Josh's Water Jobs – Canada Excellence Research Chair in Healthy and Sustainable Waterways - Associate Professor or Professor

Job Posting Number: 002641TT-2027-GLICERC

Deadline Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2025 – 23:45

Date posted: July 25, 2025

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 Excellece 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), 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 PhD 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. Please note: A PhD is a requirement of the University of Windsor to be considered for this position, not the CERC program itself.
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.

The CERC program imposes no restrictions on nominees with regard to nationality or country of residence. Employment and Social Development Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada have established procedures to allow non-Canadian chairholders to work in Canada. Refer to areas of the Global Skills Strategy process and dedicated service channel, where the “Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council – Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat”, which manages the CERC program, is identified as a referral partner.

Researchers who hold a full-time academic appointment at a Canadian institution are eligible to be nominated; however, they may not be nominated by the institution at which they currently hold their appointment. Successful nominees will have up to 12 months to take up their appointment as chairholder at the host institution after the Notice of Award has been accepted by the nominating institution and the nominee.

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.

This hire aligns with the bold imperatives of the University of Windsor strategic plan, Aspire: Together for Tomorrow, ratified Spring 2023. The University embraces a people-first philosophy grounded in a culture of academic excellence and deep belonging. Among key strategic priorities are advancing the journey towards truth and reconciliation; building a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive university; ensuring a high-quality teaching, learning, and student experience; engaging in impactful research, scholarship, and creative activity; fostering a safe, welcoming, and sustainable campus; and engaging in local and global partnerships. The University has already made significant strides on many of these key files, and we are seeking applicants interested in working alongside us to advance them even further. Driven by the University’s commitment to anti-racism, the Black Scholars Institute was established in 2023 supported by a historic cohort hiring initiative that has brought thirteen Black scholars to UWindsor across several of our faculties. The recent cohort of new faculty joining the University (over 50) is among the most diverse in our history.

Our campus is situated on the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations: the Ojibwa, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi. We are making steady progress on the Indigenization of academic programming, an Indigenous Strategic plan, and a cohort hire of Indigenous faculty in 2018-19 followed by additional hiring. Our students mirror the extraordinary cultural richness of our region, one of the most diverse in all of Canada. And we have strong global partnerships and commitments, which are reflected in the increasing number of graduate and undergraduate students we attract from across the world. The University is a signatory to the Scarborough Charter and participates in the Federal 50/30 Challenge.

The University of Windsor is a Canadian public, comprehensive research university enrolling 15,676 students, including 4,709 graduate students. It offers more than 280 academic programs and certificates, including 70 master’s and doctoral degrees across its nine faculties: Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering; Graduate Studies; Human Kinetics; Law; Nursing; and Science. It also houses a medical program through the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University. Tenured and tenure-track faculty number about 600.

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. http://www.uwindsor.ca/ctl/390/teaching-and-learning-resources (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 (e.g., maternity leave, parental leave, leaves due to illness, leaves due to caring for family members, slowdowns due to chronic illness or disability, or COVID 19 impacts) are often an expected part of life and 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 (http://www.uwindsor.ca/facultypositions) found on the job advertisement by September 5, 2025 Applications may be considered after the deadline date; however, acceptance of late submissions is at the discretion of the appointments committee.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE AN ONLINE APPLICATION
When completing the online application, please reference
Position Number: # 002641TT-2027-GLICERC

Any questions may be sent to:
Dr. Shanthi Johnson, Vice-President, Research and Innovation,
Tel: (519) 253-3000 Ext. 5003, E-mail: vpri@uwindsor.ca

Any questions may be sent to:

Dr. Shanthi Johnson, Vice-President, Research and Innovation,

Tel: (519) 253-3000 Ext. 5003, E-mail: vpri@uwindsor.ca

In pursuit of the University’s commitment to employment equity, members from the designated groups (women, Indigenous/Aboriginal (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) persons, racialized persons/visible minorities, persons with disabilities, and persons of a minority sexual orientation and/or gender identity) are encouraged to apply and to self-identify.

For an accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify Christine Young, Faculty Recruitment Coordinator (recruit@uwindsor.ca). Should you require further information on accommodation, please visit the website of the Office of Human Rights, Conflict Resolution and Mediation (http://www.uwindsor.ca/ohrcrm).

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.This position is subject to final budgetary approval.

002641tt-2027-glicerc_072525.pdf