Job Board

Job Description

Situated on the unceded, ancestral, and traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people in Vancouver, Canada, the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS) in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia invites applications for an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) position in Measurement, Evaluation, and Research Methodology (MERM). The appointment is expected to begin on July 1, 2024, or as mutually agreed upon between the University and the successful candidate.

The successful candidate must hold a doctoral degree in a relevant field (e.g., measurement, psychometrics, quantitative psychology) by the start date of the appointment. The successful candidate will have been trained to a high level in applied statistics and quantitative methods, with expertise in educational and behavioural research settings, and a thorough understanding of the theoretical and statistical underpinnings of those methods. It is expected that the successful candidate’s research focus will be in the development of advanced statistical methods rather than simply the application of such methods in their research. Preference will be given to applicants who have a demonstrated program of research that complements and provides new statistical expertise within the MERM program. Some examples of such expertise include: quantitative innovation in equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization, and social justice issues faced by methodologists; modern multivariate methods; simulation theory and techniques; Bayesian methods; and mixed effects modelling.

The successful candidate must be enthusiastic about teaching, supervising, and mentoring a diverse group of graduate students at the doctoral and master’s levels. In addition to potential new course offerings, the successful applicant must be able to teach advanced courses that are currently part of the MERM curriculum. The successful candidate must have excellent pedagogical skills, including the ability to communicate sophisticated methods to heterogeneous audiences using substantive examples. Evidence of excellent teaching or thesis supervision experience would be an asset.

The successful candidate is expected to build and maintain a robust research program within MERM and will be expected to supervise students in our M.Ed. (no thesis), M.A. (thesis), and Ph.D. degree streams. The annual teaching load for the position is 12 credits (equivalent to four courses) that may include core, advanced, and special topics courses in quantitative methodology at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Quantitative methods faculty are expected to teach both introductory and advanced courses.

This is a tenure-track position in the Professoriate stream. The successful candidate will be reviewed for reappointment, promotion, and tenure in subsequent years in accordance with the Collective Agreement. For more information on the review process and criteria for promotion in this stream, please visit this link. This position is subject to final budgetary approval. Starting salary is determined both by the candidate’s qualifications and experience and by their placement on the career progress increments scale within the Faculty of Education.

ECPS, the Faculty of Education, and UBC are dedicated to the goal of building a diverse and inclusive academic community. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate a commitment to and expertise in decolonizing, reconciliation, anti-racist, and social justice approaches to research, teaching, and service, and have a strong commitment to fostering inclusivity and teaching effectively in a welcoming environment. For more information about Faculty-wide commitments and initiatives related to equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization, please visit this link.

The Department of ECPS (ecps.educ.ubc.ca) is the largest of the six academic units in the UBC Faculty of Education and has 40+ tenure-stream faculty members across five program areas, including Counselling Psychology; Human Development, Learning, and Culture; School and Applied Child Psychology; Special Education; and Measurement, Evaluation, and Research Methodology. Over 400 graduate students, including over 100 Ph.D. students, are currently enrolled in the Department.

For over 30 years, the internationally recognized MERM program has been dedicated to advancing the science and practice of measurement, statistics, program evaluation, and research methodology in the social and behavioral sciences. We primarily support masters and doctoral programs and offer upper-division undergraduate and masters and doctoral level courses that meet the methodology requirements for students across the Department, Faculty of Education, and other Faculties at UBC.

UBC is a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. The UBC Faculty of Education is one of the leading Faculties of its kind in the world, tied 1st in Canadian rankings and ranked 10th globally. Our work advances educational research and understanding of teaching and learning in a way that affirms diversity, equity, and innovation, and takes part in international collaboration in an interdependent globe. We provide a comprehensive set of programmatic offerings at the baccalaureate, magisterial, and doctoral levels. For more information on the Faculty of Education, please visit this website.

Interested candidates are invited to submit an application package that includes:
(1) a cover letter outlining potential research and teaching contributions to the Department (please also indicate if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident);
(2) a curriculum vitae;
(3) two to four sample publications or preprints that are most relevant to this position;
(4) a statement of teaching philosophy;
(5) evidence of teaching effectiveness (including course outlines and student evaluations, if available);
(6) an EDID statement that describes and documents your contributions to equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization (EDID) through your research, teaching, service, and/or community engagement, addressing the following three areas: (i) understanding of and knowledge about EDID, (ii) track record in advancing EDID, and (iii) plans for EDID; and
(7) names and contact details of three references. Letters of reference will only be requested from short-listed candidates.

Complete applications must be provided in the format of one bookmarked PDF file addressed to Dr. Jennifer Shapka, Department Head, and sent electronically to Ms. Kay Mun (Head’s Assistant) at kay.mun@ubc.ca. Following the submission of the application, the applicant will receive an Equity Survey link via email. Completion of the Equity Survey is required as part of the application process. Accommodations are available on request for all applicants with disabilities at all stages of the search process. To confidentially request accommodations, please contact educ.hr@ubc.ca.

While the search remains open until the position is filled, interested applicants are encouraged to submit their complete application package by December 15, 2023. Questions regarding this search and the application deadline should be directed to the Department Head, Dr. Jennifer Shapka, at jennifer.shapka@ubc.ca.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the British Columbia Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.