Job Opportunities

DEPARTMENT OF ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS

University of Toronto

Assistant Professor – The Sutton Family Chair in Science, Christianity and Cultures

The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto together invite applications for a full-time tenure stream appointment in Science, Christianity and Cultures. The successful applicant will also be eligible to be named the Sutton Family Chair in Science, Christianity and Cultures, which is an endowed Chair position. Appointment to the Sutton Family Chair in Science, Christianity and Cultures will be for a four-year term with renewal following a favorable review. The successful candidate will be appointed both to the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics (51%) and St Michael’s College (49%). The appointment will be at the rank of Assistant Professor and is expected to commence on July 1, 2020.

We seek applicants whose research and teaching interests complement and strengthen our existing departments. The successful candidate will be expected to establish and maintain a competitive, independent, innovative, and externally-funded research program in observational cosmology that will be at the highest international level in Astronomy and Astrophysics and will contribute to the visibility and prominence of the discipline. Teaching assignments will be undergraduate and graduate courses in both Astrophysics and in the Christianity and Culture program, both of which are housed within the Faculty of Arts and Science. These courses may include general introductions to models of relating religion and science to senior research seminars on, for instance, multi-disciplinary approaches to cosmology that involve both scientific and religious elements.

Applicants must have earned a PhD in astronomy, astrophysics, or a related field at the time of appointment or shortly after, with a demonstrated record of excellence in research and teaching.

Excellence in research is evidenced primarily by a record of publishing articles in the leading academic journals in the field or forthcoming publications meeting high international standards, the quality of published papers submitted for review, a research statement, participation in major international conferences, seminars at leading institutions, as well as strong endorsements from referees of high standing. In turn, the candidate is expected to draw on that research program to offer excellence in teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate level, through means such as lecture preparation and delivery, curriculum development, supervision of research students, and openness to co-curricular, international, and experiential learning opportunities associated with a college-sponsored program.

Evidence for excellence in teaching will be based on a teaching statement, a teaching dossier (including sample course materials and teaching evaluations), teaching accomplishments, and letters of reference that address teaching, with at least one of these letters addressing the candidate’s capacity to teach in the Christianity and Culture program. Candidates invited for an interview will be asked to deliver a sample lecture suitable for the Christianity and Culture program.

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

The University of Toronto (www.utoronto.ca) offers the opportunity to teach, conduct research, and live in one of the most diverse cities in the world. The graduate Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics has 30 faculty members, 50 graduate students, and 40 post-doctoral fellows. Faculty have access to a wide array of observational research facilities, computational support, and a strongly supported graduate program.

The University of St. Michael’s College, in the University of Toronto, is the centre of Catholic intellectual life at one of the world’s leading research universities. Since its founding in 1852 by the Basilian Fathers at the invitation of Armand Charbonnel, Bishop of Toronto, the University of St. Michael’s College has been home to influential scholars, intellectuals, and public and community leaders, including Etienne Gilson, Janine Langan, Marshall McLuhan, Sheila Watson, Bonnie Crombie, Paul Martin, and Jean Vanier. First offered in 1979, Christianity and Culture is a program sponsored by the University of St. Michael’s College that is available to all undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Toronto. The program is borne of the great tradition of scholarship, learning, and teaching at St. Michael’s College, and offers students an opportunity to study Christianity and its manifold relationship to cultures and societies, past and present, from a variety of perspectives, in the broad areas of science, society, education, and the arts.

All qualified candidates are invited to apply by clicking on the link below. All application materials must be submitted online by the closing date, November 5, 2019. Submission guidelines can be found at: http://uoft.me/how-to-apply. We recommend combining attached documents into one or two files in PDF/MS Word format.

Applicants must submit their curriculum vitae including a full list of publications, sample publications, a research statement including laboratory plans, and a teaching dossier to include a teaching statement including outreach experience and interests, sample course materials and teaching evaluations.

Applicants must also ask between three and five referees to send letters directly to the department via e-mail to: astrochair@astro.utoronto.ca. Please ensure the candidate’s name is included in the subject line and that letters are on letterhead and signed. Requests for more information can be directed in confidence to the same e-mail address.

All application materials, including reference letters, must be received by November 5, 2019.

The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

As part of your application, you will be asked to complete a brief Diversity Survey. The survey is voluntary. Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff. Results will be aggregated for institutional planning purposes. For more information, please see http://uoft.me/UP.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

To submit your application, please follow the link below:

https://utoronto.taleo.net/careersection/10050/jobdetail.ftl?job=1903472&tz=GMT-04%3A00&tzname=America%2FToronto