"Canada Excellence Research Chair in Healthy and Sustainable Waterways"

The University of Windsor’s Faculty of Science invites applications for the position of Canada Excellence Research Chair in Healthy and Sustainable Waterways, with an anticipated start date of July 2027 (contingent on successful nomination to the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) program). This position will be appointed in the Faculty of Science in the Department most relevant to the successful applicant’s area of work and affiliated with the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) at the rank of Associate or Full Professor, commensurate with the candidate’s established record of excellence. The CERC program is intended for exceptional, established scholars currently appointed outside of Canada (active in research for more than 10 years since PhD conferral), recognized by their peers as performing high-impact research at the national and international level, and demonstrating meaningful leadership in their field. The successful applicant should, at a minimum, be an associate professor or possess the necessary qualifications to be appointed at these levels. This position is subject to final budgetary approval and approval of the nomination by the Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS).

The Faculty of Science and GLIER have world-class research facilities and strong national and international research programs. In collaboration with GLIER, the successful applicant will propose a CERC program which will build on existing scholarship in the heart of the Great Lakes to strengthen our national leadership on water issues and capitalize on a growing marine sector in the region. The Chair will advance the University’s collaborations with key government, regional, and international partners (such as the Windsor Port Authority, International Joint Commission, and others) to grow the position and reputation of the University as a strategic leader in meeting present and future water and marine sector security and sustainability challenges facing the Great Lakes and our region. The incumbent will cultivate new research collaborations and catalyze initiatives that bridge environmental research with key regional concerns which may include agriculture, shipping and trade, species at risk, freshwater recreation, coastal resiliency, water rights, public policy, water resource engineering, and One Health approaches. They will also contribute to emerging academic programming at the undergraduate and graduate levels and the development of highly qualified personnel.

The Chair will establish, coordinate, and lead collaborative teams engaging colleagues across UWindsor’s eight Faculties, its research institutes (GLIER, Cross-Border Institute, WE-SPARK Health Institute, and the Black Scholars Institute), and key regional partners to address persistent freshwater security and sustainability challenges. The Chair will lead multidisciplinary teams responsive to future freshwater sustainability opportunities across the Tri-Council and other funding agencies.

The following criteria apply to candidates being considered for the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Healthy and Sustainable Waterways:

• Be an exceptional, established scholar who holds a Ph.D. in a relevant field and the necessary qualifications to be appointed at the level of Associate Professor or Professor. The call is open to scholars in a range of disciplines studying fresh water from an ecology, economic, sustainability, or other perspective. The candidate will be expected to propose an original, innovative program of high caliber, transformative, and impactful research.
• Have a record of successes in establishing, conducting, and leading multi-disciplinary and collaborative research programs, and in obtaining research funding. This includes fostering relationships with the external community and stakeholders (e.g., governments and agencies). The successful candidate will establish their research program to complement an existing interdisciplinary research environment in the University’s research community. They will have the potential to attract, develop, and retain excellent trainees, students, and future researchers.
• Be able to teach in an academic unit relevant to their discipline and supervise undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral fellows. The University of Windsor is especially interested in candidates who are committed to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion within the learning and research environment and who have a track record of attracting, developing, retaining, and working with diverse, excellent trainees, students, and future researchers from equity-deserving groups. This includes making learning accessible and inclusive for a diverse student population and providing mentorship and support to students and trainees from equity-deserving groups.
• Demonstrate potential to further augment their international recognition in their discipline within the next five to ten years.

The CERC Program offers universities award values of $500,000 or $1,000,000 per year, for a total of $4,000,000 or $8,000,000 over eight years to support world renowned researchers and their teams to establish ambitious research programs at Canadian universities.

The objectives of the program are to:

• strengthen Canada’s ability to attract the world’s top researchers, to be at the leading edge of breakthroughs in priority areas expected to generate social and economic benefits for Canadians;
• help Canada build a critical mass of expertise in Science, Technology and Innovation Priorities identified by the Government of Canada;
• create a competitive environment to help Canadian institutions, in their pursuit of excellence in their research, attract a cadre of world-leading researchers; and
• contribute to branding Canada as a location of choice for world-leading research, science and technology development, alongside other federal programs with similar objectives.

**Compensation:** The salary range for the rank is outlined in Article A, Table A.1 of the current Collective Agreement with the Windsor University Faculty Association. The compensation offered to the successful candidate will take into consideration the existing salary structure. A full range of benefits including a pension plan and medical benefits are available to the successful candidate.

**Application Requirements**

• a letter of application, demonstrating how you meet the selection criteria outlined above, including a statement of citizenship/immigration status and describing, if applicable, the impact that career interruptions may have had on research productivity. (1 – 2 pages);
• a curriculum vitae;
• a research statement that includes your vision over eight years (5 pages maximum);
• an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) statement on your contributions to inclusive excellence in teaching, research, or service in academic, professional or community contexts, including a description of how you will advance the University’s commitment to fostering an equitable, diverse, and inclusive campus and research community (2 pages maximum);
• a teaching dossier or portfolio demonstrating potential for or evidence of teaching effectiveness and excellence that will include sample course syllabi/outlines, teaching evaluations, and a statement of teaching philosophy and interests (resources and templates for completing a teaching dossier can be found at https://www.uwindsor.ca/ctl/502/teaching-dossiers);
• up to four (4) samples of most significant scholarly work; and
• list of three (3) referees including only their names and contact information. These referees will be contacted only for shortlisted candidates.

Candidates should meet the criteria for obtaining a work permit. Life circumstances such as illness, disability, family and community responsibilities are likely to have an impact on a nominee’s record of research achievement. Candidates are encouraged to outline any such impacts in their letter of application, for consideration during the assessment process. The short-listed candidates may be invited to provide further information in support of their applications. To ensure full consideration, complete an online application found on the job advertisement by September 3, 2025.