CIHR/NSERC/SSHRC Tier 2 Canada Research Chair

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This position is part of the BUFA (Employee Group)

Brock University is one of Canada’s leading comprehensive universities, a Top Employer in Hamilton-Niagara, ranked #3 as Canada’s Best Employers and ranked top 10 as one of Canada’s Best Employers for Diversity compiled by Forbes and Statista. We are an inclusive, welcoming community that offers a wide range of unique career opportunities for those with passion, energy and expertise.

We are looking for team members who want to help us continue to deliver an exceptional student experience, perform impact-driven research and generate life-changing breakthroughs for our world. Ignite new possibilities for your career. Break through at Brock.

Post End Date: This posting will close at 12:01 am on April 15, 2025

About the Position
Brock University seeks to hire an Indigenous Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences. One of the major goals is to create Indigenous faculty representation, mentorship, and contribute to ongoing initiatives to support Indigenous students. This aim emerged from extensive consultation with First Nations, Métis and Inuit students at Brock University, who identified this as an important priority. In response, the Departments of Health Sciences, Nursing, and Sport Management in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences invite applications from exceptional emerging scholars who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuit for a CIHR, NSERC, or SSHRC Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Health, Sport, and/or Well-being at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor (subject to qualifications) Tenure Tracked, to commence July 1, 2025. This position belongs to the Brock University Faculty Association (BUFA) employee group.

The CRC’s research will focus broadly on an aspect of health, sport, and/or well-being. Strategic research areas for the CRC include, but are not limited to:the social and structural health determinants that lead to health inequities; biomedical dimensions of health or disease, including fundamental/human wet lab research; addressing anti-Indigenous racism or health disparities; health system delivery; clinical care and nursing practice and education; the relationship between sport and management issues; governance, policy and the law; socio-cultural contexts; reconciliation and sport; decolonizing and indigenising sport; and Etuaptmumk – or Two-Eyed seeing; connections to the land/ecosystems (i.e. human-environment interactions); indigenising research.

The CRC will join the faculty in contributing to the training, mentorship, and well-being of Brock undergraduate and graduate students, prioritizing our Indigenous students. This includes the provision of enhanced methodological rigor, opportunities for collaboration, and transdisciplinary training for emerging researchers and scholar-advocates in health, sport, and/or well-being.

While it is not required that the CRC’s research focus specifically on Indigenous issues, they will contribute to the wider goals of decolonizing at Brock in a way that makes sense to their own program of research, mentoring opportunities, and their own values and priorities. The CRC will join the Faculty in our shared responsibility to engage in the TRC Calls to Action and contribute to the flourishing of Indigenous community members at Brock and all students, staff and faculty.

This is a research focused position with a reduced teaching load; (Research 60%; Teaching 20% and Service 20%). The successful candidate will be supported in developing courses that align with their own research interests and priorities.
All applicants to this hire must identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit) in their cover letter and through the self-identification application process. To ensure accurate data regarding Brock’s CRC Program (CRCP), all applicants are requested to respond to the voluntary self-identification form in the online application system. Owing to the tenets of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), candidates from intersectional identities (e.g., Genders and Sexual Orientations, Members of Racialized Groups, and People with Disabilities) are also invited to self-identify at their discretion. This information will be securely accessed only by members of the search committee and for the fulfillment of this hiring initiative. Please visit Brock University’s EDI Action Plan to read about Brock’s commitment to enhancing inclusion of federally designated groups in the CRCP.

Brock’s CRCP also adheres to the Tri-Agency policy and directive on Indigenous citizenship and membership affirmation, effective within the CRCP June 1, 2025. Please review the Tri-Agency Policy on Indigenous Citizenship and Membership Affirmation, the Directive on the Tri-Agency Policy on Indigenous Citizenship and Membership Affirmation, or the What We Heard report informing the policy and directive. All applicants will be notified of potential updates to this policy and interim directive. Questions or concerns about Indigenous citizenship and membership affirmation relevant to the CRCP at Brock University can be forwarded to Dr. Robyn Bourgeois, Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement ([email protected]).

Qualifications
A Ph.D. is not required but preferred. Candidates who are near completion of their Ph.D. will be considered. Indigenous ways of knowing will also be considered as Ph.D. equivalency. Applicants who would like to apply as Indigenous knowledge holders should have a minimum Master’s degree in any discipline within Health, Sport, and/or Well-being. When an applicant indicates that they would like to be considered for their Indigenous knowledge, consideration shall be given (but not limited to) the level of knowledge of the language and/or traditional customs including protocols, spirituality, traditions, practices, ceremonies, histories, and teachings of a particular group of Indigenous people or peoples. This knowledge may have been acquired through lived experience; active and lengthy participation in Indigenous forms of self-determination and governance, cultural structures, and processes; and a careful study and reflection of their philosophical underpinnings. In many cases, acquiring this knowledge will have involved studying with an Indigenous Elder or Traditional Knowledge Carrier/Keeper. Short-listed candidates who would like their Indigenous ways of knowing considered as Ph.D. equivalency will be asked to provide names and contact information of community members to support this equivalency.

The candidate will be an emerging leader in their research area, bringing a body of coherent research and associated social impact to the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences and Brock University. We are open to a diverse range of methodological approaches – traditional research methods, basic sciences methods, quantitative, qualitative, mixed, arts-based, decolonial, community-based and other research methods are all of interest. In addition to scholarly outputs such as peer review publications, applicants are also invited to demonstrate research excellence and impact through community engagement, advocacy work, knowledge mobilization, and/or diverse forms of scholarship, including Indigenous, that they feel are relevant to their program of research.

A high priority of this search is to hire an applicant who is committed to increasing student capacity through mentorship, with high priority for First Nations, Métis and/or Inuit students at Brock. In this regard, applicants are invited to demonstrate their commitment to mentoring and training, which may include undergraduate and graduate students.

Brock University recognizes that life circumstances may impact an applicant’s record of research achievement. This may include career interruptions or slowdowns related to caregiving responsibilities, community needs, disability, illness, publication delays, research in interdisciplinary or emerging fields, institutional characteristics, or leadership responsibilities. These impacts will be taken into careful consideration during the assessment process. Where this is relevant, applicants are invited to share details they would like to have taken into consideration in their application package. For examples of circumstances that may impact an applicant’s record of achievement, please visit the Canada Research Chair Program Guidelines for Assessing the Productivity of Nominees (https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/peer_reviewers-evaluateurs/productivity-productivite-eng.aspx#careerht).

About the CRC Program
The CRCP recognizes outstanding scholars at all career stages and is a key mechanism for Canadian universities to attract and retain the best talent from around the world to achieve excellence in research and research training. CRCs advance the frontiers of knowledge in their fields through their scholarly research, teaching, and supervision.
Tier 2 CRCs are intended for exceptional emerging scholars, typically those who have been active scholars in their field for fewer than 10 years at the time of nomination, and eligible to hold a tenure track appointment at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. Applicants who are more than 10 years from having earned their highest degree (and where career breaks exist, such as parental or extended sick leave; clinical training; etc.) may have their eligibility for a Tier 2 Chair assessed through the program’s Tier 2 justification process. Please contact Tessa Mazachowsky ([email protected]) or visit the CRC website at https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/program-programme/nomination-mise_en_candidature-eng.aspx#s3 for additional information.
Brock University is committed to providing the selected candidate with the support required to prepare a nomination to the next available deadline for the CRCP. An appointment as an Assistant or Associate Professor is not contingent upon the outcome of the CRC nomination. Nominations for CRCs are subject to review and final approval through the CRCP. Benefits associated with Chair appointments include teaching release and start-up research funds. A separate application may be made to the John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) for research infrastructure needs. Please visit the Canada Foundation for Innovation website at https://www.innovation.ca/apply-manage-awards/funding-opportunities/john-r-evans-leaders-fund#!nav-crccercpartnership. Eligibility criteria and CRCP information can be found at the following website: http://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca. For more information about Brock’s CRCP, please contact Tessa Mazachowsky ([email protected]).

Brock University
Brock University is located on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples, many of whom continue to live and work here today. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and is within the land protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Agreement. We express our gratitude and respect for the honour of living and working with Indigenous people. Promoting diverse perspectives and deepen understanding of Indigenous cultures and histories through the building of trusted and reciprocal relationships, research, scholarship, and creative activity is an important action item communicated in Brock’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.

Our story
While we are early on our journey, the Brock University community of students, staff, administrators, and faculty members are actively seeking to address the 94 Calls to Action from Canada’s 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission in meaningful and sustainable ways. Workshops offered by Hadiyaˀdagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre, the Office of Human Rights and Equity, and courses offered through the Faculties of Education, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Applied Health Sciences have helped incorporate Indigenous worldviews, traditions, histories and current affairs into the fabric of our community at Brock. Ongoing initiatives also support and sustain Indigenous students, staff and faculty, and build bridges between the University and broader Indigenous communities. Brock has an active Two Row/One Dish One Spoon Council, a Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement, and an annual Pow Wow in which we celebrate First Nations cultures and creativity. We are committed to the sustained and hard work of decolonization and reconciliation, and to moving forward together in a good way.

Brock University is committed to building inclusivity and equity through understanding and respect for diverse identities. These commitments are reflected in our approaches to teaching and learning, scholarly and creative work, administration and service provision, and community engagement. Our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion is grounded in the recognition that the strongest research, scholarship, and creative activity and the best research training environment require engagement of scholars from diverse backgrounds.
Consistent with Brock University’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan, in recognition of and pursuant to Section 14 of the Ontario Human Rights Code, Indigenous peoples, members of racialized groups, people with disabilities, women, and Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (2SLGBTQ+) persons are encouraged to apply and to voluntarily self-identify as a member of one or more designated groups as part of their application.

Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
The Faculty of Applied Health Sciences is a leader in transdisciplinary research and home of five academic Departments: Health Sciences, Sport Management, Nursing, Kinesiology, and Recreation and Leisure Studies. The Faculty is a dynamic and vibrant academic environment with 90 faculty members, 24 staff, over 3500 undergraduate students, and 200 graduate students. The Faculty offers unique, inter-disciplinary research-based graduate programs at the master’s and doctoral level, including two MSc (Kinesiology; Health Sciences), five MA (Community Health; Leisure Studies; Nursing; Health and Physical Education; Sport Management), and three PhD fields (Health Biosciences; Behavioural and Population Health; Social and Cultural Health Studies).
As part of its commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, the Faculty has established an active Anti-Racism Committee. Students in this faculty have demonstrated strong leadership in Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation as demonstrated through their involvement with Hadiyaˀdagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre, the FAHS anti-racism committee, this CRC search, and many other initiatives.

Departments of Health Sciences, Nursing, and Sport Management
The selected candidate will join one of the Departments of Health Sciences, Nursing, or Sport Management, with a cross-appointment or collaboration with one or both remaining departments as relevant to the successful candidate’s research area. All three departments house a multidisciplinary community of scholars that are characterized as innovative, influential, and on-trend with important health, sport, and/or well-being issues. All three departments are strongly committed to experiential learning, through teaching, practicum / internship opportunities, dry /(simulation) and/or wet lab experiences, and involvement in faculty research projects. We genuinely embrace diversity and strive to support each other and our students through inclusive administrative practices, pedagogy, and research approaches.
Application Process:

Applications should be submitted electronically through the Brock Careers website. Please apply online using the “Apply” button. A single PDF document containing all application elements is preferred. (Note: File maximum of 5MB per attachment upload.) If needed, supplemental application information beyond the 5 MB limit can be sent to [email protected].
A letter of interest (suggested 2 pages) outlining:
your qualifications for a successful Tier 2 CRC nomination funded by any Tri-Council Agency (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC);
alignment of your profile and expertise with this CRC position.
A description of your program of research (suggested 3-5 pages), including:
your short-term and long-term vision for your future research program as a Tier 2 CRC at Brock;
the potential for the CRC to enhance your scholarly leadership and innovation within the Department, Faculty, University and/or community in strategic areas.
your student/trainee mentorship philosophy and relevant experience;
novel opportunities for training/supporting scholars and/or students within your program of research.
A statement highlighting what your Indigenous identity means to you and how it will shape the ways that you approach this position (suggested 2-4 pages). The statement can include strengths and experiences in supporting decolonization, equity, diversity, and inclusion at Brock through research, curriculum, advocacy, service, community outreach or engagement, and student support. It can also include strategies you have used or would like to use to support First Nations, Métis and Inuit students. Your teaching statement (suggested 2-3 pages) discussing:
Your teaching philosophy and relevant experience from your position as an Indigenous educator.
Innovative teaching techniques and/or pedagogical ideas that you would bring to the position
(Note: If desired, please provide other evidence of (or plans) for teaching (for example, outlines of courses you have developed, lesson plans, student course evaluations etc.) as an appendix.)
An updated and complete curriculum vitae, which may include highlighting both traditional (e.g., grants, publications (peer-reviewed journals, books, and monographs), presentations, etc.) and non-traditional (e.g., community engagement initiatives, reciprocity in the form of partnerships and collaborative practices, advocacy work, knowledge translation, and other modes of scholarship that are relevant to your program of research) metrics around research excellence.

Shortlisted candidates will be required to provide the names and contact information of three referees who could provide confidential letters of assessment that speak to the candidates’ suitability to hold a faculty position and Tier 2 CRC at Brock University. For candidates who apply that have Indigenous ways of knowing as Ph.D. equivalency are asked to provide names and contact information of community members to support this equivalency. Applications should be submitted electronically through the Brock Careers website.

The closing date for the position is April 15, 2025 at 12:01am. The last business day to apply is April 14, 2025. Review of applications will begin April 17, 2025. We appreciate all applications received and will contact each applicant of whether they are selected for an interview.

The effective date for the academic appointment may be as early as July 1, 2025, but is negotiable with the Faculty Dean. The appointment is subject to budgetary approval.

It is expected that this search will lead to the successful candidate working with the Office of Research Services to submit the CRC application in April 2026, for which a decision from the CRCP is anticipated in October 2026, which is the earliest date when the CRC position can begin. Inquiries should be directed to Dr. Paul LeBlanc, Co-Chair of the Search Committee 905-688-5550 ext. 4216, [email protected]

Our Commitment
Brock University is actively committed to diversity and the principles of employment equity and invites applications from all qualified candidates. Women, Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) peoples, Black people, people with disabilities, members of visible minorities/racialized groups, and Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and additional sexually and gender diverse (2SLGBTQI+) persons are encouraged to apply and to voluntarily self-identify as a member of a designated group as part of their application. Candidates who wish to be considered as a member of one or more designated groups should fill out the Self-Identification Form and include the completed form with their application.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority.

We will accommodate the needs of the applicants and the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) throughout all stages of the selection process, as outlined in the Employment Accommodation Policy https://brocku.ca/policies/wp-content/uploads/sites/94/Employment-Accommodation-Policy.pdf. Please advise: [email protected] to ensure your accessibility needs are accommodated through this process. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.

We appreciate all applications received; however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Learn more about Brock University by visiting www.brocku.ca

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