Position description
Mount Allison University invites applications and expressions of interest from internationally based world-leading researchers for nomination to a Canada Impact+ Research Chair in Health, Including Biotechnology. This prestigious federal initiative supports bold, transformative research programs that deliver tangible societal, health, and economic benefits.
Valued at $4 million over eight years, with a possibility of a four-year 50% funded extension (inclusive of indirect costs), the Chairholder will lead an ambitious, interdisciplinary research program that advances health knowledge and translates discovery into real-world impact. Successful awardees may also apply for up to $6 million for research infrastructure from the Canada Impact+ Research Infrastructure Fund. Full program details can be found on the program’s website:
https://www.canada.ca/en/impact-plus-chairs/program-details/competition…
Research Vision & Alignment
Mount Allison seeks a research leader whose work at the interface of biochemistry and chemistry is addressing pressing health challenges through biotechnology, biomedical and biological science, environmental determinants of health, or health-adjacent environmental and biological systems. Areas of interest may include (but are not limited to):
- Environmental and ecological determinants of human health
- Molecular, cellular, and organismal health sciences
- Biotechnology and applied biological innovation
- Health-related “omics” (metabolomics, proteomics etc.)
- Health impacts of climate and environmental change, including community health
- Integrative approaches linking biology, chemistry, and health outcomes
The Chairholder will build on Mount Allison’s strong foundation in biological, biochemical and environmental health research, complementing existing strengths in comparative physiology and biochemistry, ecotoxicology, neurophysiology, molecular biology and cell signalling, and applied biochemical research, while forging new national and international collaborations.
Research Environment & Institutional Strengths
Mount Allison offers a highly collaborative research environment with recognized strengths in Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, and interdisciplinary environmental health research. Faculty work closely across disciplines and with regional academic and non-academic partners, and the University strongly supports research programs that integrate discovery, application, and student engagement.
Relevant shared infrastructure includes advanced molecular biology and cell culture facilities (biosafety level 2), digital microscopy and imaging platforms, aquatic animal and small mammal holding facilities (biosafety level 1), and analytical chemistry and stable isotope facilities supporting health- and environment-linked research.
Leadership, Training, and Impact
The Impact+ Chairholder will:
- Lead an internationally visible research program with clear pathways to health impact
- Build and mentor diverse, high-performing research teams
- Advance knowledge translation, mobilization, and evidence-informed engagement with policy, industry, and community-based health and environmental partners
- Train the next generation of highly qualified personnel in health and biotechnology
Impact+ Emerging Leaders Opportunity
As part of this nomination, Mount Allison University intends to request an associated Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders position. This provides up to $100,000 per year for six years to recruit an internationally based early career researcher (ECR) in a related strategic priority area. The ECR will be recruited following acceptance of the Impact+ Research Chair and will establish an independent research program that complements and extends the Chair’s impact.
Eligibility
Candidates (including Canadian applicants) must be internationally based (both working and residing outside of Canada) at the time of nomination and eligible for appointment at the rank of Associate or Full Professor (or equivalent). Applicants from outside the academic sector must possess the qualifications necessary to be appointed at these levels. The successful applicant will hold a PhD, per Mount Allison requirements. A strong record of international research leadership, interdisciplinary collaboration, and real-world impact is required. Successful candidates will be expected to teach half a standard load, as well as meaningfully include undergraduate and graduate students in their research program.
The successful nominee will be expected to take up their appointment at Mount Allison University on a full-time basis within 12 months of accepting the Chair award. Any offer of appointment is conditional upon a successful outcome of the Canada Impact+ Research Chairs nomination.
The Impact+ program utilizes a two-stage process. First, prospective nominees apply directly to Mount Allison University. Mount Allison will then support the nominee identified through this search as they prepare a nomination package for submission to the Impact+ Chairs program. Mount Allison expects to submit the nomination in June 2026 and will provide substantial support in the preparation and development of the program application, including budget planning, proposal development, and editing. If successful, the Impact+ Chair awardee will receive support for their research program from the fund award, as well as research grant facilitation and administration. The successful Impact+ Chair awardee will be appointed to a faculty position (Associate Professor or Full Professor) in an appropriate academic department, as early as Winter 2027.
Why Mount Allison | Why Atlantic Canada
Mount Allison University is located in Sackville, within the Municipality of Tantramar, in New Brunswick (NB), Canada. Mount Allison University acknowledges, honours, and respects that the land named Sackville, NB is part of Mi’kma’ki, the unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People who are the historic inhabitants, custodians, and dwellers on the land where our University is built, and affirms its commitment to strengthening relationships with Indigenous communities. Specifically, in support of our responsibility to address the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action, Mount Allison respects scientific practices that are rooted in ‘two-eyed seeing’ and the local ecological knowledge in Mi’kmaki.
A high-impact research environment with depth and distinction
Mount Allison University is a small primarily undergraduate liberal arts and science university with a long history of excellence in teaching and research. The University offers thesis-based MSc programs in biology and chemistry, and also has an agreement with Memorial University of Newfoundland that allows PhD students to be supervised and conduct their research with Mount Allison faculty. Mount Allison combines intellectual intensity, close collaboration, and exceptional student engagement within an agile and supportive institutional environment. Its academic community includes award-winning researchers, 3M National Teaching Fellows, and six Tier 2 Canada Research Chair holders, and the University is internationally recognized for cultivating outstanding student scholars, including Rhodes Scholars at the highest per-capita rate in Canada. Mount Allison has been ranked Canada’s #1 undergraduate university a record 26 times, reflecting a deeply embedded culture of excellence in both research and teaching.
Interdisciplinary strengths aligned with pressing health challenges
The Canada Impact+ Chair will enable and catalyze research at the intersection of chemistry and biochemistry and health, potentially making use of computation and artificial intelligence tools, a focus on health-related “omics” research, or a focus on biotechnology for transformative health care. Mount Allison is interested in researchers who may be able to address a wide range of possible health challenges, including research that helps prevent poor health outcomes or helps individuals age in home with fewer negative health outcomes. Mount Allison is home to well-established strengths in Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, and a newly established Interdisciplinary Health Studies Program that create fertile ground for interdisciplinary research addressing human health, biotechnology, health-related “omics”, and the environmental determinants of health. Collaboration across disciplines is actively supported and deeply embedded in the University’s research culture, enabling discovery-driven and translational research with real-world impact.
Strategic location for applied and policy-relevant research
Atlantic Canada offers a uniquely relevant setting for research with tangible societal impact, particularly in health–environment interactions, and climate-linked health outcomes. Mount Allison benefits from proximity to numerous federal, regional, and non-governmental research and policy organizations, enabling meaningful partnerships and knowledge mobilization. Mount Allison is closely located to the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute based in Moncton, NB; the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (PATH) based at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS; and researchers at the Integrated Health Research Program and Dalhousie Medical School based at the University of New Brunswick Saint John Campus. As a partner in the Maple League of Universities, Mount Allison works closely with health researchers in the newly formed Dahdelah Institute for Innovation in Health at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS. Mount Allison researchers are also contributors to a newly formed Atlantic Metabolism Research Group and Genome Atlantic provides regional support to health researchers in genomics and other health “omics” disciplines.
Exceptional quality of life and global connectivity
The region offers a high quality of life, affordability, and a strong sense of community, alongside excellent access to national and international research networks. Located at the geographical centre of Canada’s Maritime provinces and serviced by the Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport, Mount Allison provides the opportunity for globally mobile research leaders to build something ambitious, visible, and lasting within a highly supportive institutional setting.
Commitment to Decolonization, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism
Mount Allison University is committed to furthering decolonization, equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism within our campus community and beyond. We seek candidates with qualifications and knowledge to contribute to the further diversification of our university and encourage applications from qualified applicants in underrepresented, equity-denied, or rights-seeking populations, including Indigenous persons, racialized individuals, persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual and gender identities. The successful Chairholder will be supported in developing and implementing a comprehensive EDI action plan, as required under the Impact+ program.
Mount Allison recognizes the undeniable and understandable impact that career interruptions and personal circumstances (e.g., pregnancy, early childcare, eldercare, illness, disability, COVID-19 etc.) can have on a candidate’s record of research achievement. Career interruptions and alternate career paths will be taken into careful consideration during the assessment process and applicants are encouraged to highlight in their application how these have impacted their career. Mount Allison also values contributions to mentoring and research training, championing equity, diversity, and inclusion in both research programs and curricula, outreach, professional service, and nontraditional areas of research and/or research outputs.
Mount Allison University is committed to improving accessibility across our campus and ensuring an accessible recruitment process. To request accommodations or adaptive measures requests at any stage in the recruitment and hiring process, please contact Lori Geldart, a Mount Allison People and Culture Administrator, at 506-364-2280 or hr@mta.ca.
How to Express Interest
This recruitment is being conducted in accordance with the Canada Impact+ Research Chairs program requirements. To apply, applicants should submit a single PDF that includes:
- A cover letter (maximum two pages) outlining the candidate’s research vision and leadership experience, and describing anticipated requirements related to start-up support, research infrastructure, and space.
- A comprehensive curriculum vitae, including details of research and teaching experience, scholarly contributions, funding history, collaborations and partnerships, and research leadership.
- A research statement (maximum two pages) articulating the candidate’s proposed research program and its alignment with the relevant strategic priority area(s). The statement should describe how the proposed work will advance knowledge and translate discovery into meaningful social, economic, and/or policy impacts, including through collaboration with partners. The statement should be written in clear, accessible language suitable for a broad academic and non-academic audience.
- A one-two page summary comprising teaching philosophy, student or other highly qualified personnel (HQP) training philosophy, and approach to supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- The names and contact information of at least three referees who are able to comment on the candidate’s research record, leadership, and impact.
All application materials should be submitted electronically to:
Dr. Richard Isnor
Provost and Vice-President, Academic and Research
Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic and Research
Mount Allison University
E-mail: provost@mta.ca
Phone: 506-364-2622
Fax: 506-364-2299
Mailing Address:
65 York Street
Sackville, NB E4L 1E4
Canada
Informal inquiries regarding this opportunity may be directed to the Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic and Research at provost@mta.ca.
Further details regarding the formal nomination process will be shared with selected candidates.