UnborderED Knowledge Research Fellowship 2026: $33,000 Postdoctoral Opportunity in Canada

UnborderED Knowledge Research Fellowship 2026 offers a one-year, part-time postdoctoral position at the University of Ottawa with a $33,000 annual salary for eligible researchers with recent forced-migration experience.

The UnborderED Knowledge Research Fellowship 2026 is a one-year postdoctoral research opportunity at the University of Ottawa in Canada focused on participatory governance and the inclusion of displaced researchers and students in academic and research communities.

The position is part of the UnborderED Knowledge Research Project, a bilingual, interdisciplinary and pan-Canadian initiative funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The successful postdoctoral fellow will work on participatory research and governance activities designed to strengthen access to higher education, research and training opportunities for people with lived experiences of forced migration.

The position carries a salary of $33,000 per annum at 0.6 FTE and is scheduled to begin on October 1, 2026. The appointment is part-time and lasts for one year.

Applications must be submitted by September 17, 2026.

Fellowship Detail	Information
Position	Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
Project	UnborderED Knowledge Research Project
Host	University of Ottawa
Co-Supervisors	Dr Christina Clark-Kazak and Dr David Matsinhe
Partner	Amnesty International
Location	Ottawa, Ontario
Work Arrangement	In person or hybrid preferred; remote work in Ontario may be considered
Duration	1 year
Start Date	October 1, 2026
Workload	0.6 FTE, part-time
Salary	$33,000 per annum
Application Deadline	September 17, 2026
Language	Full fluency in English
French	Knowledge is an asset; training available
PhD Requirement	PhD or equivalent obtained within the last 5 years

What Is the UnborderED Knowledge Research Fellowship?

The fellowship is part of the UnborderED Knowledge Research Project, a national research initiative designed to address barriers faced by students and researchers with lived experiences of forced migration.

The project aims to widen and institutionalize access to higher education, research and training opportunities while helping connect the talents of displaced scholars with Canadian research communities and labour markets.

The project uses a participatory action research approach, placing displaced scholars and students directly within governance, research and training activities.

The postdoctoral fellow will therefore not simply conduct independent academic research. The role has a strong practical and collaborative focus, particularly around creating participatory governance structures for displaced researchers and students.

Fellowship Salary and Work Arrangement

The successful candidate will be employed by the University of Ottawa on a one-year, part-time basis.

The stated salary is:

$33,000 per annum at 0.6 FTE.

The position is based in Ottawa, Ontario, with in-person or hybrid work preferred. The source also states that remote work in Ontario may be considered.

This means the remote option is not described as an unrestricted work-from-anywhere arrangement. Applicants must be resident in Canada and legally entitled to work there for the duration of the employment contract.

Who Can Apply?

The eligibility requirements are highly specific.

Applicants must have:

A PhD or equivalent: The doctorate must generally have been awarded within the last five years, although the project allows specific circumstances and career interruptions to be taken into account. These can include health-related leave, childcare, displacement and other relevant circumstances.

Recent forced-migration experience: Applicants must have recent personal experience of forced migration. The source gives several examples, including resettled refugees, Convention refugees, refugee claimants, protected persons, people holding humanitarian visas or temporary resident permits, and people affected by specific immigration measures or deportation moratoriums.

Canadian work eligibility: Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada when they apply.

Canadian residency: Candidates must be resident in Canada when applying and remain resident in Canada throughout the employment contract.

English fluency: Complete fluency in English is required.

Knowledge of French is an asset, but candidates who are not fully fluent in French will be expected to participate in free French training courses at the University of Ottawa.

Academic and Professional Qualifications

Beyond the basic eligibility criteria, candidates should demonstrate expertise relevant to the fellowship’s focus on participatory governance.

The successful candidate is expected to have professional or voluntary experience involving participatory governance, such as committee participation or board membership within a non-profit or academic context.

Applicants should also demonstrate the ability to think creatively and synthesize information for non-academic audiences. Experience developing practical tools, guidelines or similar knowledge products can be particularly relevant.

Other important competencies include:

Exceptional written and oral communication skills
Strong project management and organizational ability
Experience facilitating discussions and workshops
Ability to collaborate in a research environment

Research Focus

The postdoctoral fellowship focuses primarily on creating and chairing Assemblies of displaced researchers and students and developing practical approaches to participatory governance.

The successful candidate will work with the project team to ensure that displaced scholars and students have meaningful participation in project governance and knowledge-sharing activities.

The role also involves exploring how participatory governance principles used within Amnesty International’s membership-based human rights movement can inform the design, facilitation and evaluation of the project’s Assemblies.

This creates an unusual research environment that connects academic participatory research with practical experience in democratic participation, movement building, advocacy and accountability.

Key Responsibilities

The postdoctoral fellow will lead the design, implementation and knowledge mobilization associated with several project activities.

A major responsibility will be overseeing the creation of Assemblies of displaced researchers and students. This includes developing terms of reference, organizing and chairing meetings, preparing mentoring materials and identifying challenges and potential solutions.

The fellow will also assist the project Secretariat with monthly online training and mentoring sessions involving displaced students and researchers.

Another major area of work is knowledge mobilization. The successful candidate will prepare presentations, reports and other products that communicate research findings and strategic recommendations to project stakeholders.

The fellow will also provide regular progress updates to the co-supervisors and the wider UnborderED Knowledge research team.

Expected Deliverables

The fellowship includes several defined research and knowledge-mobilization outputs.

These include an inception report outlining the workplan, methodology for developing terms of reference and mentoring strategies.

The successful candidate will also prepare an annotated bibliography of best practices in participatory governance, followed by a draft report examining lessons learned and promising practices for the UnborderED Knowledge project.

Other deliverables include a validation and interpretation workshop, a final report incorporating feedback from co-supervisors, and a dissemination plan.

The researcher will also present the findings to the UnborderED consortium and other relevant stakeholders.

One of the more practical outputs will be a learning brief or toolkit on participatory governance for displaced researcher and student engagement, drawing upon lessons from the UnborderED project and Amnesty International’s movement-based governance experience.

University of Ottawa Research Environment

The fellowship is hosted by the University of Ottawa, described in the source as the largest bilingual French-English university in the world.

The university is also a member of the U15 group of Canada’s research-intensive universities and provides the successful candidate with access to its libraries, language and skills training and research facilities.

The fellow will work within the UnborderED Knowledge research team while also benefiting from co-supervision involving Amnesty International.

This combination offers an opportunity to work at the intersection of academic research, participatory governance, human rights and knowledge mobilization.

Role of Amnesty International

Amnesty International contributes to the fellowship through co-supervision and expertise in areas including human rights, social justice, participatory governance, movement-based advocacy, membership participation and activist leadership.

The collaboration is intended to help the postdoctoral researcher examine how principles of participatory governance in a global human rights movement can inform governance structures involving displaced scholars and students.

This provides an important practical dimension to the research beyond a purely academic setting.

How to Apply

Applications are submitted through the official online application form.

Applicants are required to provide a cover letter summarizing their research experience and explaining experience relevant to the fellowship’s research topic.

A CV including a list of publications must also be submitted.

One particularly important application instruction is that AI-generated materials will not be accepted. Applicants should therefore prepare their own cover letter and other application materials in accordance with the stated requirements.

Candidates should also ensure that they satisfy the Canadian residency and work-authorization requirements before applying.

Application Deadline

The deadline for the UnborderED Knowledge Research Fellowship is:

September 17, 2026

The position is scheduled to start on:

October 1, 2026

Because the role is linked to a one-year employment contract and requires Canadian residency and legal work eligibility, applicants should confirm these conditions before submitting their materials.

Who Should Consider This Fellowship?

This opportunity is particularly suited to researchers whose academic and professional interests intersect with forced migration, participatory governance, displacement, human rights, social justice, higher education access or community participation.

However, the fellowship is not broadly open to every international postdoctoral researcher.

The requirement for recent personal experience of forced migration is a central eligibility condition, alongside Canadian residency and work authorization.

Candidates who meet those requirements and also have practical experience in participatory governance, group facilitation, project management and research communication may find the fellowship especially well aligned with their profile.

Final Thoughts

The UnborderED Knowledge Research Fellowship 2026 is a specialized postdoctoral opportunity at the University of Ottawa combining research, participatory governance, forced-migration expertise and practical knowledge mobilization.

The successful researcher will receive a $33,000 annual salary at 0.6 FTE for a one-year appointment beginning October 1, 2026. The role involves collaborating with the UnborderED Knowledge team and Amnesty International to strengthen the participation of displaced researchers and students in research governance and training.

The fellowship has unusually specific eligibility requirements. Applicants must have obtained a PhD or equivalent within the last five years, possess recent personal experience of forced migration, be legally entitled to work in Canada and be resident in Canada throughout the contract.

The application deadline is September 17, 2026. Candidates should carefully review these eligibility conditions before preparing their application and ensure that their cover letter and CV are entirely their own work, given the explicit prohibition on AI-generated application materials.

Official Application

Apply Online: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/NfLVRfSr5E

Deadline: September 17, 2026

Host: University of Ottawa, Canada

Salary: $33,000 per annum at 0.6 FTE

Start Date: October 1, 2026

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