Canada Impact+ Research Chair

Professor

Date posted: February 10, 2026
Date closing: March 10, 2026

Canada Impact+ Research Chairs (Impact+) in Integrated Marine Energy Systems

UVic acknowledges and respects the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Xʷsepsəm/Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, and the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day. Listen to our full Territorial Acknowledgement here.

The Opportunity

The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Victoria (UVic) seeks to recruit a world class researcher for a Canada Impact+ Research Chair (Impact+) in Integrated Marine Energy Systems.

The successful Impact+ candidate will contribute world-leading expertise to UVic’s emerging role as a global leader in Marine Energy Systems. The Chairholder will join and help shape a dynamic and highly collaborative research environment, which has positioned UVic as a leader in the development of marine energy technologies, integrated energy systems, and transformative policy guidance. To this team, we seek to add expertise around technologies, processes, models, and policies that accelerate the sustainable use of maritime energy resources towards resilient coastal communities (energy, water, etc.), developing a vibrant blue economy, and supporting Canada’s emergent defense priorities.

The Chair is expected to leverage their existing expertise, and significant UVic institutional momentum in community engaged and co-designed marine energy systems research, to deliver bold visionary leadership in fostering a research, development and commercialization ecosystem that drives translation of discoveries into real world applications at the nexus of economic resurgence, sovereignty, clean energy and ocean technology.

Example application areas could include:

• Co-design of generation and electrified end-user technologies to provide unique technologies for communities and utilities that are potentially dual-use for national defence.
• Multi-fidelity modelling projects to identify opportunities for energy security, sovereignty, and economic development through phased technology deployment.
• Policy-centred approaches to analyze market opportunities, regulatory efficiency opportunities and accelerate Canadian competitiveness.

We seek individuals who are committed to initiating and sustaining interdisciplinary initiatives that navigate interwoven technical, economic, environmental and social realities, and accelerate the integration of marine energy systems into Canadian community and industry practice. Working with the successful candidate, we want to transform how Canada harnesses maritime resources to support sovereignty, responsible stewardship of the offshore space, drive new business opportunities, and improve quality of life nationally and globally.

The candidate's qualifications, experience and overall market demand will determine a candidate’s final salary offer. The salary for this position includes a competitive salary range of $240,000 - $275,000. UVic is committed to offering an equitable and competitive salary, inclusive of a generous benefits package, eligible leaves and pension plan.

Process

The Impact+ nomination process involves two stages. Interested applicants must first apply to this job posting. The successful applicants will then be nominated by UVic for an Impact+ Chair and, upon approval by the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS), will then be offered an appointment at the rank of Full Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, with possibility for cross appointment with additional academic units to facilitate interdisciplinary graduate student supervision.

The University will actively support the candidates throughout the nomination process. Results are expected by September 2026, with successful individuals expected to commence their role within the following 12-month period.

Requirements

Eligibility

Applicants must be top-tier researchers whose accomplishments have made significant breakthroughs in their field with major societal impact and who are acknowledged as world leaders in their fields.

The applicant will be proposing an original, innovative research program of the highest quality that will advance the frontiers of research in the field on a global scale and impact Canadians and others around the world. The applicant will offer evidence of high-quality teaching, supervision, and mentorship of diverse teams and establishing an equitable and inclusive research environment.

The Chairholder will be expected to bring an independent, transdisciplinary and internationally recognized research program, with a record of obtaining substantive research funding, and producing high-impact research outputs, such as publications in top-tier peer-reviewed research in their fields. We welcome colleagues with experiences and competencies that can contribute to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion and Indigenization throughout campus life.

Applicants must be full professors or equivalent who can be hired at UVic at the full professor level. Current UVic faculty members are not eligible to apply. Only candidates who are internationally based (both working and residing outside of Canada) at the time of the application deadline are eligible to apply. The successful candidate must:

• hold a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, or a closely related discipline relevant to marine energy systems.
• Have a clear pathway to licensure as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) with the Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia and a commitment to executing that process (details available at egbc.ca);
• contribute to the continuing expansion, improvement and delivery of undergraduate and/or graduate level curricula related to clean energy technologies and systems in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UVic.

Additional information

What is the Impact+ Program?

The Impact+ program is a one-time initiative designed by the Canadian government to invest in 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 (up to $1m per year for 8 years, with possibility of 4 year extension) 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+ Chairs are expected to build significant new partnerships and collaborations with both Canadian and international entities (industry, health systems, government and not-for-profit organizations), as well as by, and with, Indigenous Peoples and communities, where appropriate. A core expectation is that Chairs, and their research teams, will actively translate and mobilize research outcomes into practice, policy, and commercialization pathways that deliver measurable social and economic benefits for Canada and the world.

The Impact+ program is a tri-agency initiative of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). It is administered by the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS), which is housed within SSHRC. For more information on the program please see the Impact+ program website.

For more information on the Impact+ program generally and on eligibility specifically, please consult the Impact+ Chairs website.

Who We Are

UVic is ranked the #1 university in Canada and #5 globally for climate action (THE Impact Rankings 2025), and has been awarded Platinum rating in Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) as an institution. UVic researchers engage in meaningful work which impacts everyday life, with UVic ranked #4 among all Canadian universities in citation impact per faculty member (QS rankings 2026). Alongside impactful research, UVic researchers are committed to making science and scholarship findings accessible and affordable, contributing to UVic’s status as #2 in Canada Open Access publications (Leiden Open Edition 2025). The Impact+ Chairholder will be integrated into an institution with dynamic global research partnerships, adding to UVic’s #1 ranking in Canada for international research collaborations (Leiden University rankings 2025).

The successful candidate will benefit from direct alignment, support, and priorities of the long-standing UVic Institute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic), whose researchers co-design and construct unique community based maritime energy projects, develop energy storage and conversion technologies that are critical to system efficiency and resiliency, and provide tools for decision making and policy development in support of phased scale-up activities.

The successful candidate will also benefit from exceptional laboratory and field infrastructure, deeply embedded inter-institutional networks and strong community, industry and government partnerships, established through the Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) Initiative at UVic funded by a $84 million Canada First Research Excellence Fund. The ACET mandate is to support inter-disciplinary energy systems research that can transform how small and medium sized communities generate, store and use energy in support of local priorities and ambitions. ACET partner network includes several BC First Nations with many ACET supported projects being based in First Nation’s communities. Unique in Canada, ACET researchers and partners establish value propositions for energy system transformation based on technical, economic, financial and cultural perspectives. Current ACET projects include community scale wave and tidal energy demonstrations on Vancouver Island.    

UVic is also proximal to a thriving local ocean and marine technology cluster, home to many globally competitive companies producing ocean and marine instrumentation, autonomous vessels, and subsea robotic systems. UVic is actively engaged in commercialization efforts in the sector working with the Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies to accelerate technology development and testing through granting and partnership programs. The University of Victoria also hosts world-class infrastructure and expertise through Ocean Networks Canada, a Major Research Facility of Canada. In addition, the Victoria and Vancouver Island area is home to the Canadian Scientific Submersible Facility, multiple shipyards, Canada’s Institute for Ocean Sciences and the Canadian Pacific Fleet, and a number of SMEs (MarineLabs, Open Ocean Robotics, Veer Renewables, BRNKL, AXYS, OML Oceanographic), further strengthening opportunities for integrated research and testing.

To safeguard research in academia, the Government of Canada has implemented the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC) and the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP). These Research Security policies apply to the Canada Impact+ Research Chair program. UVic recommends applicants to review these policies to ensure alignment with Research Security considerations of research funding programs. Vetting of shortlisted candidates will be integrated into the adjudication process for this competition. When awarded the Impact+ position, the successful applicant must not have any active affiliation with any entity on Canada’s List of Named Research Organizations (NRO) of concern and must maintain this status throughout their tenure as Chair.

Contact information

How to apply

To be considered, applications should be sent to Dr. Brad Buckham at mech.asst.chair@uvic.ca with the subject line “UVic Impact+ Chair: Integrated Marine Energy Systems”.

Please combine the following documents into a single pdf file:

• A cover letter (maximum 3 pages) describing briefly how the applicant meets the eligibility criteria listed above, including a description of current and future research interests and accomplishments related to the themes and sub-themes described above, and how UVic will provide an ideal research environment.
• A full CV, including details of research and teaching, scholarly output (for example, high impact publications, as well as any non-traditional research outputs such as policy or community reports, datasets, software, creative arts, patents), grants, collaborations/partnerships, impact measures (such as influence on policy and practice, community engagement, commercialization), personal honours/awards, and leadership experience.
• A one-page (maximum) statement that describes the applicant’s experience with attracting and mentoring a diverse group of students, trainees and research personnel, and establishing an equitable and inclusive research environment, as well as a plan for establishing and maintaining a diverse core team and an inclusive research environment.

Shortlisted applicants will be asked to provide the names and contact information of three references.

Please note that reference and background checks, including credential and degree verification, may be undertaken as part of this recruitment process.

This position is contingent upon the applicant receiving an Impact+ Chair. The position is subject to the availability of funding and to final approval by the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS).

Application deadline

Equity statement

UVic is committed to upholding the values of equity, diversity, inclusion and human rights in our living, learning and work environments. In pursuit of our values, we seek members who are eager to actively participate in that shared responsibility. We actively encourage applications from members of historically and systemically marginalized groups. Read our full equity statement.

The University acknowledges the potential impact that career interruptions can have on an applicant’s record of research achievement. We encourage applicants to explain in their application the impact that career interruptions have had on their record.

Persons with disabilities, who anticipate needing accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, may contact Heidi Morrison within Faculty Relations and Academic Administration in the Office of the VP Academic and Provost at FRrecruit@uvic.ca. Any personal information provided will be maintained in confidence.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the job advertisement efforts to attract a diverse pool of individuals, applicants will be invited to complete a confidential self-identification survey after the application deadline.