Assistant Professor - Knowledge Systems, Infrastructures, Communities, and Cultures

University of Toronto

Application Deadline: October 7, 2025 11:59PM ET

The Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto invites applications for a full-time tenure stream position in Knowledge Systems, Infrastructures, Communities, and Cultures. The appointment will be at the rank of Assistant Professor, with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2026. 

This search aligns with the University’s commitment to strategically and proactively promote diversity among our community members (Statement on Equity, Diversity & Excellence), and to enact its response to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Recognizing that Black, Indigenous, and other Racialized communities have experienced inequities that have developed historically and are ongoing, we strongly welcome and encourage candidates from those communities to apply. 

Candidates must have earned a PhD degree in Information Studies, Library Science, Archival Studies, Museum Studies, Media Studies, Communications, Cultural Studies, History, Anthropology, Sociology, Social Sciences, Science and Technology Studies, History and Philosophy of Science, or a related area by the time of appointment, or shortly thereafter, with a demonstrated record of excellence in research and teaching. We seek candidates whose research and teaching interests complement and enhance our existing Faculty strengths. The successful candidate will be expected to pursue innovative and independent research, and to establish an outstanding, competitive, and externally funded research program. 

Candidates must provide evidence of research excellence which can be demonstrated by a record of publications in top-ranked and field relevant journals, forthcoming publications, or creative professional activities meeting high international standards, the submitted research statement, presentations at significant conferences, awards and accolades, successful research grants and strong endorsements from referees.  

We seek applicants whose research engages questions of knowledge systems, infrastructures, communities, and/or cultures including knowledge production and exchange in a variety of contexts; meaning-making and knowledge sharing in organizations; community-engaged practices producing new forms of knowledge, new histories, and new ways of knowing. Approaches to these research areas could be philosophical, sociological, historical, experimental, aesthetic and/or critical, and might engage qualitative and/or quantitative methodologies including ethnography, research-creation, interviews, action research, discourse analysis or hermeneutic research practices. We especially welcome candidates whose research draws on conceptual and theoretical resources in the areas of Indigenous ways of knowing; de-, post-, and/or anti-colonial epistemologies; epistemic injustice and its impact on the knowledge structures and cultures of memory institutions. 

We welcome non-traditional demonstrations of research impact, including, for example, community engagement and creative professional activities. Research excellence will be evaluated commensurate with the career stage of the candidate, taking into consideration the life trajectory and any special circumstances (e.g., career interruptions) as outlined in the submitted materials. 

The successful candidate must also provide demonstrated evidence of readiness as a research supervisor in the application materials, as they will be expected to undertake undergraduate and graduate research supervision and teaching, and to perform standard professional and administrative activities typical of a research-intensive university-level department. 

Demonstrated interdisciplinarity across various industries and academic disciplines is considered an asset. The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate excellence in teaching, including the ability and ambition to advance our Faculty’s rigorous, highly ranked Bachelor of Information, Master of Information, Master of Museum Studies, and PhD programs. 

Evidence of excellence in teaching will be demonstrated by teaching accomplishments, and the teaching dossier, including a teaching statement, sample course materials, and teaching evaluations or other evidence of superior performance in teaching-related activities submitted as part of the application, as well as strong letters of reference. Other teaching-related activities can include performance as a teaching assistant or course instructor, experience leading successful workshops or seminars, student mentorship, or excellent conference presentations or posters. 

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. 

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