Beginning at the turn of the 1990s, Janzen Kooistra worked as an assistant professor at Nipissing University.
[7] Janzen Kooistra was hired by Ryerson University in 2005 to serve as the Chair of their English department.
[3] While in her role as Chair, Janzen Kooistra was appointed to the North American Victorian Studies Association Advisory Board in 2009 and again in 2012.
[9] In 2010, Janzen Kooistra helped found Ryerson's Centre for Digital Humanities[10] and later the Children's Literature Archive.
[16] In 2018, Janzen Kooistra was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada for her work in 19th century literature.