Funded Masters of Arts (Island Studies) position University of Prince Edward Island

Scroll this

Funded Masters of Arts (Island Studies) position studying “Island Metabolisms and the Genesis of the Canadian Agri‑Food System.”

This position offers up to two years of funding ($20,000 per year) for a highly motivated graduate student in the UPEI Master of Arts in Island Studies (thesis stream) to join the GeoREACH Lab and undertake original, research-intensive work on islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and lower St. Lawrence River regions. The successful applicant will develop and apply historical and geographical research methods to the study of social ecological metabolism, with particular emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The project will involve close engagement with archival and secondary sources, including French‑Canadian materials, and will contribute to a deeper understanding of island food systems, energy landscapes, infrastructures, and socio‑environmental change. Applicants should hold an undergraduate degree in history, geography, Atlantic Canada studies, or a related discipline; fluency in French is considered an asset, and the ability to read and conduct research in French is required.

The student will work under the supervision of Dr. Joshua MacFadyen, Director of the UPEI GeoREACH Lab, and will become an active member of the SSHRC Insight Grant–funded project Genèse du système agro‑alimentaire canadien: trajectoires paysagères, infrastructures techniques et commercialisation, 1870–1930 (Genesis of the Canadian Agri‑Food System). Through this collaboration, the student will gain experience working within a larger, interdisciplinary research team and will have regular opportunities to collaborate with partners at Université du Québec à Trois‑Rivières, where the project is led by the principal investigator, Dr. Stéphane Castonguay. The position provides a strong foundation for advanced graduate training, scholarly publication, and professional development in historical geography, island studies, and environmental history.

Application Process:

Interested applicants should submit a brief (2-page) statement of research interests, a curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information of two academic referees directly to Dr. Joshua MacFadyen (jdmacfadyen@upei.ca) for initial consideration (all applicants). In addition, applicants must submit a formal application to the MA in Island Studies (thesis stream) through UPEI Graduate Admissions by August 15 for domestic applicants. Please include some of the same brief (2-page) statement of research interests in the Statement of (Research) Interests required for the application. Admission to the program is required for the appointment to proceed, and applicants are encouraged to consult UPEI Graduate Studies for full application requirements.

Full details at HERE.

Feature Image: Rustico, Prince Edward Island, by Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA 2.0.

The following two tabs change content below.
My Twitter profileMy LinkedIn profile

Josh MacFadyen

Associate Professor at University of Prince Edward Island
I am an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of Prince Edward Island where I teach in the Applied Communication, Leadership & Culture Program in the Faculty of Arts. My research focuses on the history of biomass energy and agriculture. From 2012-2014 I was the NiCHE project coordinator, and I served on the NiCHE editorial board until 2018.

NiCHE encourages comments and constructive discussion of our articles. We reserve the right to delete comments that fail to meet our guidelines including comments under aliases, or that contain spam, harassment, or attacks on an individual.