Canada Impact + Research Chair

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 Environment and Climate Resilience . This prestigious federal initiative supports bold, transformative research programs that deliver tangible environmental, societal, 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 understanding of environmental change and climate resilience 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 :

Research Vision & Alignment

Mount Allison seeks a research leader whose work addresses pressing environmental and climate challenges through interdisciplinary, discovery-driven, and applied research. Areas of interest may include (but are not limited to) :

• Climate change impacts on terrestrial, freshwater, and / or marine systems
• Ecosystem resilience, biodiversity, and adaptation strategies
• Environmental monitoring, modelling, and data analytics
• Climate-linked ecological and societal outcomes
• Integrative approaches linking environmental science, biology, chemistry, and geography

The Chairholder will build on Mount Allison’s strong foundation in ecological and environmental research, complementing existing strengths in aquatic sciences, ecosystem analysis, and applied environmental and conservation-oriented 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, Environmental Science, and Chemistry & Biochemistry. Faculty work closely across disciplines and with regional non-academic partners, and the University strongly supports research programs that integrate discovery, application, and student engagement.

Relevant shared infrastructure includes aquatic research laboratories, environmental analytics and stable isotope facilities, digital microscopy and imaging platforms, and field-deployable environmental monitoring tools.

Leadership, Training, and Impact

The Impact+ Chairholder will :

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 research leadership, interdisciplinary collaboration, and real-world impact is required. Successful candidates will be expected to teach half the 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. 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 global environmental and climate challenges

The Canada Impact+ Chair will enable and catalyze environmental research with a focus on biodiversity and climate resilience in coastal marine, freshwater, and terrestrial or atmospheric ecosystems. Mount Allison University has a critical mass of researchers with well-established strengths in Geography & Environment, Biology, and Chemistry & Biochemistry creating fertile ground for interdisciplinary research addressing environmental change, ecosystem resilience, microbiology and wildlife biodiversity, coastal zone management, and climate adaptation. Collaboration across disciplines is actively supported and deeply embedded in the University’s research culture, enabling discovery-driven and applied research with real-world environmental and societal impact.

Strategic location for applied and policy-relevant research

Atlantic Canada offers a uniquely relevant setting for research with tangible societal and environmental impact, particularly in climate change, coastal and freshwater systems, ecosystem management, and regional climate resilience. Mount Allison benefits from proximity to federal, regional, and non-governmental research and policy organizations, enabling meaningful partnerships, policy engagement, and knowledge mobilization. Tantramar, New Brunswick is home to the regional Canadian Wildlife Service office (a branch of Environment and Climate Change Canada), the Atlantic Region office for Birds Canada (a national NGO heavily involved in avian research and conservation), the Atlantic Wildlife Institute, and ClimAtlantic - a regional climate data hub that curates relevant climate information and supports its effective use in planning and decision making for all Atlantic Canada. Ducks Unlimited Canada maintains an office in nearby Amherst NS, and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans conducts research out of their office in Moncton NB. Mount Allison University also hosts the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre - a non-profit organization that compiles, manages, and distributes authoritative information on biodiversity in Atlantic Canada, including species at risk.

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 covering letter 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 ensuring an accessible recruitment process. To request accommodations or adaptive measures requests at any stage in the recruitment and hiring process, please contact a Mount Allison People and Culture Administrator at 506-364-2280 or .

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 :

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 : 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.