Department: School of Disability Studies, Faculty of Community Services
Position supervisor: TBD - School of Disability Studies
Contract length: Two-year term
Start Date: September 2026
Hours of work per week: 36.25
Position type: Post-Doctoral Fellow
Rate of pay: $65,000 per annum
Work location: On-site or virtual (depending on supervisor) in Toronto, Ontario
Deadline date: May 15, 2026

About Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)

At the intersection of mind and action, Toronto Metropolitan University is on a transformative path to become Canada’s leading comprehensive innovation university. Integral to this path is the placement of equity, diversity and inclusion as fundamental to our institutional culture. Our current academic plan outlines each as core values and we work to embed them in all that we do.

Toronto Metropolitan University welcomes those who have demonstrated a commitment to upholding the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion and will assist us to expand our capacity for diversity in the broadest sense. In addition, to correct the conditions of disadvantage in employment in Canada, we encourage applications from members of groups that have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples, Indigenous peoples of North America, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and those who identify as women and/or 2SLGBTQ+. Please note that all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, applications from Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

As an employer, we are working towards a people first culture and are proud to have been selected as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers and a Greater Toronto’s Top Employer for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

About the School of Disability Studies

Established in 1999, Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Disability Studies offers an undergraduate curriculum that brings disability and mad studies to the wider university and through undergraduate and postdoctoral training. The School’s award-winning curriculum and scholarship is infused with social justice, critical analysis, and links to local and international initiatives, activism and arts.

The fellow will join a core team of faculty, postdoctoral fellows and research staff, contributing to the School’s strong tradition of high quality academic and public pedagogy. The School is at an exciting moment in its trajectory. The fellowship tenure will coincide with a period of engagement with program renewal, intersectional curriculum development and the animation of a disability studies research and teaching lab. The fellow will participate in the School’s and lab’s scholarly activities and will be encouraged and supported to apply for external funding.

Website: https://www.torontomu.ca/disability-studies/

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Blog - Vision, Passion, Action - http://radssite.wordpress.com

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Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2387431727/

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Twitter - @DS_TorontoMetU
Instagram - DS_TorontoMetU

The Opportunity

TheSchool of Disability Studies in the Faculty of Community Services at Toronto Metropolitan University invites applications for the Ethel Louise Armstrong Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Disability Studies. With a gift from the Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation, this fellowship was established to further the scholarly contributions of disabled women. It is intended for a disabled scholar who self-identifies as a woman, trans, gender fluid, non binary and/or two-spirited person who has completed doctoral studies within the past five years in disability studies and/or mad studies scholarship related to Disability Studies.

Responsibilities

Based in the School of Disability Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University, the incumbent will be expected to:

• Enhance and expand the scholarship of the School as a site for disability/Deaf/mad studies
• Attend and participate in departmental and other committee meetings/operational meetings of the School
• Design and implement a relevant program of community-engaged disability and/or mad studies research and publication
• Seek opportunities for collaborative research and publication
• Engage with students in the School of Disability Studies, the Faculty of Community Services, and broadly with Toronto Metropolitan University by fostering collaborative relationships, and opportunities for service.
• Deliver an annual public lecture on their research
• Engage with and contribute to the collegial life in and around the School
• Write interim and final reports on fellowship achievements

The postdoctoral fellow will also be given the opportunity to have two teaching contracts in the School of Disability Studies per each year of their position.

This opportunity is for a two-year term beginning September 2026. The postdoctoral fellow will have an office in the School of Disability Studies. This position can be held onsite or virtual (depending on supervisor).

Qualifications

The candidate will have completed a PhD (i.e. final draft submitted) or expect to do so by September 2026, and is expected to establish a regular presence that facilitates full participation in the academic and cultural life of the School of Disability Studies.

Candidates must have a demonstrated commitment to upholding the values of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion as it pertains to all activities related to the Fellowship.

How to apply

Please email your application to Dr. Lynn Lavallee at lavallee@torontomu.ca by May 15, 2026. Applications should be submitted in screen readable PDF or word formats. In the subject line please indicate: Ethel Louise Armstrong Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Disability Studies.

Applications should include:

• A one page cover letter of application that describes the focus of your work including an articulation of how you are situated in relation to disability studies and/or mad studies;

• Outline for a two-year program of activity that will advance disability, mad and/or Deaf studies scholarship highlighting the community-engaged aspects of the research program (500 words maximum)

• A curriculum vitae in

  (word file)

  OCGS format

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• Two recent publications and/or creative product relevant to the application

• Two letters of reference attesting to your capacity for post-doctoral research.

Please send any inquiries about the award via email to:
Dr. Lynn Lavallee
lavallee@torontomu.ca
School of Disability Studies
Toronto Metropolitan University

We thank all candidates for their interest, however, only candidates who are invited to an interview will be contacted.

Toronto Metropolitan University’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

• We encourage all First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples or Indigenous peoples of North America, to self-identify in their applications. If you are an Indigenous applicant and require support during the recruitment process, please reach out to James McKay, Indigenous HR Lead at james13@torontomu.ca.
• Toronto Metropolitan University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and aims to ensure that independence, dignity, integration and equality of opportunity are embedded in all aspects of the university culture.
• We will provide accessible experience for applicants, students, employees, and members of the Toronto Metropolitan University community. We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the recruitment process. If you have restrictions that need to be accommodated to fully participate in any phase of the recruitment process, please reach out to Human Resources:
  • Current employees can contact HR by logging into AskHR to submit a request.
  • External candidates who do not have TMU login credentials can contact HR by visiting torontomu.ca/human-resources/askhr/.
• All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.