"Associate Professor/Professor in Sikh Studies"

The Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) invites applications for a full-time tenure stream position in Sikh Studies. The appointment will be at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor, with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2026. The successful candidate will also be eligible to be named as the inaugural holder of the Dr. Davindra Singh Chair in Sikh Studies for a five-year term, which will be renewable following a favourable review.

Candidates must have earned a PhD in Religious Studies or a cognate discipline, with a clearly demonstrated record of excellence in research and teaching. The successful candidate will have an established international reputation as an outstanding and innovative world-class researcher whose accomplishments have made a major impact in the field of Sikh studies, as commensurate with career stage. Candidates will have an established program and will be expected to sustain and lead innovative and independent research of the highest quality, and to maintain an outstanding, competitive, and externally funded research program which includes attracting, developing, and retaining excellent trainees, students, and future researchers. We seek candidates whose research and teaching interests should complement and enhance the expertise in the History of Religions Program in the Department of Historical Studies (https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/historical-studies/programs/history-religions). The successful candidate’s research must focus on Sikh Studies and demonstrate engagement with the cultural, historical, social and intellectual contexts of the religious tradition, reflecting the breadth of Sikh history and culture. The successful candidate must demonstrate linguistic mastery in Punjabi and other relevant languages of research. We invite candidates to articulate how they incorporate and interpret recent methodologies in their research and teaching statements, as outlined below.

The successful candidate must provide evidence of excellence in both research and teaching. Evidence of excellence in research will be demonstrated by a record of sustained high-impact contributions and publications in top-ranked and field-relevant journals, the submitted research statement, presentations at significant conferences, and other noteworthy activities that contribute to the visibility and prominence of the discipline, as well as awards, accolades and strong endorsements by renowned referees in the field.

Evidence of teaching excellence will be demonstrated through teaching accomplishments and documented in the teaching dossier submitted as part of the application, which should include a statement describing pedagogic strategies, sample course materials, and teaching evaluations, as well as strong letters of reference.

The successful applicant must have the ability to teach a broad range of courses from the introductory to the advanced level as part of the undergraduate curriculum in the History of Religions Program at the University of Toronto Mississauga. The successful candidate will also be a graduate member of the Department for the Study of Religion, where they will have the opportunity to teach, mentor, and supervise graduate students. Further information about the departments is available at https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/historical-studies and https://www.religion.utoronto.ca.

As the inaugural holder of the Dr. Davindra Singh Chair in Sikh Studies, the successful candidate will be expected to further a deeper understanding of Sikhism at the University of Toronto Mississauga, in the community within the university, the Peel Region, and Canada more broadly, through teaching, outreach, and research activities. Support for outreach activities will be provided enabling the successful candidate to host events as well as research and teaching activities.

Salary and rank will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

At UTM we are committed to fostering an environment of diversity and inclusion. With an enviable diverse student body, we especially welcome applications from candidates who identify as Indigenous, Black, or racially visible (persons of colour), and who have experience working with, teaching or mentoring diverse groups or students. Candidates must demonstrate, in their application materials, an ability to foster diversity on campus and within the curriculum or discipline, and must show evidence of a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and the promotion of a respectful and collegial environment. Candidates must submit a statement describing their contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion, which might cover topics such as (but not limited to): teaching that incorporates a focus on underrepresented communities; efforts undertaken to develop inclusive pedagogies, collaboration, and engagement with underrepresented communities; and mentoring of students from underrepresented groups.

All qualified candidates are invited to apply online. Applicants must submit a cover letter; a current curriculum vitae; a research statement outlining current and future research interests; one recent publication; a teaching dossier which includes a teaching statement, sample course materials, and teaching evaluations; and an EDI statement as outlined above.

Applicants must provide the name and contact information of three references. The University of Toronto’s recruiting tool will automatically solicit and collect letters of reference from each referee within 48 hours after an application is submitted. Applicants remain responsible for ensuring that references submit recent letters (on letterhead, dated, and signed) by the closing date.

All application materials, including recent reference letters, must be received by October 15, 2025.