"Director of the Centre for Neuroscience Studies (CNS)"

Queen’s University invites applications for a tenure-stream faculty appointment, to become the Director of the Centre for Neuroscience Studies (CNS), with a preferred starting date of May 1, 2026. The Director will guide the strategic growth, research, training, and operations of one of Canada’s most interdisciplinary neuroscience hubs.

Qualifications

The successful candidate must be eligible to hold an academic faculty appointment at Queen’s University (with a PhD or MD). The main criteria for selection are academic and teaching excellence. The successful candidate will have a strong record of high-quality scholarly output with significant impact in their field, including peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, a history of securing external research funding, and recognition as an established leader in systems neuroscience. We seek a director who has mentored graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to successful independent careers, contributed meaningfully to the research community, and shown excellence in teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels. The candidate should bring a vision for advancing the Centre's research profile while fostering collaborative partnerships across departments and institutions. They should also demonstrate a commitment to building an inclusive and supportive environment that enables outstanding research and training. Evidence of administrative experience and the ability to lead strategic initiatives that strengthen research infrastructure and expand opportunities for trainees will be considered strong assets. Candidates must provide evidence of an ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary and student-centred environment. The successful candidate will also be expected to make contributions through service to the department, the Faculty, the University, and/or the broader community.

The successful candidate will demonstrate excellence and a distinguished track record of research excellence within systems neuroscience spectrum. This includes but not limited to expertise in neural circuits to behaviour, sensorimotor control, decision-making, and neural computation using various model systems. The ideal candidate will complement our centre's strengths in systems-level investigations while leading new directions for collaborative research, fostering an environment where rigorous experimentation meets theoretical insight to advance our understanding of how neural systems give rise to cognition and action.

This position may be eligible for additional support from Connected Minds program. Connected Minds aims to understand how humans and intelligent technologies interact, predict their societal impacts, and develop technologies that promote a healthy, just, and inclusive society. If the successful applicant’s eligibility aligns with Connected Minds, they may receive annual research funding until 2030, and access to other collaborative opportunities.

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Roles and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Vice-Principal (Research), the Director will provide visionary academic and administrative leadership for the Centre for Neuroscience Studies and ensure that the Centre’s activities align with the strategic direction of the University.

The Director will be responsible for developing and implementing strategic plans and research priorities that advance Queen’s, provincial, and national neuroscience goals. They will promote coherence and synergy across the diverse disciplines represented within the Centre and foster an environment that encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation.

A core aspect of the role includes recruiting, mentoring, and supporting faculty and clinician-scientists engaged in neuroscience-related research and education. The Director will also advocate for institutional resources that sustain and enhance the Centre’s academic and research missions.

The Director will provide leadership for the Neuroscience Graduate Program (MSc/PhD), overseeing academic policies, curriculum development, student recruitment, and funding strategies, while ensuring excellence in graduate education and supervision. They will strengthen partnerships across faculties, departments, hospitals, and external institutions, both nationally and internationally, to expand the Centre’s reach and impact.

In addition, the Director will represent CNS in major neuroscience networks and funding agencies, positioning Queen’s as a leader in neuroscience research and education. They will oversee the Centre’s budget, staffing, and administrative operations, ensuring compliance with University policies and effective use of resources. The Director will also play an important role in promoting outreach, knowledge translation, and community engagement in neuroscience, ensuring that the Centre’s programs remain relevant, innovative, and responsive to emerging scientific directions.

About the Centre for Neuroscience Studies (CNS)

The CNS at Queen’s is a cross faculty, multidisciplinary research, currently comprised of 17 core faculty members and 96 associate faculty members. The Centre supports a multidisciplinary graduate program of approximately 60 graduate students at the MSc and PhD levels and postdoctoral fellows.

The Centre is supported by administrative personnel and infrastructure coordinators.

The Centre supports and integrates research across the full spectrum of neuroscience — from basic molecular, cellular, and systems neuroscience through translational and clinical neuroscience.

The Centre is built on a foundation of world-class, translational research infrastructure. This includes Canada's premier non-human primate (NHP) research facility, a state-of-the-art MRI facility as well as additional advanced core research and teaching facilities and cutting-edge hospital clinical laboratories. Further enhancing this environment are the newly established Neurotech Discovery Labs, ensuring CNS researchers have access to state-of-the-art tools to bridge basic discovery with clinical application.

CNS also promotes and supports the seminar series, and microcredential offerings in neurotechnology, and student leadership and mentorship programs.

The Centre has recently been awarded a Queen’s National Scholar (QNS) position in Non-Human Primate Neuro-AI, which will further enhance the Centre’s research capacity and foster collaborations. This position will be advertised separately.

Institution

Queen’s University has a long history of scholarship, discovery, and innovation that shapes our collective knowledge and helps address some of the world’s most pressing concerns. Home to more than 25,000 students, Queen’s offers a comprehensive research-intensive environment. Diverse perspectives and a wealth of experience enrich our students and faculty while a core part of our mission is to engage in international learning and research.

Queen’s is in the top 200 of the QS World University Rankings. In 2025, for the fifth straight year, Queen’s ranked among the global top 10 in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings. THE Impact Rankings, an international ranking of universities that are advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals within and beyond their local communities. Queen's placed sixth worldwide and first in Canada out of over 2,300 universities in more than 120 countries.

From Nobel Prize-winning research exploring the building blocks of the universe to cancer care and treatment to sustainable technologies, our university is tackling humanity’s most pressing challenges.

A member of the U15 group of Canadian research universities, Queen’s is home to a vibrant research community that includes 46 Canada Research Chairs, two Canada Excellence Research Chairs, and over 20 research institutes who work in partnership with communities, governments, and industry to advance research and innovation, making a measured impact on Canada and the world.

Faculty and their dependents are eligible for an extensive benefits package including prescription drug coverage, vision care, dental care, long term disability insurance, life insurance and access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program. Employees also participate in a pension plan. Tuition assistance is available for qualifying employees, their spouses and dependent children. Queen’s values families and is pleased to provide a ‘top up’ to government parental leave benefits for eligible employees on maternity/parental leave. In addition, Queen’s provides partial reimbursement for eligible daycare expenses for employees with dependent children in daycare. Details are set out in the Queen’s-QUFA Collective Agreement. For more information on employee benefits, see Queen’s Human Resources.

The City

The University is situated on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe, in historic Kingston on the shores of Lake Ontario. Queen’s is an integral part of the Kingston community, with the campus nestled in the core of the city, only a 10-minute walk to downtown. Kingston’s residents enjoy an outstanding quality of life with a wide range of cultural and creative opportunities, with access to many natural areas and proximity to vibrant First Nations Communities including Tyendinaga and Akwesasne. Kingston is a unique Canadian city of 125,000 with a distinct blend of history, recreation, industry, and learning. Kingston offers unique waterfront living with many recreational opportunities. It is within a two-and-a-half hour drive (two-hour train ride) to the commercial, industrial and political hubs of Toronto, Montreal, and the nation’s capital, Ottawa, and a thirty minute drive from the international bridge linking Ontario and upstate New York. The city is also the origin of the historic Rideau Canal system – a UNESCO International Heritage site, and is close to Frontenac Provincial Park, the Thousand Islands National Park, and the Frontenac Arch UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. The Queen’s University Biological Station, north of the city, encompasses 34 km2 of diverse lands, affording premier learning and research opportunities. Visit Inclusive Queen’s for information on equity, diversity and inclusion resources and initiatives.

How to Apply

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen’s is strongly committed to employment equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and encourages applications from Black, racialized/visible minority and Indigenous people, women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ+ persons. In accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority, including any qualified individuals who have a valid legal work status in Canada. Please indicate in your application if you have a valid legal work status in Canada. Applications from all qualified candidates will be considered in the applicant pool.

In addition, the impact of certain circumstances that may legitimately affect a nominee’s record of research achievement will be given careful consideration when assessing the nominee’s research productivity. Candidates are encouraged to provide any relevant information about their experience and/or career interruptions.

The University will provide support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that takes into account an applicant’s accessibility needs. If you require accommodation during the interview process, please contact Taylor Bentley, Team Lead, Staffing (taylor.bentley@queensu.ca).

Those interested in this position should submit a complete application package, including the following documents:

• a cover letter, indicating whether or not you have a valid legal work status in Canada
• a current Curriculum Vitae (including a list of publications);
• a statement of research interests;
• a statement of teaching interests and experience (including teaching outlines and evaluations if available); and,
• a statement of experience with, and commitment to, facilitation and promotion of Indigenization, equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, and accessibility; and,
• three letters of reference

The review of applications will begin on January 30, 2026, and will continue until the position is filled.

Applicants are encouraged to send all documents in their application packages electronically as PDFs to the chair of the Advisory Search Committee, Dr. Chandrakant Tayade, Vice-Dean, Basic and Public Health Sciences, c/o Taylor Bentley at the email above.

Academic staff at Queen’s University are governed by a Collective Agreement between the University and the Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA).