Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture

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Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above.

Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. It is a tier one research university of over 55,000 students and 5,700 faculty ranked among the top twenty universities in the world and the top three in Canada. The campus is recognized for its global leadership in research and teaching sustainable landscape architecture, planning, and infrastructure.

The UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) is the #1 ranked school of architecture and the built environment in Canada according to the 2021 QS World University Rankings. With a close-knit and collaborative academic community of approximately 24 faculty and 400 students within the University of British Columbia, SALA offers accredited graduate professional degree programs in architecture and landscape architecture, post-professional graduate programs in urban design and high-performance buildings, and a growing undergraduate program in design. The School is recognized for its commitment to quality interdisciplinary design education that engages urgent human and environmental issues of our times by integrating the built and natural environments across scales. The School engages these themes through many academic and research interactions with the ’living laboratories’ of UBC campus, the Vancouver metropolitan region, and our professional communities.

The School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver campus, seeks a full-time tenure track Assistant Professor in Landscape Architecture to begin July 01, 2023. We seek individuals with a research agenda or design practice engaged in reimagining ecological principles of design in the context of urgent and emergent challenges in the field of landscape architecture. These might include local Indigenous knowledge, environmental justice, planetary health and biodiversity,regional networks and systems, ecological infrastructures, landscape management and stewardship, planting design, and design for more-than humans.

The successful candidate will pursue a productive research and scholarship agenda related to their expertise and lived experiences, and contribute to the development of innovative pedagogical and curricular initiatives related to their scholarly activities.

Teaching responsibilities will primarily be within the Master of Landscape Architecture program. However, SALA encourages interdisciplinarity, and teaching opportunities in other programs, including the Master of Architecture, Master of Urban Design, and the Bachelor of Design programs. Teaching assignments may include design studios, design representation and visualization, landscape ecology, environmental justice, climate change, and courses related to the candidate’s research agenda. Additionally, the successful candidate will contribute to service within the School, the University and to the academic and professional community. Joining the faculty at SALA also offers the opportunity to engage with a robust network of scholars and practicing professionals, as well as opportunities to connect with other UBC departments and programs.

The School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture is committed to equity and diversity. The School recognizes that addressing systemic injustices and inequities is critical to advancing design pedagogy and practice. We also recognize that changing our practices in hiring and providing ongoing support to faculty members is necessary to address inequity, and endeavors to change our practices in order to be a better leader in the global struggle for equity.

As a school, we have committed ourselves to create the systemic changes required to address the numerous forms of discrimination operating today. This encompasses racial injustice as well as other forms of oppression, including those related to gender, sexuality, religion, colonialism, and invisible as well as physical forms of disability. The School is working to address these challenges within the School as well as the context of the disciplines we teach. The ‘pipeline problem’ of a lack of diversity in the professions is directly related, though not limited, to what happens in university education.

SALA’s approach aligns with , which operationalizes the theme of inclusion, and supports the themes of innovation and collaboration in Shaping UBC’s Next Century. Our university will continue to develop its potential as a ground-breaking 21st century institution, including its leadership in creating global influence through its equitable, diverse, and inclusive campuses. The Inclusion Action Plan supports UBC’s commitments to reconciliation, and recognition of our locations on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of Indigenous peoples. This history and relationship with these lands frames our efforts to understand decolonization in the context of all our inclusion efforts. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are the conditions for attracting and retaining the best and brightest students, staff, and faculty from around the world, and understanding how we best create the environments in which we work, learn, and live.

Candidates will hold a terminal degree in Landscape Architecture from an accredited program, or relevant combination of education and experience. Preference will be given to candidates with a PhD in a related field relevant to the position, and a track record of, or demonstrated potential for, innovative approaches to research and teaching that leverage lived experience, and advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion in the discipline. Preference will also be given to those able to engage with and contribute to the design and interdisciplinary culture of SALA.

SALA recognizes that an open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been historically under-represented or discouraged. SALA will uphold an ethical framework for engaging systematically marginalized communities and will advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion within our disciplines, professions, and broader communities. Recruitment for this position has been approved as a Special Program by the British Columbia Office of the Human Rights Commissioner, for individuals who self-identify as possessing protected personal characteristics in the category of “race, colour, ancestry, and place of origin.” We actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to equity, including, but not limited to:

Candidates from these groups who wish to qualify for preferential consideration will be asked to self-identify on the following survey:

We recognize that many of these identities intersect and that equity, diversity and inclusion can be complex as a result. We value the contributions that each person brings and are committed to ensuring full and equal participation for all in our community. All applicants will be asked to complete a voluntary and anonymous equity survey with their application. The survey link will be sent to all applicants via email following their application.

Applicants who identify as possessing personal characteristics protected in the BC Human Rights Code outside of the category of race, colour, ancestry, and place of origin are also encouraged to apply and are asked to note this in the equity survey.

We welcome applications from qualified candidates. To be considered, the following information constitute a full application package:

Please note: Keep submissions to a maximum of 20 pages. Files can be uploaded in the My Experience section under Application Documents. You will be allowed to upload a maximum of 5 files with a max file size of 5 MB each (25 MB total). Feel free to combine your cover letter, CV and references into one file.

Accessibility or special consideration accommodations are available upon request for all applicants at all stages of the selection process. To confidentially request accommodations, please contact HR@sala.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 B.C. 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, in accordance with Canadian Immigration requirements, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

Applications deadline Monday, January 15th, 2023

Applications reviewed through early February 2023

First Interviews (via Zoom) will occur February 2023

Second Interviews (in-person) will occur in March and April 2023

Final deliberations will occur between late April/early May 2023

UBC advances and promotes respectful and inclusive relationships between UBC and communities of which it is a part. These values are embedded in the goals and themes of UBC’s 2020 strategic plan ( ), an Indigenous Strategic Plan ( ), and facilitated by an Office of Community Engagement Support ( ).

You can learn more about UBC’s Inclusion Action Plan at:

UBC is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, a dynamic growing urban region of approximately 2.5 million on the west coast of Canada. A gateway to the Pacific Rim, Vancouver is recognized for its quality of life and environment, commitment to sustainability, and related progressive practices in architecture, urban design, and landscape architecture. The region offers a dramatic natural context of urban and suburban settlements and landscapes that offer provocative laboratories for the study of architecture, landscape architecture and urban design.

For further information about the School and the search process contact:

Daljeet Meet, SALA Human Resources Specialist