Canada Impact+ Research Chair on Environment, Climate Resilience and the Arctic

www.unb.ca/hr/careers 

COMPETITION: #25-15
Posted: January 20, 2026

The Faculty of Science at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) invites applications from world-leading researchers for a Canada Impact+ Research Chair focused on environment, climate resilience and the Arctic. The successful Impact+ Chair will receive long-term funding and support to lead bold, transformative research, build exceptional teams, and collaborate across sectors and borders. The Chairholder is expected to translate discoveries into real-world applications and benefits, and to train the next generation of highly qualified personnel.

This program provides an opportunity to nominate an internationally renowned scientist as a chairholder in areas of strategic importance to Canada. The nominee must have an active recent track record of exceptional research accomplishments and significant interest in making new contributions to Canada.
Impact+ Chairs are valued at up to $8 million or $4 million over eight years, with a possibility of a four-year 50% funded extension to support their research programs and teams. 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:
https://www.canada.ca/en/impact-plus-chairs/program-details/competition/2026/apply.html 

Eligibility
Applicants must be full Professors or Associate Professors expected to be promoted to full Professor within one to two years of the nomination. Alternatively, if they come from outside the academic sector, applicants must possess the qualifications necessary to be appointed at these levels. The successful applicant will hold a PhD, per UNB requirements, and possess a research record demonstrating extensive world-class contributions. Only candidates who are internationally based (both working and residing outside of Canada) are eligible to be nominated.

The Impact+ program utilizes a two-stage process. First, applicants directly to UNB. UNB will then support the nominee identified through this search as they prepare a nomination package for submission to the Impact+ Chairs program. UNB expects to submit the nomination in June 2026. UNB 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 substantial support for their research programs and for grant administration.

The successful Impact+ Chair awardee will be appointed to a faculty position (Associate Professor or Full Professor) in an appropriate academic department within the Faculty of Science, as early as Winter 2027.

Research Alignment
The Faculty of Science at UNB welcomes applications from outstanding, established researchers in the Government of Canada’s identified strategic priority area “environment, climate resilience and the Arctic.” The nominee’s expertise may be in areas including, but not limited to: biology, chemistry, earth sciences, mathematics, physics, or statistics.

The Canada Impact+ Chair will spearhead the organization of multi-disciplinary research in the Arctic and will create an institute specializing in climate change. This institute will investigate the effects of climate change on Earth’s systems with an eye toward predicting the severity and timeline of the changes.

This chair will enable and catalyze UNB research spanning many of the Earth’s spheres of matter: lithosphere (Earth’s crust), hydrosphere (lakes, oceans, water vapour) cryosphere (glaciers, ice sheets, sea ice, and permafrost), biosphere (biological life), and the different levels of the atmosphere (troposphere, stratosphere, and ionosphere). An increasing body of evidence, enabled by fundamental research, indicates that these spheres are intrinsically coupled through physical, geophysical, chemical, and biological processes.

UNB has a critical mass of researchers involved in this diverse research spread over three Faculties: Science, Forestry and Environmental Management (ForEM), and Engineering. UNB also has a strong Arctic research presence. Three departments in the Faculty of Science (Biology, Earth Science, and Physics) conduct active Arctic research. This includes continuously monitoring the Arctic environment and fieldwork that collects samples for analysis (Biology, Earth Science, and Civil Engineering), Arctic paleoceanography, glacial, and glaciated terrains (Earth Sciences), remote sensing of the Arctic environment (ForEM and Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering), and northern ocean mapping expeditions (Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering). The Physics department also operates the largest arctic ionosphere monitoring network in the world (The Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Network) and is involved in the Polar Environment Research Laboratory (PEARL) at Eureka, NU.

About UNB
UNB is a small comprehensive university with a long history of excellence in teaching and research. The University of New Brunswick recognizes and respectfully acknowledges that UNB stands on the unsurrendered and unceded traditional Wolastoqey land. The lands of Wabanaki people are recognized in a series of Peace and Friendship Treaties to establish an ongoing relationship of peace, friendship, and mutual respect between equal nations.

The Faculty of Science is located on UNB's Fredericton campus - the capital city of the province of New Brunswick - providing all the amenities of a large city with the added charm of a small town. Situated along the banks of the beautiful and bountiful Wolastoq River, a region recognized worldwide for its natural beauty, Fredericton offers a rare opportunity for academics to undertake world-class research in a supportive, family-friendly, and low-stress environment. Faculty can afford to live downtown, only a short walk from campus, or in forested rural communities that enjoy only a 15-minute commute, making it easy to engage in research, outdoor activities, and social activities. An extensive network of multi-use trails and a vibrant network of community and multicultural organizations provide the opportunity for a balanced life in which both research and community engagement thrive.

How To Apply
To apply, applicants should submit a single PDF that includes:

1. A two-page cover letter that identifies:
   1. The applicant’s estimated start-up funding, infrastructure, and space requirements (e.g., for equipment and personnel).
   2. If the applicant’s research falls under one of the areas identified in the Government of Canada’s Sensitive Technology Research Areas. If yes, list the specific areas. If not, indicate that this does not apply.
2. A full curriculum vitae (including details of research and teaching, scholarly record, funding, collaborations/partnerships and leadership experience).
3. A two-page (maximum) research plan describing the applicant’s research vision and its alignment with relevant strategic priority area(s), including how the work will move beyond discovery to generate social, economic, and/or policy impacts through collaboration with partners, written in clear, accessible language for a broad audience.
4. The names and email addresses of a minimum of three potential referees who are prepared to submit a letter of recommendation.

All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. We welcome applications from all underrepresented, equity-seeking, rights-seeking populations, including racialized individuals, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, women, and individuals from the 2SLGBTQIA community. Applicants should indicate current citizenship status. The offer of an appointment is conditional upon a successful outcome of the Canada Impact+ Research Chairs nomination.

UNB ensures that employment opportunities are accessible to all applicants. To request accommodations or adaptive measures requests at any stage in the recruitment and hiring process, please contact Hartley Warren Smith in UNB’s People & Culture office: 506-453-4648 or [email protected]. 

UNB recognizes the legitimate impact that life circumstances such as illness, disability, family and community responsibilities (e.g., maternity leave, parental leave, leaves due to illness, leaves due to caring for family members, slowdowns due to chronic illness or disability, or COVID-19 impacts) are often an expected part of life and are likely to have an impact on a nominee’s record of research achievement. These impacts will be taken into careful consideration during the assessment process.

All applications should be submitted to:

Sanjeev Seahra
Dean of Science
c/o Chantelle Riley
[email protected] 

Review of applications will begin on March 1, 2026. Applications will continue to be accepted until a successful nominee is identified. To guarantee full consideration, application materials should be received before March 1. General inquiries regarding this posting may be directed to Sanjeev Seahra (Dean of Science) at [email protected]. 

Short-listed candidates will be required to provide satisfactory proof of credentials including appropriately certified translations of credentials into English, as applicable.

The University of New Brunswick is committed to fostering diversity within our community and developing an inclusive workplace that reflects the richness of the broader community that we serve. The University welcomes and encourages applications from all candidates who will help us achieve our goals, including women, visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We recognize that career paths are not always linear, particularly for individuals from marginalized groups, and we encourage applicants to explain the impact any career interruptions may have had on their research history.