Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Applied AI Innovation in Public Health

Posting Reason:

New Position

Job Family:

Academic Leadership and Faculty

Union affiliation:

APUO

Faculty/Department:

SEPH Professors

Campus:

Roger Guindon Hall

Date Posted (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/04/20

Applications must be received BEFORE (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/06/20

The University of Ottawa invites applications for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Applied AI Innovation in Public Health. The successful candidate will hold a tenure-track position with the Faculty of Medicine’s School of Epidemiology and Public Health, and a Scientific appointment to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) and be a Core Academic Member of the Brain-Heart Interconnectome (BHI).

Located on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe-Algonquin people, in the heart of the nation`s capital and in close proximity to multiple national agencies, the University of Ottawa is one of Canada's top ten research-intensive universities. It is recognized as the first and largest bilingual university in North America and offers strong connections to organizational, government and policy interest holders.

This interdisciplinary Canada Research Chair will advance a cutting-edge research program at the intersection of applied artificial intelligence, public health, and health systems transformation, drawing on relevant fields such as Biostatistics, Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI), Information Systems, or Health Informatics. Leveraging the unique clinical populations, cohorts, and high-demand clinical administrative and imaging data of the UOHI, and supported by the Institute’s robust informatics infrastructure and the Data Science Centre, the Chair will answer the following broad questions:

• How can the application of frontier AI models and modeling methods, coupled with determinants of health, and clinical and administrative data generate actionable insights to improve the health and wellness of populations?

• How can the application of frontier AI models and modeling methods improve public health, with particular focus on prevention, early disease detection, and management of chronic disease?

• How can the application of frontier AI models and modeling methods contribute to health systems transformation so as to meet the current public health challenges with an eye to equity, accessibility, and social accountability?

• How can the application of frontier AI models and modeling methods support decisions by public health professionals, clinicians, system leaders, funders, and/or citizens/patients, while maintaining a strong human-centered approach?

The successful candidate will become an integral part of our dynamic and research-intensive environment with access to state-of-the-art facilities and strong support from the University of Ottawa and UOHI, where artificial intelligence research has been identified as a strategic priority within our 'Digital World' research mandate. In addition to the School of Epidemiology and Public Health, this environment encompasses the Faculty of Medicine’s clinical departments (e.g., Department of Medicine), as well as departments of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (CMM), Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology (BMI), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (SPS) and the Department of Innovation in Medical Education (DIME). As a faculty member at the School of Epidemiology and Public Health the candidate will support the research and education strategic directions of the School and contribute to the training of the next generation of research leaders. The strategic plans of the School, Faculty and University will serve as clear guiding posts for action.

The Chair will also contribute directly to the UOHI’s 2025-30 strategic plan, aligning with the major institutional pillar to ‘Harness data, AI, and technology- with a human touch’, leveraging the UOHI Data Science Center fo develop and validate AI-enabled methods, advance ethical, equitable AI approaches in healthcare, and support translational pipelines from data-driven discovery to clinical and public health implementation. As a Core Academic Member of the Brain-Heart Interconnectome (BHI), the candidate will be well positioned to apply their skills to the unique challenges of interconnected brain-heart disorders. The BHI is a ground-breaking interdisciplinary research program aimed at accelerating prevention, detection, treatment and care of interconnected brain and heart disorders through research co-produced with patients and other knowledge users.

Tier 2 Chairs, tenable for five years and renewable once, are for exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. For each Tier 2 Chair, the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program allocates to institutions $100,000 annually for five years, with an additional $20,000 annual research stipend for first-term Tier 2 Chairs.

Candidates should, at a minimum, be assistant or associate professors, or possess the necessary qualifications to be appointed to these levels. Candidates who are more than 10 years from their highest degree must contact the University of Ottawa directly for questions related to their potential eligibility for a Tier 2 Chair. The institution may nominate a professor or a researcher who is more than 10 years from their highest degree at the time of nomination and has experienced legitimate career interruptions (see acceptable justifications). In such cases, the institution must submit to the Secretariat a formal justification (using the Tier 2 Justification Screening Form), explaining why the nominee is still considered to be an emerging scholar. The University recognizes the legitimate impact that leaves (e.g., parental leave, leave due to illness) can have on a candidate’s record of research achievement and that these leaves will be taken into careful consideration during the assessment process. New CRC nominees are also eligible for infrastructure support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to help acquire state-of-the-art equipment essential to their work. 

Preferential Hiring:

The University of Ottawa is committed to ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion in the scholarly and leadership environments of our students, staff, and faculty. Accordingly, we strongly encourage applications from skilled and experienced members of the four designated groups such as Indigenous Peoples, racialized individuals, persons with disabilities, women and gender equity-seeking groups, as defined in the CRC Program method for establishing equity targets and the Employment Equity Act, as well as from all qualified candidates with the skills and knowledge to productively implement equity measures that ensure and retain diverse teams and promote inclusive practices for research team members. As part of this preferential hiring process, applications from members of the four designated groups will be prioritized and assessed first for the vacancy. The purpose of this measure is to increase the representation and contribution of members of the four designated groups in the allocation of Canada Research Chair positions.All candidates are asked to complete the confidential self-identification questionnaire during the application process online. Internal candidates such as professors, postdoctoral fellows, and students are not eligible.

Skills requirements:

• Education : Ph.D. in a field related to the position

• Required Qualifications: superior research achievements in the CRC’s identified area(s) and proof of interdisciplinary collaborations; a solid record with respect to teaching and training of students at the graduate level; the ability to obtain external research funds. Excellent communication skills in either English or French. Passive (or active) knowledge of one’s second official language (French or English) is a requirement for tenure. English-French bilingualism is an asset.

Duties: Academic staff functions include, in varying proportions:

-  teaching

-  scholarly activities such as research, artistic or literary creation, or professional work

-  academic service

-  graduate student supervision

Rank and salary:  

Terms: New tenure-track academic appointment in the Faculty of Medicine, School of Epidemiology and Public Health. Salary scale for an Assistant Professor starts at $99,377 and $109,776 for an Associate Professor (scale of the collective agreement as of May 1, 2025). Salaries are competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Benefits package: The University of Ottawa provides a complete benefits package, which includes long-term disability insurance, basic group life insurance, health insurance, University of Ottawa pension plan and optional life insurance, as well as reimbursement of eligible relocation expenses.

Location of work:  School of Epidemiology and Public Health, 600 Peter Morand, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1H 8M5

Application Package:

·   A cover letter;

·   An up-to-date curriculum vitae (Please include any personal circumstances and/or career interruptions such as parental or sick leaves that may have impacted your research trajectory. These will be taken into consideration in the selection process);

·   A research plan (2 to 3 pages);

·   A statement of relevance to the Brain-Heart Interconnectome (BHI) and commitment to a research co-production approach (research carried out in collaboration with community, patients, health professionals, policy makers and other knowledge users) (1 page); 

·   A statement of teaching interests (1 to 2 pages);

·   A statement on equity, diversity, and inclusion philosophy and concrete practices (1 page);

·   The names of three people whom may be contacted by the University for letters of reference which will follow the Canada Research Chairs guidelines (i.e. Tier 2: one arm’s length and two who are not affiliated to the University of Ottawa unless they are the candidate’s PhD or postdoctoral supervisor; and

·   Self-identification: Complete the confidential Employment Equity questionnaire online during the application process. The Canada Research Chairs Program requires institutions to collect self-identification data from all applicants, following the program’s best practices.

Deadline: June, 20 2026.

More information regarding Academic Careers can be found online. Apply online through the University of Ottawa Careers portal.

To apply, we invite you to merge the various sections of your application into a single PDF file, which you can then upload to the Careers website. However, if you encounter any problems submitting your application, you can send it to the following email address: [email protected].

The selection process will begin immediately after the closing date and will continue until the position is filled. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Please address your cover letter to the following person:

Dr. Julie St-Pierre, Vice-President, Research and Innovation

University of Ottawa

550 Cumberland St., room 246

Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 CANADA

For questions, please email: [email protected]

Ad posted on April 20, 2026.

The University of Ottawa is committed to ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion in the scholarly and leadership environments of our students, staff, and faculty. Accordingly, we strongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples in Canada, visible minorities members (racialized persons), persons with disabilities, women, as well as from all qualified candidates with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with equitable, diverse, and inclusive communities. Candidates who wish to be considered as a member of one or more designated groups are asked to complete the confidential Self-Identification Questionnaire, to be completed at the time of application.

All qualified candidates are invited to apply; however, preference will be given to Canadians and permanent residents. When submitting your application, please indicate if you are legally entitled to work in Canada

The University of Ottawa provides accommodations for applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you are invited to proceed in the selection process, please notify us of any accommodations that you require by contacting the Office of the Vice-Provost, Faculty Relations by email at [email protected]. Any information you send us will be handled respectfully and in complete confidence.

The University of Ottawa is proud of its 160-year tradition of bilingualism. Through its Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute, the University provides training to staff members and to their spouses in their second official language.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.