Position Title / Rank: Assistant Professor in Equine Biosciences
Department: Animal Biosciences
Req # 2789

Position Description:

The Animal Biosciences department at the University of Guelph invites applications for a tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level. The Assistant Professor in Equine Biosciences has a distribution of effort of 50% Teaching, 30% Research, and 20% Service.

The successful candidate will be expected to make significant contributions to the academic and professional community through within the Department, College, University, and equine industry and will help shape the future of Equine Science at the University of Guelph.
Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate established engagement with the Canadian or international equine industry through applied research, extension, coaching, competition, welfare organizations, breed associations, or other professional activities.

This position is a unique opportunity for an educator-scholar who is passionate about advancing undergraduate equine education while developing an innovative research program that supports the Canadian equine industry. The successful candidate will contribute to teaching excellence, establish a productive and externally funded research program, and provide academic and professional leadership within the University's evolving Equine Science program.

Key Responsibilities:

Teaching responsibilities: The successful candidate will contribute to undergraduate teaching within the Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) and related Animal Biosciences programs. Teaching responsibilities will include a combination of introductory and senior undergraduate courses in areas such as: Equine Management, Trends and Issues in the industry, Equine Reproduction, Equine Behaviour and Welfare, Equine Nutrition, and Equine Anatomy and Physiology.

The successful candidate will be expected to employ evidence-based teaching practices and contribute to curriculum modernization as the Department transitions from the Bachelor of Bio-Resource Management (Equine Management) program to the new Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) major in Equine Science. Within approximately three years of appointment, the successful candidate is expected to assume the role of Faculty Advisor for Equine Science students, providing academic advising, career mentoring, support for co-operative education placements, and oversight of experiential learning requirements.

Research responsibilities: The successful candidate will establish an externally funded research program that complements departmental strengths while addressing current challenges facing the equine industry. The candidate is expected to develop national and international research collaborations.

Applicants working in a broad range of disciplines are encouraged to apply, including but not limited to: Equitation science, Equine behaviour, Equine welfare, Systems biology, Equine physiology, Equine nutrition, and Equine genetics. Other complementary areas that advance equine health, welfare, management or performance will also be considered.

Service responsibilities: The successful candidate will be expected to make significant contributions to the academic and professional community through service within the Department, College, University, and equine industry.

Responsibilities are expected to include: contributing to curriculum development during the transition to the new B.Sc.(Agr.) Equine Science major; serving on departmental and program committees; working closely with the Ontario Agricultural College Program Counsellor on student advising, transfer credit assessments, exchange students, graduation reviews, and recruitment; participating in student recruitment activities including Open House events and prospective student outreach; engaging with the Ontario and Canadian equine industries through professional organizations, extension activities, continuing education, or other forms of knowledge mobilization.

The University of Guelph is a research-intensive university, ranked highly among comparable Canadian institutions with access to the Ontario Agri-Food Research Alliance Animal Research Centres https://www.uoguelph.ca/alliance/research-facilities/research-centres/animal-research-centres.The successful candidate will be a core faculty member of the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare https://ccsaw.uoguelph.ca, the largest group of animal welfare faculty and students in North America. The Department of Animal Biosciences is home to 26 faculty with expertise in genetics, nutrition, behaviour and welfare and physiology across livestock, poultry, aquaculture, companion animals and horses, providing numerous opportunities for multi-disciplinary collaboration.

The University of Guelph resides on the traditional lands and territory of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee and Huron Wendat. These lands are now home to a rich diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. We offer our respect and gratitude to our Indigenous neighbours and affirm our responsibility to realize our commitments to reconciliation through ongoing action. We are guided in this work by Bi-Naagward | It Comes into View, the Indigenous Initiatives Strategy.

The University of Guelph is the third largest employer in Guelph, a city of over 144,000 people, located about an hour drive west of Toronto, Ontario. University of Guelph is a top-ranked comprehensive university in Canada with an enrolment of more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across more than 40 academic units. The University is known for its commitment to student learning, innovative research, and collaboration with world-class partners. It is a unique place, with transformative research and teaching and a distinctive campus culture. People who learn and work here are shaped and inspired by a shared purpose: To Improve Life. Reflecting that shared purpose in every experience connected to our university positions us to create positive change, here and around the world. Our University community shares a profound sense of social responsibility, a drive for international development, and an obligation to address global issues.

This position is represented by the University of Guelph Faculty Association (UGFA).
The University of Guelph commits to fostering inclusive excellence through promoting Indigenization, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. Inclusion is a core pillar of Our Time, our strategic plan, which pledges to “transform our human resources, governance and student services and practices across the University to enable us to recruit a diverse student, faculty and staff body and support them in achieving their personal, professional and scholarly goals.” The University commits to creating and maintaining “equitable work environments that empower us in our pursuit of student, faculty and staff success, research excellence, innovation and impact.”

The University of Guelph invites applications from all qualified individuals; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. We strongly welcome and encourage applications from members of designated groups in employment, including Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, racialized persons, women, and 2SLGBTQIA+ persons.

The University of Guelph recognizes that career paths can be diverse and career interruptions may occur. We encourage applicants to note in their applications whether they would like considerations given to the impact of any circumstances, such as (but not limited to) those due to health and/or family reasons, that may have affected an applicant’s record of achievement. You are not required to disclose these circumstances in the hiring process. If you choose to do so, the University will ensure that these circumstances do not negatively impact the assessment of your qualifications for the position.

The University of Guelph is committed to ensuring all applicants have fair and equitable participation in the hiring process. If you anticipate needing accommodations during the recruitment or selection processes, confidential assistance is available on request by contacting Dr. Anna Kate Shoveller at: ashovell@uoguelph.ca;

University of Guelph, Animal Biosciences Department jobs

Assistant Professor in Equine Biosciences