Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Mechanistic Interactions in Psychosis

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Posting Reason:

New Position

Job Type:

Contingent Worker

Anticipated Duration in Months (for contracts and temporary assignments):

Job Family:

Academic Leadership and Faculty

# of Open Positions:

1

Faculty/Service - Department:

Psychiatry - CRC

Campus:

Smyth, Alta Vista, General Hospital, CHEO Campuses

Union Affiliation:

N/A

Date Posted (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/06/16

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

2026/08/17

Hours per week:

35

Salary Grade:

No Pay Scale Salary

Salary Range:

$ - $

The University of Ottawa invites applications for a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Mechanistic interactions in Psychosis. The successful candidate will hold a clinical non-tenure-track position with the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry, and a Scientific appointment to The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR) 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 recognised as the first and largest bilingual university in North America and offers strong connections to organisational, government and policy interest holders. The Chairholder will hold or will be eligible to hold a license to practice medicine with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO).

We are interested in attracting an established research leader with demonstrated strengths in psychosis research, with a focus on the mechanistic interactions that contribute to the onset, progression, persistence, and treatment response of psychotic disorders. The successful candidate will bring an internationally recognized program of research that integrates psychiatry, neuroscience, and advanced methodological approaches to better understand psychosis across biological, cognitive, behavioural, and systems levels. Areas of particular interest include neuroimaging, computational psychiatry, artificial intelligence and machine learning, multimodal data integration, brain–heart interconnections, interoception and physiology-informed models of psychosis, and the translation of mechanistic discoveries into more precise, personalized, and measurable approaches to care. The Chair will be expected to lead a collaborative, patient- and client-centred research program that advances the understanding of psychosis, strengthens precision psychiatry, and contributes to improved assessment, intervention, and outcomes for people living with psychotic disorders.

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 IMHR, where brain-heart research has been identified as a strategic priority within our 'Health' research mandate. This environment encompasses the Faculty of Medicine’s clinical departments (e.g., Department of Medicine, Psychiatry), as well as departments of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (CMM), Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology (BMI), School of Epidemiology and Public Health (SEPH), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (SPS) and the Department of Innovation in Medical Education (DIME). As a Core Academic Member of the 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 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.

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 are not eligible.

Skills requirements:

• Education: MD or MD/PhD, with significant research track record 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 publication record, teaching and training of students at the graduate level, the ability to obtain external research funds. Excellent communication skills in either English or French. English-French bilingualism is an asset.

Duties: Academic staff functions include, in varying proportions:

• Scholarly activities such as research, artistic or literary creation, or professional work

• Academic service

• Graduate and post-graduate trainee supervision

• Teaching

Rank and salary:

Clinical non-tenure track academic appointment in the Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, and additional appointment within The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research. Cross-appointments with additional departments will depend on the candidate’s expertise. Academic rank will be at the Associate or Full Professor level and commensurate with the career stage and track record of the successful candidate.

Location of work: The Royal/IMHR, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1Z 7K4

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 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 who may be contacted by the University for letters of reference which will follow the Canada Research Chairs guidelines(i.e. Tier 1: all must be arm’s length and one must be from a referee not residing in the country where the nominee 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: August 16, 2026

More information regarding Academic Careers can be found online. Apply online through the University of Ottawa Careers portal. (the linkwill be created later)

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: chaires_chairs@uottawa.ca

Ad posted on June 16, 2026

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Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.
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The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact hrtalentmanagement@uottawa.ca to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Note: if this is a union position: The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.

If this is a front-line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

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.