ABOUT THE GRADUATE STUDENT RA FELLOW ROLE
The Centre for Global Disability Studies employs two graduate student Research Assistant (RA) on a set fellowship stipend each academic year. RA fellowship appointments are for an August 1st-June 30th single academic year and are renewable for a second academic year. RA fellows report to the Director of CGDS, and along with the Centre Coordinator and any additional RAs (such as the grant committee co-chair RA) or staff, make up the core administrative team and support the life of the research Centre.
The two RA-ships, when available, are advertised and open to applications from current UofT graduate students from any department. The RA-ships will be awarded at the discretion of the Director, who may consult current RAs, administrators, or faculty members when shortlisting candidates. Only candidates whose research, background, and commitments align with the mission of CGDS to support justice-oriented anti-ableist research, promote global anticolonial disability studies, and advance disability access will be considered. The RAs play an important role in acting as spokespersons for CGDS and executing core activities of the life of the Centre.
The RAs are offered a T4A contract to receive a stipend disbursed in two equal lump sums at the start of fall and winter terms, respectively. The stipend for the 2023-2024 academic year will be $3400 CAD each term, $6800 in total.
The CGDS Graduate Student RA Fellows work closely with the Director of CGDS, and are tasked with fostering the intellectual life of CGDS amongst affiliates and broader community by organizing and running biweekly core lab meetings, and assisting with programming and events.
Specifically, CGDS Graduate Student RA Fellows job duties include:
1. Hosting, scheduling, and planning Core Lab meetings (virtual or in person) in collaboration with the Centre leadership. In 2023-2024, fellows will take turns chairing the core lab meetings. Fellows also maintain and circulate agendas in advance of meetings, and take minutes during meetings. In contributing to planning the agenda for Core Lab meetings, the fellows have an important hand in shaping the conversations and focus of the life of the centre.
2. Each fellow will have the opportunity to curate a public-facing activist or academic event on a theme relevant to CGDS, developed in consultation with the Director and fellow RA. The event will showcase the fellow’s own expertise, work and/or fields of interest, as well as contribute to building the profile of CGDS. The budget for the event will be determined by the Director of CGDS based on available funds; all events will be supported by the Director and Centre Coordinator and will be held to the highest accessibility standards. A typical event, including 1-2 honoraria for speakers and interpreter fees, may run around $3,000-$5,000, depending on event format and assuming anticipated budgetary funds are available. Events may be virtual or in-person.
3. Assisting in maintaining and growing an external public presence. This could include contributing to social media (e.g., through directly posting or co-creating content), contributing to website and listserv maintenance, attending external events relevant to the centre’s theme, or representing the centre in other ways.
4. Maintaining ongoing professional communication and working in collaboration with the Centre Coordinator and Centre Director as part of the core administrative team charged with running the centre. Attending virtual or in-person administrative team meetings (e.g. monthly) to coordinate priorities and distribute operational tasks.
5. Supporting the long-term vision and development of the Centre through a variety of consultations with the Director and members. For example, working with the centre leadership to organize events, consult on communications describing the Centre, and generally contributing to envisioning future directions for CGDS.
6. Contributing to the development of a robust concept of global disability studies in the life of the Centre, on the UofT campus, and in the broader academic and activist community, and supporting the overall mission and values of CGDS, including accessibility in academia.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Note: The application period for the 2023-2024 RA fellowship is now closed. Learn about our RA’s Aparna Menon & Adrianna Michell.
Interested applicants should submit the following materials to cgds.utsc@utoronto.ca
- A current academic CV.
- A letter of interest describing why you would like to take on the role of CGDS RA Fellow for the coming year, how the mission and values of CGDS overlap with your own research interests, and why this is an ideal year for you to take on this role.
- If you like, you are also invited to include an optional paragraph describing a possible event that you would like to program through CGDS. These are intended as a way to imagine how a candidate imagines global disability studies; these event descriptions are not binding (if hired, the candidate could go an entirely different direction), nor is the centre bound to produce the event described should the candidate be hired for the role.
Applications will be reviewed by the Director of CGDS. The Director may consult current CGDS RAs, CGDS staff, and other members of the centre, especially those who currently hold relevant roles, in determining the final candidate(s).
Please do not hesitate to contact the Centre with questions regarding this role or the application procedure.
Graduate Study
Graduate students interested in joining the Centre for Global Disability Studies who are already enrolled at UofT are encouraged to attend a Core Lab meeting (held throughout the academic year) to meet the group. For more information, reach out to CGDS or the CGDS director by email.
Prospective graduate students wishing to join the community as part of their graduate work are encouraged to connect with CGDS-affiliated faculty from the department(s) in which you wish to study in the summer or fall prior to submitting your application for graduate study. Accepted prospective graduate students are also welcome to join a Core Lab meeting to learn more about CGDS.
Postdoctoral, Visiting Scholar, or Visiting Activist/Artist Opportunities
Recent PhDs interested in joining the Centre for Global Disability Studies for a Postdoctoral appointment are encouraged to get in touch by email with the centre director or an affiliated faculty member with similar research interests. There are several possibilities for pursuing postdoctoral funding that are available through the University of Toronto. There is not currently a funded postdoctoral role dedicated to CGDS.
Scholars, Activists, and Artists interested in spending a semester or year visiting CGDS are encouraged to get in touch by email. While we do not currently offer funded residencies, we may be able to arrange institutional affiliation for like-minded colleagues interested in participating in the life of the centre. There is not currently a formal visitor role, however, we welcome inquiries with the caveat that we may or may not have the capacity to support a visitor in a given year.