Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Law and Urban Governance

Job Type:

Academic Regular

Faculty/Department:

Faculty of Law - Civil Law Section_FT

The University of Ottawa is seeking applications for a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Law and Urban Governance. The goal of the chair is to increase the intensity and impact of legal research related to contemporary challenges Canadian cities are facing. The chairholder will be asked to propose an ambitious research program fostering a better understanding of how municipal, national and international legal frameworks determine the ways cities develop and their capacity to respond adequately to their own pressing issues, such as crises in housing and homelessness, increasing social inequality, needs pertaining to mobility, accommodations and a green transition, and local repercussions of global geopolitical tension.

The ideal candidate has an outstanding background in research and knowledge mobilization, including the proven ability to obtain external research funding, recruit top students and forge collaborations with community partners and public sector decision-makers.

The person selected will hold a regular, tenure-track position in the Faculty of Law, Civil Law Section, and play a major leadership role in research and the education of graduate students. This person will have the opportunity to collaborate with the main bodies making up the Faculty of Law research enterprise, including the Public Law Centre; Human Rights Research and Education Centre; Centre for Environmental Law and Global Sustainability; Centre for Law, Technology and Society; Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics; and the Canada Research Chair in Mental Health and Access to Justice.

Located on the unceded ancestral territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin people, in the heart of the nation's capital and close to numerous national organizations, the University of Ottawa is among Canada's top ten research-intensive universities. It is recognized as the first and largest bilingual university in North America and maintains strong connections with organizational, governmental, and public policy stakeholders.

Tier 1 Chairs, tenable for seven years and renewable once, are for outstanding researchers acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields. For each Tier 1 Chair, the institution receives $200,000 annually for seven years. 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. 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.  

The Faculty of Law has 36 professors in its Civil Law Section and more than 78 in its Common Law Section, six research centres, 17 research chairs and four laboratories, thus providing an exceptional intellectual environment for students, researchers and professors. Our graduate programs include a general master’s degree (LLM) and several master’s degrees with concentrations, including in health law, policy and ethics; global sustainability and environmental law; international trade law and foreign investment; notarial law; and law and technology; along with a doctorate in law (PhD).

The Civil Law Section is proud of its extensive record of innovative, influential and globally focused legal research and teaching. Its professors benefit from the section’s strategic position within the University of Ottawa and Canada’s capital, a place of meeting and exchange between different legal traditions, including, of course, civil law, but also common law and several Indigenous legal systems. Working in French as well as in other languages, our researchers and jurists lead both large- and small-scale research projects and teams, working closely with researchers in several disciplines and building on major national and international research networks.

Research conducted within the Civil Law Section, addressing topics as diverse as health, the environment, artificial intelligence, children's rights, pluralism and legal diversity, ethics and the judiciary, and economics and social justice, contributes not only to the advancement of knowledge in law and the social sciences but also has a significant impact on law reform and the development of public policy at both the local and international levels.

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, including faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, and students, are not eligible. Candidates who are also employed by affiliated research institutes (OHRI, uOttawa Heart Institute Research Corporation, Bruyère Health Research Institute, CHEO Research Institute, Institut du Savoir Montfort, and the Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research) are not eligible.  

Skills requirements

• Education: Ph.D. in Law or equivalent. Candidates with training in a related discipline may also be considered, provided they possess the expertise necessary to undertake teaching responsibilities in civil law.
• Required Qualifications: superior research achievements in the field of law and urban governance, as well as proof of interdisciplinary collaborations; a solid record with respect to teaching and training of students at the graduate level; a strong record of external research funding; the ability to communicate effectively in French, both orally and in writing. Tenure is conditional upon a passive (or active) knowledge of English.

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.

Terms: New tenure-track position.

Salary

The salary scale for a Full Professor starts at $131,803, and for an Associate Professor at $109,776 (per the collective agreement between APUO and the University of Ottawa 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:  Faculty of Law, Civil Law Section, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5.

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 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: all three are arm’s length, including one of international stature and who does not live in the country where the candidate is currently working); 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: December 23, 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 October 23, 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. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples in Canada, visible minority members (racialized persons), persons with disabilities, women and all qualified applicants with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with equitable, diverse and inclusive communities. Applicants who wish to be considered as a member of one or more designated groups should complete the confidential Self-Identification Questionnaire when they apply.

In accordance with government policy, 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 emailing the Office of the Vice-Provost, Faculty Relations, at [email protected]. Any information you send us will be handled respectfully and in complete confidence.

The University of Ottawa is proud of its more than 175-year tradition of bilingualism. Through its Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute, the University provides second-language training to staff members and their spouses.