Call for Post-Doctoral Fellowship Applications

The Structural Islamophobia Research Lab (SIRL) Fellowship on Islamophobia and Canada’s Immigration Regime

The Structural Islamophobia Research Lab (SIRL) – at the Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS), University of Toronto – supports the best and brightest minds committed to examining institutionally entrenched modes of Islamophobia that defy simplistic analyses and require creative research methods.

Over the years, and specially under the War on Terror, several aspects of Canadian immigration have come under scrutiny (such as security certificates, unconstitutional detentions, and others).  These studies have interrogated how citizenship, immigration, and refugee law and policy — in the service of national security —, have been discriminatory and harmful towards racialized communities. This critique of the regime is important.  But, surprisingly, there remains a gap in a holistic undertaking of how Muslim-identified persons in particular are subject to exclusionary effects through the immigration regime.  This call for applications is designed to address this lacuna.  

This call for applications is for candidates to examine Canada’s federal immigration law and policy in order to understand the mechanisms through which Muslim-identified individuals face disproportionate scrutiny. Within this broad scope, we invite inquiry into how racial and Orientalist notions are coded into laws, policies and institutional practices in various arenas of the immigration regime, and how these notions may shape regime findings and actions, such as inadmissibility, CBSA stops and detentions, and visa programs from Muslim majority countries. 

The successful applicant will ideally be well-versed in Canada’s immigration regime, while bringing to the study interdisciplinary methodologies from the humanities and interpretive social sciences, including but not limited to critical race and decolonial theoretical approaches, which would inform the project and the analysis undertaken therein. 

Eligibility Requirements

• Open to candidates with a completed PhD no earlier than December 2020.
• PhD candidates may apply if they complete their dissertation defence successfully no later than July 1, 2025
• All nationalities may apply

Preference will be given to those with:

• A proven record of research on immigration laws and policies in Canada
• Experience obtaining and analyzing government data/records incl. using ATIPs
• Knowledge of diverse social science methodological approaches
• An appreciation for the landscape of Islamophobia studies 
• Experience working with Muslim communities and organizational partners

Details on the Fellowship

• Renumeration: $65,000 CAD per year
• Duration: one to two years
• Location: required to be in residence at the University of Toronto
• Start Date: September 1, 2025
• Only one fellowship on this topic is available at this time

Application Process

• Application materials include CV, statement of interest, research proposal, a writing sample, and contact information for three references. 
• Re: Research Proposal: The Research Proposal should specify the research objectives, research plan, theoretical approach, methodology, and preliminary ideas for knowledge dissemination. The proposal or statement should speak to the candidate’s training, interest, and background that prepares them to take on the proposed research project (max 2000 words). 
• Please submit all application materials via email to islamicstudies@utoronto.ca
• In the subject heading of the email, please use the following: “SIRL Application – Immigration”
• The application deadline is April 15, 2025
• Decisions will be announced by May 2025

For any questions, please direct inquiries to islamicstudies@utoronto.ca

A PDF version of this posting can be found here.