"CALL FOR APPLICATIONS - Canada Impact+ Research Chairs (73883)"

The Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) is inviting applications from researchers for the 2026 CANADA IMPACT+ RESEARCH CHAIRS competition on the theme of information warfare and strategic digital governance.

Digital technologies and artificial intelligence now play a central role in contemporary national defense and security dynamics. They are profoundly transforming military capabilities, intelligence practices, critical infrastructure protection, and modes of action, influence, and deterrence in modern conflicts. This rapid evolution is redefining the balance of power between states and raising major issues in terms of sovereignty, national security, international law, and strategic governance of the information space, requiring intensified research into the production, circulation, and exploitation of digital traces.

In this context, cyberspace and the digital information space are emerging as new operational domains in their own right. Cybersecurity, broadly defined, is now a fundamental pillar of Canada's national defense and digital sovereignty. Ensuring a secure information ecosystem is essential to protecting military capabilities, the resilience of strategic supply chains, the continuity of government operations, and the integrity of democratic processes.

However, Canada faces an intensification of hybrid threats, including cyberattacks, foreign interference operations, disinformation campaigns,and influence operationstargeting public institutions, defense systems, critical infrastructure, and public opinion. These hybrid threats leave complex digital traces that require advanced analysis and interpretation capabilities. These forms of informational conflict blur the traditional boundaries between peace and war and require coordinated technological, strategic, legal, and normative responses.

In the face of these risks, strengthening detection, prevention, and response capabilities in cyberspace and the information space is a strategic priority directly linked to national security and requires the development of investigative methods adapted to contemporary digital environments. The protection of government networks, sensitive data, and critical infrastructure—particularly in the energy, telecommunications, transportation, and defense sectors—is now central to collective security and requires us to strengthen our ability to document, analyze, and attribute hostile activities based on digital traces. Furthermore, the growing integration of artificial intelligence into defense and security systems raises major ethical, legal, and operational challenges, calling for continuous adaptation of public policies and governance frameworks.

In this context, the development of interdisciplinary expertise in information warfare, influence operations, cybersecurity, and digital governance in the context of national security appears essential. By positioning itself at the intersection of strategic analysis, law, international relations, and public policy, UQTR intends to capitalize on its current expertise in order to expand it and actively contribute to the understanding and control of contemporary forms of informational conflict. In doing so, it aims to strengthen Canada's strategic posture, increase its resilience to emerging threats in order to create inclusive and secure communities, and preserve democratic values in a constantly changing global digital environment.

The holder of the Impact+ Chair will find a highly dynamic research environment at UQTR, where graduate student training and collaboration with the national and international research ecosystem play a key role. The successful candidate will therefore need to demonstrate expertise in structuring and leading a high-level academic team, as well as the ability to create and maintain national and international partnerships and collaborations around issues of digital investigation, cybersecurity, and digital trace governance. The Impact+ Chair program is designed to recruit high-level researchers working outside Canada.

The Impact+ Chair will be part of a multidisciplinary ecosystem whose influence extends beyond Canada's borders. The candidate for this position will be able to draw primarily on the expertise of the Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry, Physics, and Forensic Science, particularly that of Professors Maxime Bérubé and Timothy Bollé, whose work focuses on the analysis of digital environments, forensic investigation, and the exploitation of digital traces in complex contexts. The incumbent will also be able to join a dynamic research group that is particularly active in this field at UQTR, namely the Forensic Science Research Group (GRSF), which has several ongoing projects.

The chairholder will also be able to join a dynamic research group that is particularly active in this field at UQTR, namely the Forensic Science Research Group (GRSF), whose current projects include forensic linguistics, online discourse analysis, and the study of image and multimodal traces in cyberspace. This group, along with other research units at UQTR, is part of the Interuniversity Research Center in Criminology. The Impact+ Chair holder will find a rich environment, bringing together 77 researchers from seven Quebec universities and other organizations, as well as more than a hundred collaborators from Quebec, Canada, and around the world. The candidate will also be able to develop collaborations with other chair holders at UQTR, including the Quebec Research Chair on Democracy, Living Together, and Shared Values in Quebec; the UQTR (Junior) Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence Ethics; the Jarislowsky Chair on Trust and Political Leadership; the France-Quebec Research Chair on Contemporary Issues of Freedom of COLIBEX, etc. The holder of the Impact+ Chair could also collaborate with the Applied Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, whose overall objective is to study techniques and approaches in artificial intelligence and data science to accelerate the search, reading, and analysis of informational data in massive databases, the Internet, and social networks. The work of the candidate and their team must fall within the Technological, Social, and Structural Innovations orientation under the “Forensic Science, Security, and Justice Issues” axis of UQTR's Strategic Research Plan (SRP) (2020-2027).

The incumbent will develop a research program focusing on contemporary forms of informational conflict in the digital space, at the intersection of international security, international relations, law, and public policy.

The research expected from the chair will focus in particular on:

• influence operations, disinformation, and information manipulation in international relations;
• information warfare and hybrid conflicts, including cognitive, informational, and digital dimensions;
• the governance of the digital information space, in particular state, multilateral, and normative responses to foreign interference;
• legal, ethical, and strategic issues related to cyberspace security and the protection of democratic processes;
• the relationship between strategic analysis, scientific knowledge production, and public decision support.

The candidate must demonstrate an ability to engage in contemporary debates with a strong societal impact, both nationally and internationally, and to engage in dialogue with relevant institutional, governmental, or strategic circles.

The Canada Impact+ Research Chairs Program:The Canada Impact+ Research Chairs Program aims to support educational institutions that wish to recruit world-renowned researchers whose work addresses critical national and global issues. The program emphasizes both excellence and the tangible impact of research. Impact+ Research Chair holders will receive long-term funding and institutional support to advance ambitious and transformative projects in Canada's strategic priority areas, build and support exceptional research teams, and collaborate with partners from all sectors and countries. Impact+ Research Chair holders are expected to promote the transformation of discoveries into concrete applications and direct benefits that will benefit Canada and the world socially and economically, while training the next generation of highly qualified personnel.

UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS:

Education:According to UQTR requirements, the successful candidate must hold a doctorate (Ph.D.) in a field of expertise closely related to the research topics mentioned above, hold the title of full professor, or be in the process of becoming a tenured professor. L’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières is a francophone university. Sufficient knowledge of the French language or determined to learn it once in position. UQTR offers support for learning the French language. Teaching experience is also an asset.

Required documents:Those wishing to apply are invited to submit their application before March 8, 2026 at 23 h 59 p.m. to the following address:http://www.uqtr.ca/CRC_Declaration_volontaire

The application must include:

• A cover letter (maximum 2 pages)
• A curriculum vitae, including a list of publications from the last five years as well as a few examples or copies of significant contributions in the targeted field
• Details on the specific circumstances that may have led to a slowdown or interruption in their research activities
• A brief description of the research program related to the chair (maximum 2 pages)
• A description (maximum 1 page) of the infrastructure required to carry out the work planned for the chair
• The names of three experts willing to provide a letter of support for their application.

All required documents must be submitted in a single PDF file using the online voluntary declaration form available at this address: http://www.uqtr.ca/CRC_Declaration_volontaire

Salary: Salary is determined in accordance with the UQTR collective agreement for professors, and Canada Research Chair holders are eligible for an annual bonus of up to 20% of their salary.