Undergraduate Research Assistant, Centre Study of Black Canadian Diaspora

Overview

OCAD University acknowledges the ancestral territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabeg and the Huron-Wendat, who are the original owners and custodians of the land on which we work, stand and create. OCAD University, Canada’s largest and oldest art and design university, is a vibrant community of bold, curious and compassionate artists, designers and scholars who are imagining and creating a joyful, equitable and sustainable world.

The University is an internationally renowned hub for art, design, digital media, research, innovation and creativity, and arts administration. It embraces collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to change-making through art, design-thinking curriculum and research, making OCAD U a local, regional, national and global leader in art and design. It is an exciting time to join the OCAD U community. The University is at a key stage in its institutional transformation, with the implementation of its Academic and Strategic Plan and guiding principles—driving positive impact, decolonization, indigenization, equity, environmental sustainability, emerging as a vibrant hub, student-centered approaches, innovation in learning, teaching, and research, and financial stewardship.

Project Details: The Centre for the Study of Black Canadian Diaspora is seeking an undergraduate research assistant who will support Dr. Andrea Fatona in the scanning and digitization of analog materials from the archive of A Space Gallery.

This role is a part of the CSBCD’s ongoing project to provide visibility and access to the works of contemporary Black artists, craftspeople, curators, and critics in Canada who have been historically erased from Canadian visual culture. Through the cataloguing of Black curatorial projects spanning 1987 to the present, the CSBCD will build a digital platform to consolidate and make discoverable contemporary art exhibition archives that are currently not available to the public.

Please visit https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). for more information.

• Working under the supervision of the Principal Investigator, Dr. Andrea Fatona, in support of the project’s research goals and objectives
• Assisting with the scanning and digitization of analog materials in gallery archives, including but not limited to acetate slides
• Assisting with proper labelling and organization of digitized documents
• Assisting with data collection, literature searches, data compilation, processing, entry and analysis
• Assisting with the preparation of final reports
• Assisting with the promotion of research activities
• Working with Technicians and other research personnel, where relevant, by ensuring the appropriate and safe use of materials, equipment and/or facilities
• Participating in the provision of safe and secure environment for all members of the University community and its facilities

• Completion of a relevant undergraduate degree or current enrollment in a relevant undergraduate program and/or equivalent training and professional experience
• Where relevant, sound knowledge of, and commitment to, healthy and safe work practices
• Where relevant, strong organizational, interpersonal, oral and written communications and problem-solving skills

10 hours per week over the period of March 2, 2026 to June 22, 2026, with the possibility of extension.

The position will include in-person work at the Centre for the Study of Black Canadian Diaspora (205 Richmond St W, room 410, Toronto) and A Space Gallery (401 Richmond St W, Toronto, suite 110).

$23.54 (Undergrad Rate) per hour with an additional 4% in lieu of vacation and 6% in lieu of benefits.

• The period of employment may be extended, conditional upon continued funding of the Project by OCAD U’s external funding partner(s), and upon satisfactory execution of duties.
• Current students at OCAD University will be given priority consideration for all Research Assistant positions, with the highest priority given to those not currently holding any other TA/RA positions at the University.

Applications should include: a one-page covering letter explaining the…