Canada Impact and Research Chairs

Cape Breton University (CBU) invites applications from world-leading internationally based researchers who wish to be nominated for a Canada Impact Research Chairs Award. The Canada Impact Research Chairs (Impact Chair) program is a one-time initiative designed to support institutions in attracting researchers whose work addresses critical national and global challenges. The program emphasizes both research excellence and tangible impact. Impact Chairs will receive long-term funding and institutional support to advance ambitious and transformative projects in Canadas strategic priority areas; build and maintain exceptional research teams; and collaborate with partners across disciplines sectors and borders. Impact Chairs will translate research discoveries into applications commercialization opportunities and meaningful social and economic benefits for Canada and beyond while also training the next generation of highly qualified personnel (HQP).Each Canada Impact Research Chair Award is valued at either $500000 or $1 million per year for eight years with the possibility of a four-year funded extension at 50% of the initial award value per anticipates nominating up to two Impact Chairs in the following strategic priority areas:advanced digital technologies (including artificial intelligence quantum and cybersecurity);health including biotechnology;clean technology and resource value chains;environment climate resilience and the Arctic;food and water security;democratic and community resilience;manufacturing and advanced materials; and/ordefence and dual-use has a particular interest in researchers with demonstrated expertise and a strong track record in applied machine learning predictive analytics and AI-driven methods applied to diverse data sets includingbut not limited todata on climate change variability and impact. We welcome applicants with experience working across disciplines and leading research infrastructure initiatives particularly in rural and regional contexts. Candidates who demonstrate the capacity and willingness to collaborate with local communities including Indigenous communities will be highly rankedEligibilityApplicants who are successful in CBUs competition will be nominated by the University for an Impact Chair. Successful applicants will be world-class scholars who envision bringing their research to Canada and contributing to the communities of Cape Breton and Unamaki the national research ecosystem and global knowledge. They will have the primary responsibility for directing their research program and all related activities including attracting external research funds leading research teams training HQP and working with CBU to coordinate the governance and administration of their research activities. Through their scholarship they will advance knowledge inform local regional and national policy and engage public and industry audiences through knowledge candidates who are internationally based (both working and residing outside of Canada) at the time of the application deadline are eligible. Expatriate Canadians wishing to relocate to Canada are encouraged to apply. Successful nominees will be appointed at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor in a relevant Academic School taking into account the candidates expertise and proposed research program. CBU requires that successful candidates have a PhD and can demonstrate excellence in research and teaching. Successful nominees will be expected to take up their appointment as Impact Chair at CBU within 12 months of accepting the ProcessAll applications will be adjudicated through a highly competitive selection process at CBU. The offer of an academic appointment is conditional upon the success acceptance and approval of the nomination by the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS). Nomination is a two-step process. Applicants respond to this invitation by submitting the materials listed. Review of applications will begin once the competition closes on February 16 2026. The successful candidate(s) will work with the Office of Research and Graduate Studies to develop a Canada Impact Research Chair nomination for submission to the TIPS. CBU has made important progress toward improving accessibility across our campus and recognizes that this work is ongoing. We are committed to continuously establishing and enhancing policies practices and infrastructure that meet the needs of all members of our community. As part of this effort accessibility accommodations are available for applicants throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accessibility accommodations or adaptive measures during the application or interview stage please contact Terri Lynn Laffin at CBUs Human Resources Department: Requests for accommodation will not negatively affect the recruitment encourages applications from individuals from all underrepresented equity-denied or rights-seeking populations including racialized individuals Indigenous Peoples persons with disabilities women and individuals from the 2SLGBTQIA community. Our fundamental commitment to equity diversity inclusion and reconciliation is guided by key principles of intersectionality decolonization and accountability and formalized in CBUs Better Together Workplace EDI Action Plan (2023). Creating a more equitable diverse and inclusive workplace culture is an ongoing project that requires critical self-reflection openness to divergent perspectives and willingness to accept and enact changes that nurture wellbeing and belonging for all members of the CBU community. All applicants must submit the following materials in PDF format by February 16 2026. If you have any questions about uploading documents please contact the CBU Human Resources Department at cover letter describing the applicants track record of research accomplishments and interest in making new contributions to Canada and the Atlantic Provinces.A document that identifies:the specific stream(s) to which their research relates; their research agenda including its originality and significance; andthe potential for knowledge translation mobilization and application of research results An updated curriculum vitae CBU recognizes that life circumstance 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 nominees record of research achievement and that these impacts will be taken into careful consideration during the assessment Cape Breton UniversityCBU is located on UnamakiCape Breton Islands original name meaning Land of Fog in the Mikmaw languageNova Scotia Canada. Unamaki is part of the ancestral and unceded territory of the Lnu people and CBU is proud to live work and learn on this land and to support respectful relationships with Mikmaw communities through teaching research and community engagement. CBU is a proud regional university with a reputation for strong community involvement and exceptional internal support for research. The University is anchored in our islands rural and regional communities which support Canadas critical industries natural resources and strategic infrastructure. We are deeply connected to the environments economies and populations that shape Canadas national resilience and University has a strong history of engaging with communities to explore questions of local and global significance and to address urgent challenges. CBUs Strategic Research Plan prioritizes interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral efforts to continue advancing this research with a particular focus on building collaborative networks in areas such as Science Technologies and Data; Ecology Environment and Sustainability; and Health and Wellness. These collaborative research networks are inspired by Indigenous values of shared leadership and sustainable development and are guided by Lnu ways of knowing which are hallmarks of CBUs research culture. The establishment of the Cape Breton Medical Campus (CBMC) is an outstanding example of our universitys vision in action. Created in partnership with Dalhousie University the CBMCs research mandate is to collaborate with communities to design implement and evaluate innovative health and social supports evidenceinformed practices and forwardthinking policies that lead to real change. Our goal is to improve rural health outcomes and create solutions that have local national and global offers a compelling living laboratory for researchers seeking to work in real-world contexts shaped by social environmental and economic transition. Our university is embedded in a region that brings together urban post-industrial rural and coastal communities marked by a strong sense of solidarity safety and a deep sense of place. Cape Breton Islands long history of immigration has shaped communities that continue to re-imagine their future beyond legacy industries like coal and steel. CBUs campus reflects this global reach having welcomed students from more than 70 countries. The Universitys surrounding environment also offers exceptional research strengths including extensive Atlantic Coastline the Bras dOr Lakes ecosystem and communities responding to the opportunities and challenges of aging populations. CBU is an ideal setting to develop test and mobilize research that is grounded impactful and closely connected to the people and places it serves. Rooted in this region and its realities CBU offers an untapped and significant opportunity to support the foundation of Canadas competitiveness and international research Information For more information about the Canada Impact Research Chair Program please visit their website: questions about this competition please contact CBUs Office of Research & Graduate Studies at note this competition may be used to fill upcoming CRC positions at Cape Breton University.