Details
Application Deadline: July 15, 2025.
Compensation: CAD $ 70,000 per year salary
Location: Toronto (in-residence at UTSC)
Start Date: September or October 2025 (flexible to accommodate the candidate’s schedule or immigration requirement, if needed).
Duration: 1 year, renewable for a 2nd year
Salary: $70,000 CAD/year
Time Allocation: 25 hrs/week AE project; 15 hrs/week personal research
FTE: 100% (40 hrs/week)
More info
The hiring committee invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Socio-Political Impacts of AI-Driven Battery Materials Discovery, part of the Automating Extraction (AE) research project based at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
The AE project explores the social, political, economic, and epistemological implications of Self-Driving Labs (SDLs)—AI-driven research systems used to accelerate battery materials discovery for energy transition. While these technologies promise efficiency and reduced reliance on scarce minerals, they also risk reshaping extractive economies, scientific labour, and global mineral supply chains in ways that remain under-examined.
Research Focus
The fellowship supports critical, interdisciplinary research that:
- Reviews the development of SDLs in science and industry
- Maps global geographies of SDL-related battery production
- Analyzes how communities and environmental justice advocates might respond to SDL-driven shifts in expertise and decision-making
- Produces actionable insights for policymakers, industry, and communities
Candidate Profile
Applicants trained in the following areas are encouraged to apply:
- Critical infrastructure studies
- Energy humanities
- STS, economic geography, environmental studies
- Media and communication studies, or related disciplines
Applicants should have a demonstrated record of interdisciplinary research and a commitment to public, policy, or community engagement. The fellow will contribute to interviews, discourse analysis, and case study design, while also pursuing independent research aligned with the project.
Responsibilities
- Present research at national and international conferences
- Co-author a critical framework paper on AI and materials discovery
- Produce top-tier academic publications and a policy report
- Organize and participate in research workshops and events
- Collaborate with IECS, IIESL, and external partners
- Engage Toronto-based policymakers and community leaders on AI, climate, and environmental issues
Qualifications
- PhD in a relevant field (anthropology, STS, media studies, etc.)
- Research focus in AI, extraction, energy transition, or battery geopolitics
- Strong writing and communication skills
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively
How to Apply
Submit the following to both co-supervisors:
- CV (max. 3 pages)
- Cover letter (1 page)
- Description of current research (1 page)
- 1-page sketch of a possible AE-aligned research direction
- Contact info for 2 academic references (referees will only be contacted if shortlisted)
Send applications to:
Imre Szeman – imre.szeman@utoronto.ca
Director, Institute for Environment, Conservation and Sustainability (IECS) and Professor of Human Geography, University of Toronto Scarborough
Sergio Montero – s.montero@utoronto.ca
Director, Institute for Inclusive Economies & Sustainable Livelihoods, and Associate Professor of Human Geography, University of T