[acc-cca-l] Call for applications: Research Assistants at the Transgender Media Lab

[Laura Horak]

[△EXTERNAL]


Hi everyone,

Please share this posting widely!

Thank you!
Laura

Call for applications: Research Assistants at the Transgender Media Lab


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September 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027
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Fully remote or hybrid (shared office available at Carleton University in Ottawa, ON)
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Salary: C$47.41/hour
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150 hours total (2 all-day work “sprints” per month, plus ~2-3 hours per week)
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Must be based in Canada
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Open to all; preference for students enrolled in higher education at any level
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2 positions available
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Application deadline: July 31, 2026

The Transgender Media Portal<https://www.transgendermediaportal.org/> (TMP) is a website and database that aims to make audiovisual work by trans, Two Spirit, nonbinary, intersex, and gender-nonconforming people more available to artists, activists, researchers, instructors, and the public. In this position, you would help Carleton professor Laura Horak (Film Studies) and her research team build the TMP and investigate trans cinema history.

We especially encourage trans, Black, Indigenous, racialized, disabled, Deaf, neurodivergent, and queer candidates to apply.

Previous Skills and Experience:

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Research, writing, clear communication
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Good time management, organized, independent worker
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Previous experience with trans art and activism and/or film funding, festivals, production, distribution, or archives a plus

Core Responsibilities:

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Research trans films and filmmakers online
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Research and communicate with film funders, festivals, distributors, and archives
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Enter information about trans-made films into the spreadsheets that make up the Transgender Media Portal
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Write engaging image descriptions

Potential Responsibilities, Depending on Your Interests and Skill Set:
This position is a learning opportunity. You’re not expected to know how to do all these things in advance. Each person will craft the responsibilities of their position in dialogue with the team based on their skills and what they want to learn.

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Organize public screenings of trans films
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Interview trans filmmakers
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Shoot and edit video interviews with filmmakers
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Code and analyze interviews
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Run the TMP’s social media accounts (Instagram, Bluesky, and Facebook)
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Send email notifications to filmmakers added to the TMP
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Help run fundraising campaigns
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Analyze and visualize data about arts institutions, including network analysis

To Apply:
Email the following materials to laura.horak at carleton.ca<mailto:laura.horak at carleton.ca> by July 31, 2026:

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Brief cover letter (1-2 pages). Tell us why you want to work on this project and describe any relevant experience you have. Trans, Black, Indigenous, racialized, disabled, Deaf, neurodivergent, and queer applicants are invited to self-identify in the cover letter.
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CV (2-3 pages)

We will be holding Zoom interviews with top candidates in mid-August. At that point, we will also request contact information for recommenders.

Note on Qualifications:
We recognize community work, non-traditional or casual employment, relevant hobbies, self-taught, and unwaged work as legitimate qualifications, particularly as we work with marginalized populations often excluded from traditional academia and employment. Foreign qualifications outside of Western Europe, the US, and Canada are often undervalued and unrecognized in the Euro-Western world. We will take the time to research and interact with these qualifications, rather than building a standard around Euro-Western qualifications alone.

Our Approach:
We acknowledge the ways that colonialism, anti-Blackness, ableism, cis-centrism, transmisogyny, and homophobia structure the distribution of power, capital, and opportunities in so-called Canada and at Carleton University. See the Transgender Media Lab’s Hiring Policy, Handbook, and Anti-Racist Accountability Reports for more information on how we prioritize marginalized candidates in hiring and combat oppressive hierarchies within our team.

Accommodations:
The Transgender Media Lab provides accommodation to applicants with disabilities during all parts of the hiring process. If contacted to proceed to the selection process, please advise us if you require any accommodation. Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request.

https://carleton.ca/transmedialab/2026/job-opportunity-july2026/

--
Laura Horak (she/her)
Director of the Transgender Media Lab<https://carleton.ca/transmedialab/> and Transgender Media Portal<https://www.transgendermediaportal.org/>
Professor of Film Studies
School for Studies of Art and Culture
Carleton University | Unceded Algonquin territory

Author of Trans Cinema: Making Communities, Identities, and Worlds<https://www.ucpress.edu/books/trans-cinema/paper> (out now!)
Co-curator of Cinema’s First Nasty Women – available now from Kino Lorber<https://kinolorber.com/product/cinemas-first-nasty-women-blu-ray>!
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