ottawa. Candidates are expected to establish a strong, extramurally funded, and collaborative research program in the broadly defined field of critical surveillance and security studies and big data analytics/artificial intelligence used in policing, national security and other governance contexts and significant experience in the social sciences or humanities. The research program undertaken by the Chair will result in knowledge development and dissemination as well as undergraduate and graduate student training and education. Rooted in local, regional, national and/or international research partnerships with different agencies and organizations, this CRC will produce empirical and theoretical knowledge on the social impacts of using algorithmically-driven data systems for security purposes or for security screening, with a view to contributing to knowledge that can inform policies and practices that advance trustworthiness, democratic accountability, respect for persons, and human security. A research emphasis on intersectionality (i.e., considerations of ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, ability and mobility etc.) is especially valued.

Tier 1 Chairs, tenable for seven years and renewable once, are for outstanding researchersacknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields. For each Tier 1 Chair, the institution receives $200,000 annually for seven years. Nominees for Tier 1 Chair positions must be full professors or associate professors who are expected to be promoted to the full professor level within one or two years of the nomination. Alternatively, if they come from outside the academic sector, nominees must possess the necessary qualifications to be appointed at these levels. New CRC nominees are also eligible for infrastructure support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to help acquire state-of-the-art equipment essential to their work.

The University of Ottawa provides researchers with opportunities to develop partnerships with a range of institutions, community organizations and federal, provincial and municipal government agencies. The University’s downtown campus is located near Parliament, the Supreme Court of Canada, Library and Archives Canada, and the national headquarters for: most federal government agencies, including the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Communications Security Establishment, Canada Border Services Agency, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Treasury Board, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada, and many different civil society organizations that are engaged in surveillance and security issues. The University is also host to a variety of research centres that the Chair may become involved with, including, but not limited to: The Centre for Law, Technology and Society; the Centre on Governance; the Human Rights Research and Education Centre; the Institute for Science, Society and Policy; the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Citizenship and Minorities; and the Centre for International Policy Studies. To see the full complement of uOttawa research centres, visit: https://research.uottawa.ca/centres-institutes.

The University of Ottawa is committed to ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion in the scholarly and leadership environments of our students, staff, and faculty members. In accordance with the University’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan, the selection will be limited to members of the four designated groups such as Indigenous peoples, individuals who are racialized, persons with disabilities, women and gender minorities as defined in the CRC Program method for establishing equity targets and the Employment Equity Act. All candidates who wish to be considered for this position must complete the confidential self-identification form during the application process (Count-me In survey). The objective of this measure is to increase the representation of the four designated in the allocation of Canada Research Chair positions. Only uOttawa internal candidates are eligible.

• Education:  PhD in criminology or a related discipline (social sciences, philosophy, etc.);
• Required Qualifications: An in-depth knowledge of the field of critical surveillance and security studies with an emphasis on the social impacts of the securitization of algorithmically-driven data systems, with a view to contributing to knowledge that can inform policies and practices that advance trustworthiness, democratic accountability, respect for persons, and human security; outstanding independent research achievements in the CRC’s identified area(s) and evidence of interdisciplinary collaborations; a solid record with respect to the teaching and training of students at the graduate level; the ability to and a solid record of obtaining external research funds; excellent communication skills in either French or English. Given that the Department of Criminology is committed to bilingualism, the selected candidate will need to commit to developing language skills in the second Official Language within the first three years of the appointment with a view to becoming fluent in the medium term.

Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5

• A cover letter;
• An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae with your employee number (Please include any personal circumstances and/or career interruptions such as parental or sick leaves that may have impacted your research trajectory. These will be taken into consideration in the selection process);
• A research plan (2 to 3 pages);
• A statement on equity, diversity, and inclusion philosophy and concrete practices (1 page);
• The names of three people who may be contacted by the University for letters of reference which will follow the Canada Research Chairs guidelines (Tier 1: all three arm’s length with no conflict of interest including one international); and
• Self-identification: All candidates must complete the institutional self-identification questionnaire, the Count-me in Survey (accessible via VirtuO). This information will be used for adjudication purposes but detailed information will be kept confidential and will not be shared with selection committee members.

Deadline: January 5, 2023

Applications should be submitted by email as one pdf document sent to this address: [email protected]

The selection process will begin immediately after the closing date and will continue until the position is filled. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. 

Please address your cover letter to the following person:

Dr. Sylvain Charbonneau, Vice-President, Research and Innovation
University of Ottawa
550 Cumberland St., room 246
Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 CANADA

For questions, please email: [email protected]

The University of Ottawa provides accommodations for applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you are invited to proceed in the selection process, please notify us of any accommodations that you require by contacting the Office of the Vice-Provost, Faculty Relations by email at [email protected]. Any information you send us will be handled respectfully and in complete confidence.

The University of Ottawa is proud of its more than 160-year tradition of bilingualism. Through its Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute, the University provides training to staff members and to their spouses in their second official language.

 Ad posted on December 5, 2022.