I am always interested in working and collaborating with enthusiastic and engaged graduate students. If you have a research idea that you think relates to my interests, please feel free to contact me at jchristensen@mun.ca
Current graduate research opportunities: two fully-funded MA positions in Geography, Memorial University (2018-2020)
I am currently seeking two students at the MA level to work on thesis projects related to the social dimensions of Arctic urbanization, northern housing policy, and homelessness, with an ideal start date of September 2018. Students will also contribute to the work of the Research Storytelling Lab through their use of creative methods (i.e. storytelling, participatory visual methods) and community-engaged research approaches. Research group members will also be affiliated with the Northern Policy Research Innovation Initiative linked to the CRC.
Possible MA thesis projects include, but are not limited to, investigations related to the following: 1) Housing First programs in northern cities; 2) gendered and/or family experiences of northern housing policy, including interactions with the child welfare system; 3) community-led housing initiatives, social determinants of health and culturally-safe housing policy in northern Indigenous communities in the Canadian and/or circumpolar northern context; 4) rural-urban migration, experiences of homelessness, and health and social services delivery; and, 5) the emergence of new communities of support for people living homeless, women and families, migrants or other marginalized groups in Arctic and northern cities.
Applicants must be highly-motivated to undertake a two-year MA program in Geography and prepared to engage in field research in northern and/or circumpolar locales. Suitable academic backgrounds include geography, urban studies, planning, political science, anthropology, social work, and sociology. Pre-existing interests in community engagement, critical Indigenous studies, Arctic studies, northern and Indigenous social and health policy and practice, housing and homelessness, and creative research methods would be beneficial. Familiarity with northern and/or Indigenous communities is a significant asset. Indigenous and northern students are strongly encouraged to apply.
Comprehensive funding packages for two years of full-time study including research-related travel are available, with opportunities to augment the amounts through internal and external scholarships and teaching assistantships.
Before applying directly to Memorial, anyone interested should contact me directly at jchristensen@mun.ca with a brief statement of interest, recent CV and unofficial transcript. The applicant will ultimately be required to submit a formal application for graduate studies at Memorial and meet all the institutional and departmental requirements for admission.
The Province of Newfoundland and Labrador is situated within the vast traditional territories of the Beothuk, Mi’kmaq, the Inuit of Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut, and the Innu of Nitassinan. The two MA positions will be located in the City of St. John’s, on the main campus of Memorial University. We are privileged at Memorial University, St. John’s Campus, to be located on the beautiful ancestral homelands of the Beothuk people.
St. John’s is a vibrant coastal city with an incredible arts and culture scene, and limitless possibilities for outdoor adventure. Memorial University is one of the largest universities in Atlantic Canada, with many specialized research centres, and has a strong reputation in northern and community-engaged research. Memorial University also has a diverse student body, with undergraduate and graduate students from across Canada and the world.