Canada Impact+ Research Chairs in Advanced Digital Technologies and the Law

Full Time, Tenured

Posting Start Date: January 23, 2026
Posting End Date: February 23, 2026

Associate Professor or Professor (Continuing Appointment, tenured) Position #37347
Chair [8 years, renewable] Position #37348

Posting End Date: February 23, 2026. Posting may remain open beyond this date until filled and will be considered on a rolling basis.

Expected start date of appointment: Within 12 months of the award date

The Faculty of Law invites applications for a full-time continuing academic appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor, with a concurrent term appointment as the Canada Impact+ Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence, aligned with the federal strategic priority area of Advanced Digital Technologies (including AI, quantum computing, and cybersecurity). This proposal aligns squarely with the federal Canada Impact+ priority on Advanced Digital Technologies. The proposed Chair builds on the Faculty of Law’s established strengths in private law, public law, public international law, international human rights law, Indigenous rights and legal orders, and technology governance in the context of human rights.

A Canada Impact+ Research Chair is one of the most prestigious international awards globally, providing Chairholders and their research teams with an award of up to $8 million over eight years ($1 million per year). In addition, there is potential for a four-year extension at 50% of the initial award value per year. This extension will be determined by an external review in Year 7 of the award.

Successful nominees will be expected to start their position at the University of Manitoba within 12 months of accepting the award. The successful candidate will be appointed to a full-time tenured position at the rank of Full Professor, or at the rank of Associate Professor with an opportunity to apply for promotion to Full Professor within two years of starting their appointment. Salary will be based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience, in accordance with the University of Manitoba Faculty Association collective agreement.  The position will be provided with a start-up package and opportunities to compete for additional equipment funding through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

The Chair is aligned with the federal strategic priority area of Advanced Digital Technologies (including AI, quantum computing, and cybersecurity). The successful candidate will provide research leadership and build partnerships and pathways to mobilize research into policy, practice, and solutions consistent with the Canada Impact+ program’s emphasis on knowledge translation and uptake. 

The Canada Impact+ Research Chair Program
The Canada Impact+ Research Chairs (Impact+) program is a new initiative funded by the Government of Canada to attract world-leading researchers to Canadian universities whose work addresses critical national and global challenges. Impact+ chairholders must advance ambitious and transformative projects in one or more of Canada’s strategic priority areas, build and maintain exceptional research teams, and collaborate with partners across sectors and borders. Canada’s strategic priority areas are: Advanced digital technologies (including artificial intelligence, quantum computing and cybersecurity); Health, including biotechnology; Clean technology and resource value chains; Environment, climate resilience and the Arctic; Food and water security; Democratic and community resilience; Manufacturing and advanced materials; and Defence and dual-use technologies. Impact+ chairholders are expected to drive the translation of discoveries into applications, commercialization and social and economic benefits for Canada and the world, while also developing the next generation of highly qualified personnel. Please consult the Canada Impact+ Research Chairs website for full program information, including further details on eligibility criteria and application requirements.

Responsibilities:

The successful candidate will contribute to all three pillars of academic life: teaching, research, and service.

Teaching:
Candidates will have the opportunity to teach in their area of research expertise. They will also be expected to teach in the core graduate and undergraduate curricula at the University of Manitoba in the Faculty of Law. Teaching assignments will be determined in consultation with the Faculty, and will reflect the candidate’s expertise and the needs of the programs.

Research:
The successful candidate will demonstrate an established, internationally recognized research program in Advanced Digital Technologies as well as AI and law (broadly conceived), including legal dimensions of AI governance, regulation, rights, responsibilities, international law or related public/private law impacts, including relevant intersections with human rights. The candidate will be expected to provide research leadership consistent with Canada Impact+ objectives, including building a team, developing partnerships and working across disciplines. 

Service:
The candidate will contribute to faculty governance and institutional service appropriate to rank, and is encouraged to engage in service that strengthens the Faculty of Law’s mission and human rights-oriented graduate programs and clinics and supports responsible, socially beneficial innovation.

Qualifications:

Applicants must demonstrate:

• A strong academic background with a J.D., LLB, or equivalent and an advanced research degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) in Law or a related field, or comparable research expertise appropriate to appointment at the Associate Professor/Professor rank
• An established record of research excellence and leadership appropriate to appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor
• Evidence of teaching excellence and the ability to teach in the core graduate and undergraduate curricula at the University of Manitoba in the Faculty of Law
• Commitment to collegial service and academic citizenship

The appointment is dependent on a successful Canada Impact+ Research Chair Award, and the two-stage process of this appointment is:

1. Applicants must apply to this University of Manitoba advertisement for review and endorsement, and
2. The successful candidate will then prepare the required nomination package, with the support of the Office of the Vice President (Research & International) at the University of Manitoba. Completed nomination packages will be submitted to the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS) as part of the national Impact+ Program’s application process. An academic appointment at UM is dependent on a successful review by the multidisciplinary selection committee and approval by the TIPS Steering Committee.

The Faculty of Law and University of Manitoba
Founded in 1914, the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law, known as Robson Hall, is the oldest law school in Western Canada and a cornerstone of legal education in Manitoba. The Faculty offers programs at the Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M.), and Master of Human Rights (M.H.R.) levels, fostering excellence in legal education, research, and community engagement. With 27 full-time tenured and tenure-track/continuing faculty members, and a number of clinics, the Faculty of Law provides students with an education deeply connected to the realities of law and justice in Manitoba and beyond. The Faculty is home to a vibrant community engaged in teaching, scholarship, and service, with recognized strengths in human rights law, Indigenous legal traditions, criminal law, advocacy, technology and law, and social justice. The Faculty of Law houses and partners with the Manitoba Law Reform Commission, hosts the provincial Access to Justice Director, runs a burgeoning Internationally Trained Lawyers Program, and is home to the Legal Research Institute, the Desautels Centre for the Study of Private Enterprise and the Law, the Asper Chair in International Business and Trade Law, and the Mauro Chair in Human Rights and Social Justice. The program runs a deep clinical set of programming including the Vickar Business Law Clinic, the Manitoba Legal Clinic for the Arts, the Indigenous Rights Clinic, the University of Manitoba Community Law Center (in partnership with Legal Aid Manitoba), the Prison Law Clinic, the International Human Rights Clinic, and the Law Library Hub. The Faculty maintains close clinical connections with external organizations, NGOs and governments at the provincial and federal levels. The Faculty’s partnerships with the judiciary, law societies, the legal profession, and government departments strengthen its capacity to shape legal reform and promote access to justice.

The University of Manitoba (UM) is a driving force of innovation, discovery and advancement. Our momentum is propelled by our campus community – UM faculty, staff and students whose determination and curiosity shape our world for the better. Our teaching, learning and work environment is uniquely strengthened and enriched by Indigenous perspectives. With two main campuses in Winnipeg, satellite campuses throughout Manitoba, and world-wide research, UM’s impact is global.

Join us in advancing the fight against cancer, rare diseases, and infectious diseases, leading global public health efforts at scale in Asia and Africa, connecting to the Arctic, opening a new maritime trade route, working alongside Indigenous partners, enhancing defence and security in the North, developing materials for green energy and the digital economy, and making Canadian agriculture more globally competitive and sustainable.   

UM’s Strategic Research Themes are:

• Foundations
• Social Justice and Human Rights
• Research by, with, and for Indigenous Peoples
• Water and Food Security
• Health and Well-being
• Climate Action and Sustainability
• Manitoba, Hudson Bay, Arctic, and the World

Please consult the Change Through Research University of Manitoba Strategic Research Plan 2024-2029 for further information about these Research Themes.

The Application Process
Applicants must apply to this University of Manitoba advertisement through the UM Careers portal for review and endorsement and clearly state the application position number in the cover letter. Applicants should upload their cover letter separately, their curriculum vitae separately, and then combine their research plan, teaching statement, personal statement and a list of three referees into a single PDF file and upload it under ‘Additional Documentation’ when applying in UM Careers. If you experience any difficulties accessing UM Careers, please contact Jodi Petch at [email protected]  for assistance.

Further details on the application materials are:

• a concise cover letter describing suitability for the position
• a curriculum vitae (including examples of significant research contributions)
• a research plan (3 page maximum) outlining an independent, innovative research program, and its potential to attract funding and contribute to student training
• a teaching statement (1/2 page) that documents the applicant's experience in and/or approach to training and mentoring diverse students and the candidate's teaching philosophy
• a personal statement reflecting on the applicant's positionality, demonstrated commitment, and approach to issues pertaining to anti-racism and social justice (including principles of equity, access, and participation) in the following areas: teaching, research, and service
• the names and contact information of three referees

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; interviews will begin as early as February 26, 2026, and will continue until the position is filled. Application materials, including letters of reference, will be handled in accordance with the protection of privacy provision of The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Manitoba). Please note that curriculum vitae may be provided to participating members of the search process.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations
Equity, diversity and inclusion are embedded as foundational principles in Impact+ objectives, expected outcomes, and reporting requirements of the competition. The three agencies expect that institutions and chairholders will demonstrate and implement the highest EDI standards for the duration of their award.

UM is committed to these principles and to promoting opportunities in hiring, promotion and tenure (where applicable) for systemically marginalized groups who have been excluded from full participation at UM and the larger community including Indigenous Peoples, women, racialized persons, persons with disabilities and those who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, questioning, intersex, asexual and other diverse sexual identities).

The Canada Impact+ Research Chair nomination selection committee will receive equity training that includes instruction on how to recognize and combat unconscious, implicit, overt, prejudicial and other kinds of bias.

If you require accommodation supports during the recruitment process, please contact [email protected] or 204-474-7195. Please note this contact information is for accommodation reasons only.

The University acknowledges the potential impact that Career Interruptions and Personal Circumstances can have on an applicant's record of research achievement. We encourage applicants to explain the impact of any such interruption(s) in their submission. Measures will be taken to ensure that these leaves will be taken into careful consideration during the evaluation process.

Live and Work where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers Meet
The City of Winnipeg (www.tourismwinnipeg.com), located where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet, is recognized for its vibrant, multicultural community and diverse culture. The city, with a growing population of more than 850,000, is home to internationally renowned festivals, galleries and museums, the historic Exchange District and The Forks, and ever-expanding research, education, and business sectors. From the Hudson Bay waters, across the farmland fields, to the pulse of the cities and towns, the Province of Manitoba’s (www.travelmanitoba.com) people and places – its 100,000 lakes, 92 provincial parks, winding river valleys and storied prairie skies – inspire.