Situated on the Traditional Territories of the fourteen Yukon First Nations, Yukon University is Canada’s first university north of 60. YukonU is guided by the indomitable spirit of the wilderness and millennia of resilience and resourcefulness. Our new Strategic Plan prioritizes the development of northern expertise.
The Research Chair in Northern Policy is an essential part of this important work, as we position YukonU to contribute the knowledge and expertise needed to advance the vision and interests of Yukon First Nation governments and support the sustainability of Indigenous self-government and land claim agreements.
The Chair will conduct research aligned with the focus of YukonU’s Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Governance (IGD) and/or Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) programs—the first undergraduate degrees offered independently by a postsecondary institution in Canada’s Far North—and set the foundation for potential new program development in the area of Northern Policy. We are looking for someone who is excited about collaborating with faculty members, mentoring new scholars, engaging students in research, and building new possibilities to serve the needs of Canada’s North.
In addition to conducting research in an area of relevance to Northern Policy, the Chair will also be invited to teach within the IGD or BBA programs during the 4-month residency, with the potential division of responsibilities being 80% research/20% teaching. The Chair also has an opportunity to deliver a public lecture related to their research and to engage with Yukon University faculty and Yukon First Nations leaders.
Specializations: Indigenous self-governance/self-determination; land claims, modern treaties, and ancestral lifeways; entrepreneurship in remote/rural communities; community economic development, northern decolonization, and decolonial business development northern public policy in the context of climate change; arctic sovereignty.