Assistant Professor in Mobility Justice: Equity & Mobilities

The Urban Studies Program (URB) at Simon Fraser University is a vibrantly interdisciplinary and collegial unit committed to engagements with critical urban studies through research, teaching, and connections with local and regional policy and practice. We are an established post-graduate program offering two credentials, a graduate diploma and a Master’s of Arts in Urban Studies, and we launched a new undergraduate degree, Urban Worlds, in 2024.  

We invite applications for a full-time tenure-track position in Mobility Justice: Equity & Mobilities at the rank of Assistant Professor starting as early as July 15, 2027.   

 REQUIREMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS    

The successful candidate must have a PhD in urban studies, sociology, geography, political science, public health, planning, public policy or related discipline, completed by the appointment start date. PhD candidates with a solid indication of imminent completion may be hired at the rank of Instructor and will be promoted to the rank of Assistant Professor upon completion of their PhD.  

The ideal candidate will have:  

• Demonstrated research excellence, including a track record of research outputs in (but not limited to) one or more of the following areas: active transportation, public transit, micromobility, accessible cities, and related fields.  
• An interdisciplinary research agenda that engages with disciplines such as urban planning, geography, sociology, political science, economics, public health, engineering, public policy, and related disciplines, in an effort to understand inequalities and mobility justice in one or more of the following areas: access to mobility,  transportation, urban services and opportunities; accessibility and disability; urban design; socioeconomic inequalities; the political economy of transportation; and/or the uneven impacts of mobility systems across different populations and places.   
• Mixed methods expertise, especially to enhance the quantitative and/or spatial analysis aspects of the Program’s research strengths and core curriculum.
• Demonstrated teaching experience in areas such as transportation, mobility, design, accessibility, disability, and quantitative or spatial methods.  
• Demonstrated experience in, or potential to undertake, collaborative and community-engaged research with communities and/or community-based organizations working on issues related to mobility justice.
•  A research agenda (existing or under development) in the Canadian or local BC region.   
• Ability to work effectively with colleagues across disciplinary fields in the social sciences and humanities. 
• Potential for, or demonstrated record of, administrative service contribution to university and academic communities. 

DUTIES 

The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the University’s research excellence through a rigorous research program. The successful candidate will be expected to teach courses in both undergraduate and graduate programs: one of these courses will be Transportation and Urban Development (URB 460/660), and one course will be based out of our Surrey Campus. Graduate supervision is expected. A normal teaching load for a tenure-track research faculty member is four courses per year over two 13-week semesters. Finally, it is expected that the successful candidate will contribute to the Program, Faculty, University, and academic community through service. 

 APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS 

Applications should include: 

• A cover letter summarizing the applicant’s experience, qualifications, and interest in the position.    
• A complete CV.  
• The name, title, institutional affiliation, and contact information of three academic referees.  
• A two-page research statement that outlines the applicant’s research program and speaks explicitly to how the applicant incorporates equity and justice in their work.  
• One writing sample that is published or under review.   
• A one-page teaching statement on the applicant’s teaching philosophy.  
• A one-page outline of an upper-division undergraduate Transportation and Urban Development course, including a 250-word description and up to 5 core texts. 

Applications should be addressed to Dr. Tiffany Muller Myrdahl, Program Director, and submitted electronically to urbhire@sfu.ca.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority.  

Applications should be received prior to November 30, 2026. Long-list virtual interviews are intended to occur in early January 2027; on-campus interviews for short-listed candidates are intended occur in mid-February 2027.   

Faculty salaries at SFU are based on the salary scales bargained between the University and the SFU Faculty Association. A reasonable estimate of the salary range for the Assistant Professor rank is $104,700 to $133,322. 

A reasonable estimate for salary if the successful candidate will be starting as an Instructor is $98,340. 

This is a junior faculty position; only those holding or those eligible to be appointed to the rank of Assistant Professor will be considered. This position is subject to the availability of funding. 

 All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority. 

About SFU 

We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh (Squamish), səl̓ ilw̓ ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), q̓ íc̓ əy̓ (Katzie), kʷikʷəƛ̓ əm (Kwikwetlem), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), qʼʷa:n̓ ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen), Səmyámə (Semiahmoo), and sc̓ əwaθən (Tsawwassen) Peoples, on whose unceded traditional territories Simon Fraser University’s three campuses stand. By recognizing the Unceded Traditional Coast Salish territories, we aspire to create space for reconciliation through dialogue and decolonizing practices. 

SFU is an equity employer and strongly encourages applications from all qualified individuals including women, Indigenous Peoples, racialized persons, people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, persons with disabilities and others who may contribute to the further diversification of the University.

Personal information that forms part of an application is collected under the general authority of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, applicable University Policies and the SFUFA/SFU Collective Agreement. For further details, see the full Collection Notice