Apply for a Canada Excellence Research Chair at UVic
Are you a visionary research leader with a forward-thinking program and the drive to elevate it to a world-class centre of excellence? If so, the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) at the University of Victoria is your next step.
We are currently accepting applications to the 2026 Canada Excellence Research Chair program — one of Canada's most esteemed research positions.
Image: Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) / Armando Tura
Help create a better world through curiosity, engagement & innovation
Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) are one of the largest and most prestigious awards available globally, providing the world’s top researchers and their teams with up to $8 million over eight years to support their research programs.
The CERC program aims to recruit the best global talent to Canada and support the next generation of leaders in order to be at the leading edge of breakthroughs in science, technology & innovation priority areas expected to generate social and economic benefits for Canadians.
Globally for climate action
2025 THE Impact Rankingsin research funding
2024/2025Research themes
UVic invites outstanding established scholars in Climate Change Solutions or Mental Health to apply for nomination to the CERC program under one of the identified research themes.
Interested applicants are invited to review the full program details from the federal government.
The School of Medical Sciences has significant research strengths in neuroscience and brain health. Researchers here explore neuroinflammation, the development of biomarkers for mood, psychotic, and cognitive disorders, mental health alterations associated with neurologic disorders such as traumatic brain injury and stroke, neurodevelopmental studies, and drug discovery for psychiatric disorders. UVic has secured more than $21 million since 2016 for neuroscientific research, with expertise housed across the Faculties of Health and Social Sciences, as well as the Institute of Aging and Lifelong Health. UVic is seeking applications from world-class neuroscientists committed to advancing our understanding of the basic mechanisms of mental health disorders, especially with respect to research that has emphasis on translational potential and real-world impact.
UVic’s Department of Psychology includes a CPA-accredited clinical psychology graduate program with specializations in clinical lifespan and neuropsychology and a psychology clinic that functions both as an outpatient service and teaching site. Clinical researchers investigate the assessment and treatment of neurocognitive disorders—including traumatic and anoxic brain injury—as well as mood and anxiety disorders across diverse populations such as Indigenous communities, immigrants, older adults, survivors of intimate partner violence, and at-risk youth. They collaborate with local hospitals, schools, government agencies, and research centres such as the Institute of Aging and Lifelong Health and Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. UVic is seeking applications from leading scholars in clinical psychology who are advancing innovative research aligned with the CERC’s intersectional and lifespan-oriented mission.
UVic’s public health researchers adopt interdisciplinary, inter-professional, and community-engaged approaches to address the social determinants of mental health, health behaviours and mental health, and mental health within chronic health conditions. Topics of strength include health promotion, social policy, digital health, disability, Indigenous health, sexual health, LGBTQ2S+ mental health, HIV prevention and care; aging and public health palliative care, and substance use and addictions. These efforts are supported by robust partnerships with Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and Institute of Aging and Lifelong Health, around expertise in public health interventions for mental wellness. Public Health faculty also pursue mental health strategies embedded in systems design, collaborative care models and policy advocacy. UVic is seeking applications from exceptional public health scholars who are developing innovative mental health strategies, including mental illness prevention, e-health initiatives, cross-sectoral frameworks (e.g., mental health in all policies) and targeted interventions for equity-deserving populations.
UVic’s coastal location, on Vancouver Island on the West Coast of Canada, attracts leading researchers studying the ocean and marine ecosystem resilience. This research spans issues linking the role of the ocean in the climate system to ocean conservation, marine protected areas, spatial planning, and coastal management and resilience, including research conducted at UVic’s world-leading ocean observing facility — Ocean Networks Canada. Research is often deeply community engaged with coastal communities and Nations, specifically the inclusion of local and Indigenous knowledges. UVic is seeking applications from global leaders working on oceans and marine resilience and their intersection with climate change solutions facing both human and ecological communities.
UVic is a global leader in ocean-based carbon management and hosts Ocean Networks Canada, which operates infrastructure to advance research in a wide range of ocean disciplines including ocean-based carbon dioxide removal and coastal resilience. UVic is the recent recipient of a $24 million New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) Transformation grant on ocean-based carbon dioxide removal, while Blue Carbon Canada is developing a nationwide assessment of blue carbon captured and stored by salt marsh, seagrass, and mangrove ecosystems. UVic is seeking applications from top tier researchers focused on ocean-based carbon dioxide removal and sequestration approaches with the potential for major global contributions to carbon reduction and management efforts.
UVic is a centre of world-leading climate modelling and prediction research focused on seasonal to decadal climate prediction, modelling of past and future climates, and development of high-resolution climate information to support adaptation planning. UVic also hosts Environment and Climate Change Canada's (ECCC) Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis and Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, which are recognized nationally and internationally for their climate analysis and modelling expertise. UVic is seeking applications from outstanding climate researchers who are investigating areas of focus such as climate system observation and data-driven climate modelling and prediction to inform risk assessment, adaptation planning and societal resilience to extreme weather events.
Accelerating Community Energy Transformation is Canada’s national initiative – supported by an $84 million Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) – to foster energy system transformation by partnering with First Nations, local communities, industry and researchers to co-create sustainable, resilient and place-based clean energy systems. UVic is seeking applications from world-leading researchers committed to research focused in one of the following areas of energy transformation: applied transitions management research using a multi-level perspective to actively guide innovation; emerging marine renewables with an emphasis on phased technology deployment from kW to MW; long duration storage technologies including flow batteries, regenerative hydrogen systems and e-fuels; the water-energy nexus focused on community fresh and waste water systems; and equitable electrified air mobility for rural and remote communities.
Nomination process
There are two stages to the CERC nomination process:
- Submit your application: Review the application instructions, gather your required materials, and submit your application by August 29, 2025 at 12 p.m. (noon) PDT.
- Nomination by UVic: Successful applicants will work with UVic to develop their nomination to the national CERC program.
Upon approval by the CERC Secretariat, successful applicants will be appointed as full professors with tenure, starting between Fall 2027 and Fall 2028.
Eligibility
Applicants must be:
- Full professors or equivalent who can be hired at UVic at the full professor level.
- Recognized internationally as world leaders in their field, with a proven record of high-impact research, successful research funding, and leadership of interdisciplinary teams.
There are no nationality or residency restrictions. Current UVic faculty members are not eligible.
Candidates who are not selected by UVic for a CERC nomination, or candidates that are unsuccessful in a CERC chair nomination at the national competition may be considered as a nominee for a Canada Research Chair (Tier I) in the research areas identified above.
Any questions regarding this opportunity may be directed to Benjamin Crase.
Territory acknowledgement
We acknowledge and respect 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.
UVic search partner
An executive search is being undertaken by the UVic search partner Perrett Laver. Perrett Laver will support the University in helping to identify the widest possible field of qualified candidates and assisting in the assessment of candidates against the requirements for the role.
Any questions regarding this opportunity may be directed to Benjamin Crase at Benjamin.Crase@perrettlaver.com.
Published July 4, 2025.