Call for Applications – Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Resilience and Adaptation of Northern Organisms and Ecosystems

The Biology Section of the Département de biologie, chimie et géographie de l’Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) invites applications from researchers with a view to submitting an outstanding nomination to the Tier 1 Canada Research Chairs Program.

29 juin 2026

Campus de Rimouski

The applicant will be expected to establish and lead a cutting-edge and transformative research program aligned with UQAR’s research excellence priority in Nordicity. The Chair will strengthen this priority by producing new scientific knowledge connected to the needs of communities, public stakeholders and industrial partners.

The Chair’s research program must focus on northern organisms and ecosystems, whether in cold low-latitude environments or in Arctic settings. The research program should ideally align with some of the following themes:

• Animal or plant ecology and physiology
• Community ecology
• Systems biology
• Evolutionary biology
• Biology and ecology of global change
• Population genetics and genomics
• Theoretical biology and modelling
  
  No limits are placed on the research vision with respect to terrestrial, aerial or aquatic environments.
  
  The successful candidate will also be expected to teach, in French, one (1) or two (2) courses per year in undergraduate, master’s or doctoral programs in biology within the Department, and to supervise graduate students.
  
  The Tier 1 Canada Research Chair will receive funding of $200,000 per year for seven years, with the possibility of renewal for an additional seven years. The Chairholder will have access to exceptional infrastructure and equipment and will also have the opportunity to acquire new state-of-the-art equipment through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the NSERC Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) Grants Program.
  
  For more information on the Tier 1 Canada Research Chairs Program, see https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/program-programme/nomination-mise_en_candidature-fra.aspx

Applicants must meet the following requirements

Degree level and field: Doctorate (Ph.D.) in a relevant discipline (a UQAR requirement, not a program requirement)

Area of specialization and research: Must align with one of the following areas:

• Animal and plant ecology and physiology
• Community ecology
• Systems biology
• Evolutionary biology
• Biology and ecology of global change
• Population genetics and genomics
• Theoretical biology and modelling

Program eligibility: The successful candidate must be eligible for the Tier 1 Canada Research Chairs Program. Nominees for Tier 1 Chair positions must be full professors or associate professors who are expected to be promoted to the full professor level within one or two years of the nomination. Alternatively, if they come from outside the academic sector, nominees must possess the necessary qualifications to be appointed at these levels.

The Canada Research Chairs Program imposes no restrictions on applicants with respect to nationality.

The Canada Research Chairs Program uses equity targets to eliminate barriers to the participation of members of the four designated groups in the research environment. For more information on UQAR’s equity targets under the Canada Research Chairs Program, see https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/program-programme/equity-equite/population-based_institutional_equity_targets-cibles_etablissements_equite_population-2021-2029-fra.aspx

Additional considerations: Applications will be evaluated according to the program criteria:

• be an outstanding and innovative world-class researcher whose accomplishments have had a major impact in their field;
• be an internationally recognized leader in their field;
• demonstrate a strong ability to recruit and supervise graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, taking into account the different practices in their field or discipline and, once appointed to the Chair, be able to recruit, train and retain excellent trainees, students and future researchers;
• propose an original, innovative research program of the highest quality.

The application package must include:

1. A curriculum vitae
2. A proposal for the Chair’s research program, including the program’s key objectives, the impact of the contribution to the research field, a funding plan, a training plan for highly qualified personnel (detailing the EDIA approach) and, where applicable, the identification of infrastructure to be developed or equipment to be acquired. (maximum 5 pages)
3. A summary of recent accomplishments in the targeted priority research area. (maximum 2 pages)
4. A statement explaining the impacts of career interruptions on the academic record presented, where applicable. (maximum 1 page)
5. The voluntary self-identification form for equity, diversity and inclusion in the Convergence portal (https://www.convergence.gc.ca/) must be completed in the portal when the application package is submitted.

Individuals interested in this position are asked to submit their application package by 5:00 p.m. on September 18, 2026, to the attention of Thomas Buffin-Bélanger, Director of the Département de biologie, chimie et géographie de l’Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), at the following email address: dep_biochigeo@uqar.ca

Applications will be evaluated by a selection committee, and the selection process will be based on applicants’ ability to meet the objectives and criteria of the Canada Research Chairs Program, as described on the program website: https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/program-programme/nomination-mise_en_candidature-eng.aspx#

The selection process will be carried out in collaboration with a member of the institution’s EDIA team. In addition, each member of the selection committee will have received training on unconscious bias in the hiring process, will be required to commit to respecting EDIA principles and will declare any real or apparent conflict of interest.

UQAR fully subscribes to the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility in access to employment, particularly for members of historically underrepresented, equity-seeking and rights-seeking groups, such as women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and members of visible minorities. In this regard, UQAR particularly encourages them to apply for this competition. Applicants are invited to self-identify when submitting their application. In addition, selection tools may be adapted according to the needs of persons with disabilities who request accommodation, in full confidentiality, by contacting the institution’s EDIA team at edi@uqar.ca.

UQAR also recognizes the impact that career interruptions, such as illness, disability, and family and community responsibilities, may have on research outcomes. These considerations will be taken into account throughout the evaluation process from a perspective that extends beyond a traditional conception of research excellence. Where applicable, applicants are invited to explain, when submitting their application, the impact that a career interruption may have had, or that an evaluation based on traditional criteria of research excellence could have, on their record of achievements. This information will be treated confidentially by the members of the selection committee.

We invite you to consult the EDIA at UQAR website: https://www.uqar.ca/luniversite/equite-diversite-inclusion-et-accessibilite/quest-ce-que-ledia/ledia-a-luqar/