Call for Canada Impact+ Research Chairs

Call for Canada Impact+ Research Chairs

Brandon University invites applications from outstanding international researchers for the Canada Impact Plus Research Chairs Program.

The Canada Impact+ Research Chairs (Impact+) Program is a one-time initiative designed to support institutions in attracting world-leading 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 Canada’s strategic priority areas, build and maintain exceptional research teams, and collaborate with partners across sectors and borders.  Impact+ chairholders are expected to drive the translation of discoveries into applications, commercialization, and social and economic benefits for Canada and the world, while also developing the next generation of highly qualified personnel.

The Impact+ program awards chairs of two award values: $8 million over eight years ($1M per year); or $4 million over eight years ($500,000 per year).  The two award values recognize the varying costs of research within different research disciplines and aim to be inclusive of all areas of research.  Both awards have the potential for a four-year extension funded at 50% of the original award value.  Chairs will be appointed as full-time Full Professors or Associate Professors who are expected to be promoted to Full Professor within two years of starting their chairholder appointment.

Key objectives of the Impact+ program are to:

  • Attract world-leading researchers to strengthen Canada’s global competitiveness and innovation leadership;
  • Transform bold discoveries into innovative products, ideas, policies, and solutions that benefit Canadians and the world;
  • Help Canada grow and sustain a critical mass of expertise through the development of high-impact research teams; and
  • Incentivize strategic partnerships across sectors such as industry, health systems, government, and not-for-profit organizations, to accelerate translation of research into practice and enhance long-term adoptions and impact.

Brandon University will consider applications in the following four (4) strategic priority areas:

1.  Canada Impact+ Research Chair in Rural Artificial Intelligence

The Canada Impact+ Research Chair in Rural Artificial Intelligence will support an outstanding researcher whose program advances artificial intelligence in ways that generate significant social, economic, and policy impact, with a particular emphasis on rural and regional contexts.  The successful candidate will lead a high-quality, externally funded research program and contribute to Canada’s national priorities in responsible AI, agri-food innovation, public-sector modernization, and digital inclusion.

Research Program

The Chair will develop an innovative and impactful research program in Rural Artificial Intelligence, which may include (but is not limited to):

  • AI-enabled decision-support systems for agriculture, agri-food, and environmental management
  • Machine learning and analytics for rural health, education, and municipal service delivery
  • AI methods designed for low-connectivity, data-limited, or resource-constrained environments
  • Explainable, trustworthy, and responsible AI
  • Applied AI research with clear pathways to adoption, scale, and policy relevance

The Chair is expected to demonstrate how their research contributes to measurable outcomes and national relevance, while remaining grounded in place-based challenges.

Institutional and Regional Context

Brandon University is a comprehensive teaching and research university located in Western Manitoba, a region that offers a distinctive living laboratory for Rural AI research. The area’s mix of agricultural production, rural municipalities, public institutions, and small and medium-sized enterprises provides rich opportunities for applied research, pilot projects, and knowledge mobilization with measurable impact. The Chair will be supported by Brandon University’s interdisciplinary research culture, strong community partnerships, and commitment to community-engaged scholarship.

2. Canada Impact + Research Chair in Environment, Climate Resilience, and the Arctic

The Canada Impact + Research Chair in Environment, Climate Resilience, and the Arctic will support an outstanding researcher whose work advances understanding of environmental change, climate adaptation, and resilience in northern and Arctic-linked systems, with a particular emphasis on rural and northern communities.

The successful candidate will lead an internationally recognized, impact-driven research program that contributes to Canada’s priorities in climate resilience, environmental stewardship, Arctic science, Indigenous reconciliation, and sustainable development.

 Research Program

The Chair will develop a high-impact research program that may include, but is not limited to:

  • Indigenous and community-led approaches to environmental stewardship and monitoring
  • Climate change impacts and adaptation in northern, sub-Arctic, and rural environments
  • Environmental change in boreal, tundra, coastal, and watershed systems
  • Permafrost dynamics, hydrology, and ecosystem resilience
  • Climate-resilient infrastructure, land-use planning, and community adaptation
  • Arctic–sub-Arctic linkages and their implications for communities and ecosystems

The Chair is expected to generate research that produces measurable environmental, social, and policy impacts, grounded in place-based challenges and scalable to other regions.

Institutional and Regional Context

Brandon University is a comprehensive teaching and research institution located in Western Manitoba, with strong research and community partnerships extending into Northern Manitoba. These regions form a critical interface between southern Canada and Arctic systems, offering a distinctive living laboratory for applied research on climate resilience, environmental change, and community adaptation. The University supports interdisciplinary research, community-engaged scholarship, and the training of highly qualified personnel in applied and policy-relevant fields.

3. Canada Impact + Research Chair in Food and Water Security

The Canada Impact + Research Chair in Food and Water Security will support an outstanding researcher whose work addresses the interlinked challenges of sustainable food systems, water availability and quality, and climate resilience, with a particular emphasis on rural and regional contexts.

Research Program

The successful candidate will lead a high-impact, externally funded research program that contributes to Canada’s national priorities in agri-food sustainability, water stewardship, climate adaptation, and community resilience.  The Chair will develop an innovative research program in Food and Water Security, which may include (but is not limited to):

  • Indigenous, community-based, and land- and water-informed approaches to stewardship
  • Sustainable and climate-resilient food systems
  • Water quality, quantity, and watershed management
  • Agricultural water use efficiency and irrigation systems
  • Climate change impacts on food and water systems
  • Policy-relevant research supporting food security, water governance, and resource management

The Chair is expected to demonstrate how their research generates measurable social, environmental, and policy impacts at local, regional, and national scales.

Institutional and Regional Context

Brandon University is a comprehensive teaching and research institution located in Western Manitoba, a region characterized by intensive agricultural production, interconnected watersheds, and strong rural and Indigenous communities. The region provides a distinctive living laboratory for research on food and water systems, climate variability, and sustainable resource management. The University’s interdisciplinary research culture and strong community partnerships create an enabling environment for applied, collaborative, and impact-oriented research.

4.  Canada Impact + Research Chair in Democratic and Community Resilience

The Canada Impact + Research Chair in Democratic and Community Resilience will support an outstanding researcher whose work strengthens democratic governance, community capacity, and collective resilience in contexts facing social, economic, environmental, and institutional pressures.  The successful candidate will lead a high-quality, externally funded research program that advances knowledge and practice related to democratic participation, inclusive governance, Indigenous self-determination, and community-led responses to complex challenges.

Research Program

The Chair will develop an innovative and impactful research program in Democratic and Community Resilience, which may include (but is not limited to):

  • Indigenous governance, self-determination, and community-led decision-making
  • Democratic governance and participation in rural and northern contexts
  • Community resilience and local responses to climate, economic, and social change
  • Trust, social cohesion, and institutional legitimacy
  • Digital democracy, information integrity, and civic engagement in low-capacity or remote settings
  • Applied, policy-relevant research co-developed with communities and public institutions

The Chair is expected to demonstrate how their research contributes to measurable social and policy impacts while remaining grounded in place-based challenges.

Institutional and Regional Context

Brandon University is a comprehensive teaching and research institution located in Western Manitoba, with strong research and community connections extending into Northern Manitoba. These regions provide a distinctive living laboratory for research on democratic capacity, governance under constraint, and community resilience, including rural municipalities, northern and Indigenous communities, and regional service organizations.  The University supports interdisciplinary research, community-engaged scholarship, and the training of highly qualified personnel in applied and policy-relevant fields.

Impact+ nominees must be:

  • Internationally renowned scholars and scientists in the areas of strategic importance identified above, with a recent track record of research accomplishments;
  • Full Professors or Associate Professors, or if recruited outside the academic sector, they must possess the qualifications necessary to be appointed at these levels; and
  • Internationally based, i.e., must be both working and residing outside of Canada as of the Impact+ application deadline. This requirement is established by the Impact+ Program.  Brandon University remains committed to an equitable and inclusive recruitment process and will work to mitigate systemic barriers that may affect applicants’ ability to relocate.

Selection Criteria

Impact+ nominees will be selected based on the following evaluation criteria:

  1. Research/academic merit and leadership skills of the nominee
    1. Impact and international recognition of the nominee (as appropriate, based on career stage). This includes the nominee’s research, the level of recognition they hold in their field, and their record of service to the research community (e.g., service on peer review committees, faculty recruitment committees, advisory committees). In cases where the nominee’s research involves Indigenous research, the impact can be at the international level and/or at the community, regional or national level. Brandon University recognizes that career paths are diverse and that research excellence may be demonstrated through a variety of contributions, including things such as community-engaged scholarship, Indigenous knowledge, mobilization, policy impact, mentorship, and non-traditional research outputs.
    2. Nominee’s record of establishing and sustaining an equitable, diverse and inclusive research environment, including attracting, training, mentoring and providing leadership opportunities to a diverse group of students, trainees and research personnel.

 

  1. Quality of the research program
    1. Quality of the institutional environment (existing or planned) that will support the chairholder and the chairholder’s team throughout the tenure of the award to ensure the success of the research program. This includes the activities and additional support planned for the Chair, such as establishing governance committees and advisory bodies, stewardship plans, protected time for research (e.g., release from certain teaching or administrative duties), mentoring (if applicable), training, additional funds, office space, administrative support, hiring of other faculty members and salary support.
    2. Institution’s ability to sustain the research advantage created by the proposed Chair. This includes its ability to leverage partnerships with the private and public sectors, national and international research institutions, and academic and/or philanthropic organizations; and the ability to retain the chairholder beyond the period of the award.
    3. Institution’s research strengths in the proposed field, assessed against global standards of excellence.
    4. Strength of the institution’s overall commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in research and academia. This includes the quality of the outreach and the transparency of selection processes, and the level of support it will provide to the chairholder in helping to establish, sustain and strengthen an equitable, diverse and inclusive research team, environment and ecosystem. For more details, see the Recruitment page and the additional best practices developed for the Canada Research Chairs Program.

 

  1. Potential contribution to the excellence of the Canadian and international research ecosystem
    1. Promise of the proposed research program in the context of leading global research in the field, the transformational and translational potential of the research, and the extent to which the Chair fills a gap within existing expertise at the institution or in Canada.
    2. Quality of the proposed research program in terms of how it has embedded EDI considerations (e.g., GBA Plus or SGBA Plus) at each stage of the research process and its associated outcomes (as applicable).
    3. Quality of the proposed research program in terms of how research is co-created and co-led by and with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, as investigators, trainees, partners and collaborators, and its recognition of Indigenous ways of knowing (as applicable).
    4. Appropriateness of the proposed budget in terms of it being reasonable and well justified for carrying out the proposed activities.

 

  1. Potential for knowledge translation, mobilization, and application of research results
    1. Likelihood the work of the proposed Chair will advance the frontiers of research in the field on a global scale, as well as Canada’s reputation as a centre for science, research and innovation excellence.
    2. Plan for establishing and maintaining a diverse chairholder’s team (which includes faculty, early career researchers, research trainees, other highly qualified personnel and administrative staff), and an environment that is safe and inclusive and allows all team members to reach their full research potential (e.g., through the recruitment and outreach strategy, equitable training opportunities, professional development and mentoring).
    3. Extent to which the proposed research program will lead to enriched learning experiences for students, trainees and other highly qualified personnel to develop relevant skills, while fostering advancement and future career opportunities.
    4. Alignment of the proposed research program with one or more of the Government of Canada’s strategic priority areas for Canada Impact+ Research Chairs to create social and economic advantages for Canada.

How to Apply

Candidates should include the following in their submission:

  1. Cover letter demonstrating how the candidate meets the selection criteria outlined above (2 pages)
  2. Demonstrated alignment with the Impact+ strategic priority area(s) (1 page)
  3. Curriculum vitae
  4. Research proposal (5 pages) that includes:
    1. Current and proposed Impact+ program of research
    2. Attracting, training, and mentoring of trainees and research personnel
    3. Knowledge mobilization plan that demonstrates benefits nationally and internationally
    4. Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) plan that includes considerations in the design of the program of research and research team, as well as fostering EDI throughout the implementation of the program
  5. Infrastructure and space requirements (1 page)
  6. Names and contact information of at least three referees who are established authorities in the field, and who are not in a conflict of interest
  7. Employment Equity Questionnaire: The candidate must ensure they have completed the confidential Employee Equity Questionnaire and submitted it to the Brandon University Diversity and Human Rights Advisor by the deadline

Date Posted Online:  February 20, 2026

Rank:  Professor or Associate Professor, tenured or tenure-track appointment

Salary:  Commensurate with qualifications and experience

Date of Appointment:  January 2027 or on the availability of the successful candidate

Deadline for Submissions:  Submissions should be forwarded electronically in one single electronic file (example, PDF) to the Vice-President (Research & Graduate Studies) by March 21, 2026

Interviews are expected to be held in March 2026 and the successful candidate(s) will work with Brandon University to create a formal application for submission to the Tri-Agency Interagency Programs Secretariat (TIPS), due June 29, 2026, with results expected in November 2026. Applications are to be submitted to:

Dr. Bernadette Ardelli

Vice-President (Research & Graduate Studies)

Brandon University

270 – 18th Street

Brandon MB R7A 6A9

Email:  vprgs@brandonu.ca

Issued Feb. 20, 2026

Brandon University is committed to equity, welcomes diversity, and hires on the basis of merit.  All qualified individuals who may contribute to the diversification of the University, especially women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous persons, racialized persons, and persons of all sexual orientations and genders are encouraged to apply.  Brandon University will undertake proactive and targeted outreach to encourage applications from members of equity-deserving groups.

 We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment.  This starts with the hiring process.  Should you require an accommodation during any phase of the recruitment process, contact Kristen Fisher, Associate Vice-President, People & Talent, at hr@brandonu.ca.  All information received related to an accommodation is kept confidential.  To ensure this employment opportunity is accessible to all interested individuals, this posting is available in an alternate format upon request.  Please visit the Brandon University Accessibility Hub for more information.