"Full Professor in Physics (Canada Impact+ Research Chair)"

As part of the 2026 Canada Impact+ Research Chairs Program competition, the Department of Physics is recruiting a professor at the rank of Full Professor to advance research and teaching in physics.

This position is contingent on the candidate’s success in obtaining a Canada Impact+ Research chair in this competition.

The program awards Chairs of two award values: $8 million over eight years ($1 million per year) or $4 million over eight years ($500,000 per year). The chair offered under this call will have a value of $1 million per year for a duration of eight years. The successful candidate will be expected to collaborate in preparing the application, leading up to its submission in March 2026.

Day-to-day responsibilities

Through your undergraduate and graduate-level teaching, and your research activities, you will contribute to the faculty’s pursuit of excellence. Furthermore, you will promote your discipline and actively participate in the daily activities of a renowned institution. As a professor and holder of a Canada Impact+ Research Chair, you will:

• Leverage your world-class leadership in condensed matter physics of complex materials and in artificial intelligence, in alignment with the Government of Canada’s science, technology and innovation priorities, with the potential to generate positive social and economic benefits for Canadians;
• Actively foster co-creation of research projects and initiatives with partners from all sectors (academic, public, private, and non-profit) to increase the application of research outcomes in complex materials, for the benefit of society at large. You will also facilitate the mobilization and application of the Chair’s research results in diverse ways to stimulate economic growth and social innovation;
• Have the opportunity to apply for infrastructure funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI);
• Teach at all levels of study;
• Supervise master’s and doctoral students as well as postdoctoral fellows in the completion of theses and dissertations;
• Lead major interfaculty projects with national and international reach;
• Contribute actively to the academic and scientific life of the Institut Courtois, the Department of Physics and the Faculty of Arts & Science.

Qualifications

• Be eligible for the Canada Impact+ Research Chairs Program and apply to the 2026 competition;
• Hold a PhD in a relevant discipline (e.g. condensed matter physics or chemical physics). This requirement is set by the Université de Montréal; not by the Canada impact+ Research Chairs program;
• Demonstrate outstanding expertise and international recognition as a leader in the theoretical development of out-of-equilibrium statistical physics and its application to complex systems and the development of artificial intelligence. Building on multiscale theoretical and computational approaches, the program will aim to develop concepts and methods to understand and control ubiquitous driven and out-of-equilibrium systems as well as develop methodological applications for global optimization, with measurable outcomes in innovation and technology transfer. This activity will constitute a structuring and central axis of the scientific strategy of the Institut Courtois, contributing to Canadian leadership, the training of highly qualified personnel, and technological sovereignty in advanced materials and IA technologies;
• Have an international profile in the field and show strong leadership in major international networks;
• Be able to lead ambitious, productive research teams;
• Possess the qualities required to conduct research that mobilizes and applies knowledge to deliver social and economic benefits for Canada and beyond;
• Demonstrate the ability to provide interdisciplinary teaching;
• Have the ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary context, in complementarity with faculty members;
• Have adequate proficiency of the French language or be committed to learning it once hired, through the Université de Montréal’s French language support program, in accordance with the Université de Montréal language policy.

Additional information about the position

• Competitive salary and a comprehensive range of benefits;
• Expected start date: June 1st 2026;
• Located at the MIL Campus.

How to submit your application

Submit your application through our online recruitment system (click on the “Apply for job” button) during the posting period, from January 21 to February 19, 2026, inclusively. Your application must include the following documents:

• A cover letter;
• A curriculum vitae;
• Copies of, or links to, three recent publications or research papers;
• A statement outlining your teaching and mentoring experience and approach;
• A research program proposal;
• Contact details of three referees who will be solicited for a letter of recommendation;
• Important: the research program proposal should cover 8 years (suggested length: 4 pages).

Contact information for recommendation letters

Nicole St-Louis, Chair

Faculty of Arts and Sciences/Department of Physics

nicole.st-louis@umontreal.ca