Research jobs in Canada

Polytechnique Montréal

Professor Canada Impact+ - Research Chairs for Critical Innovations to Strengthen Canada’s Technology Sovereignty

Reference: 25-PR-3-EN

Duration: This is a tenure-track position

Location: 2500 chemin de Polytechnique, Montréal, Québec

Deadline date: January 28, 2026

Polytechnique Montréal is an internationally recognized engineering university. Located in the heart of Montréal on Mount Royal, it is renowned for the high quality of the training offered at all levels, and for its multidisciplinary and multisectoral research, at the forefront of the local, national and international engineering.

Proud of its 150 years of history, it now welcomes more than 10,000 students and relies on the expertise of nearly 1,600 staff members with diverse skills, including more than 300 professors.

Polytechnique has been certified Gold by STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System).

Polytechnique is known for its innovative approach, and its active role in technological, economic, and social development. It values the diversity of its employees and adheres to an equal employment opportunity program for women, visible and ethnic minorities, Indigenous people and those with disabilities. Having received the Parity Certification from Women in Governance, it offers excellent working conditions, focusing on work-life balance and the well‑being of its employees. Adaptive measures are available upon request from persons with disabilities or in other circumstances. Candidates requiring adaptive measures are invited to contact the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor, by e-mailing edi@polymtl.ca.

The Canada Impact+ Research Chairs (Impact+) program is a one‑time initiative designed to support institutions in attracting world‑leading researchers whose work addresses critical national and global challenges. The program emphasizes both research excellence and tangible impact. Canada Impact+ Chairs will receive long‑term funding 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. The chosen candidate will be invited to submit a grant application as part of the Impact+ competition, with an award value of up to $1 million per year over eight years, with a possibility for a four‑year funded extension, at 50 % of the original award value.

• Attract a world‑leading researchers to strengthen Canada’s global competitiveness and innovation leadership; Transform bold discoveries into innovative products, ideas, policies and solutions that benefit Canadians and the world; Help Canada grow and sustain a critical mass of expertise in priority areas identified by the Government of Canada through the development of high‑impact research teams; and Incentivize strategic partnerships across sectors, such as industry, health systems, government and not‑for‑profit organizations, to accelerate translation of research into practice and enhance long‑term adoption and impact.

For more information about this initiative, please visit the Canada Impact+ Research Chairs Program website.

A protectionist agenda is jeopardizing global free trade and undermining Canada’s autonomy. The country’s manufacturing sector and various supply chains, in particular, are tightly integrated with those of other countries. To help enhance Canada’s resilience, durability, environmental stewardship and national security, Polytechnique Montréal is seeking exceptional candidates whose work targets development and adoption of technologies critical to the strengthening of Canada’s sovereignty and autonomy.

The proposed research program must address one of Canada’s 8 strategic priority areas listed below, which are particularly enabling for the country, given its extensive territory and Nordic climate. Polytechnique expects the research work to be carried out in co‑construction with the communities established in the territory, while respecting the values and needs of these communities, and to generate both short‑ and long‑term strategic benefits for Canada in at least one priority area. The advances achieved may also be transferable to Arctic and space‑based contexts. This proposal is in keeping with Polytechnique’s 2024–2028 Strategic Plan as well as the federal government’s strategic priorities.

Polytechnique Montréal will constitute a "strategic cluster" of research chairs, including this Impact+ Research Chair, aimed at contributing to Canada’s prosperity, autonomy, security and resource development. The cluster will encompass the following strategic research priority areas:

• Advanced digital technologies (including artificial intelligence, quantum 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/or Defence and dual‑use technologies.

The Canada Impact+ Research Chair held by the chosen candidate will be part of a dynamic environment comprising, among others:

• IVADO (research, training and knowledge mobilization consortium in artificial intelligence); Trottier Energy Institute (IET); Multidisciplinary Institute for Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience (IMC2); Institute for Disruptive Innovations (catalyst for innovation in the high‑technology field); TransMedTech Institute (transdisciplinary institute for development of novel medical technologies for the healthcare system); Astrolith (transdisciplinary research unit for space resource and infrastructure engineering); Centre d’études interuniversitaire des structures sous charges extrêmes (CEISCE, strategic research cluster dedicated to safety of civil engineering structures); Northern Engineering Centre (CINEP); Clean Technology Innovation Centre (CITP); Centre for Characterization and Microscopy of Materials ((CM)2); Poly‑Grames Research Centre (centre of excellence in radio frequency, microwave, millimetre‑wave and microwave photonics science and engineering); Centre for Applied Research on High‑Performance Polymers and Composites à (CREPEC); Research, Development and Validation Centre for Water Treatment Technologies and Processes (CREDEAU); Interuniversity Research Centre on Enterprise Networks, Logistics and Transportation (CIRRELT); Thin‑Film Physics and Technology Research Group (GCM); RAMP‑UP biomanufacturing initiative.

The successful candidate will carry out the responsibilities of this position with dynamism and creativity. Among other duties, they will:

• Exercise leadership in the targeted areas, establishing and maintaining collaborations with other research groups at Polytechnique and at other institutions; Supervise undergraduate and graduate students, providing coaching and training for their research projects; Promote the transformation of discoveries into concrete applications and marketable products that will benefit Canada and the world socially and economically; Commit to integrating equity, diversity and inclusion into their team and their research design, once awarded the Canada Impact+ Research Chair; Actively contribute to the teaching and research activities of the department to which they are assigned; Contribute to enhancing Polytechnique Montréal’s visibility and influence in Québec and internationally.

Candidates must:

• Be internationally renowned scholars and scientists as chairholders in areas of strategic importance to Canada (see strategic priority areas); Be full professors or associate professors or, if recruited from outside the academic sector, possess the necessary qualifications to be appointed at these levels; Have a recent track record of research accomplishments and significant interest in making new contributions to Canada and the world, Carry out innovative, high‑quality research projects in their field of expertise; Be internationally based (both working and residing outside of Canada);

• Hold a PhD* in engineering or equivalent in a relevant field; Have achieved world‑class recognition in their field and have made remarkable contributions likely to have a significant societal impact (depending on career stage); Have a research record demonstrating superior ability to fund research through external sources to supervise graduate students; Be capable of building a diverse and high‑quality research team that will significantly contribute to Polytechnique Montréal’s reputation in the field; Demonstrate leadership that has helped establish collaborations and transformative initiatives; Demonstrate ability to attract and mentor a diverse group of students, trainees and research staff, and create an equitable and inclusive research environment; Commit to integrating equity, diversity and inclusion into their team and research design; Demonstrate a strong commitment to and skills in teaching, if possible supported by teaching evaluations. Polytechnique Montréal will provide the candidate with the necessary assistance and support to be registered on the roll of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ) and to learn French. *Polytechnique requires that the chairholder holds a doctoral degree. This requirement comes from our institution and not from the Program.

In accordance with its recruitment policies, and in particular its "Equal Access and Employment Equity Program," Polytechnique Montréal is committed to fostering excellence in research and research training and to guaranteeing equal opportunities for all candidates.

Further to its commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, Polytechnique Montréal encourages applications for this Canada Impact+ Research Chair from persons who belong to under‑represented or equity‑seeking groups, including Indigenous Peoples, women, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and persons who identify as sexually or gender‑diverse.

Polytechnique Montréal also recognizes that career slowdowns or interruptions are part of the trajectory of many people in the research ecosystem. Where appropriate, candidates may signaler any leave or special circumstances (e.g., maternity leave, parental leave, caregiving for family members, community responsibilities, situations of disability, health problems or prolonged disability immigration procedures, or repercussions of the COVID‑19 pandemic) that have had an impact on their performance or career trajectory so that they can be fairly considered in the evaluation process. Candidates are under no obligation to provide details about their personal life or other information that they consider confidential.

As a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), Polytechnique is committed to adopting exemplary practices to ensure fair, transparent and thorough evaluation of the merit and excellence of researchers' scientific work, based on the quality, importance or impact of their contributions as a whole.

This is a tenure‑track position.

Salary and benefits will be determined in accordance with the collective agreement (text in French). It provides for, among other things:

• Provisions for work‑family balance, such as maternity, paternity and adoption leave, in addition to the Québec Parental Insurance Plan; The possibility of benefiting from paid respite periods; A defined‑benefits pension plan. In addition, relocation and immigration support is available to the successful candidate and their family.

To learn more about Polytechnique Montréal and the benefits of contributing to its mission, please see: Avantages et milieu de vie (in French).

Interested candidates are urged to submit their application package via e‑mail to the Office of the Vice‑President, Research and Innovation no later than 5:00 p.m. ET on January 28, 2026.

• A cover letter stating, among other things, the candidate’s suitability for the field targeted by this Canada Impact+ Research Chair; A detailed curriculum vitae, outlining the candidate’s leadership and significant achievements, as well as the concrete impact of their work; A description of the research objectives and program planned for the Canada Impact+ Research Chair (maximum 5 pages or 3,000 words) including a summary of the research proposal (maximum 200 words), the main thrusts of the research in relation to previous work, the targeted objectives, an overview of the methodology, the expected impact of the research (spin‑offs, synergies), and the contribution to the training of highly qualified personnel; Two reference letters from recognized international authorities in the candidate’s research field.

Successful candidates will be required to prepare an application package to be submitted to the Tri‑agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS) no later than June 29, 2026.

Conditional upon the award of a Canada Impact+ Research Chair by the Program, candidates will be integrated into a faculty position, in accordance with hiring procedures in effect at Polytechnique Montréal. Selected candidates will have up to 12 months to take office as Canada Impact+ Research Chair after the notice of award and acceptance has been signed by all parties, and to join the Polytechnique faculty.

The recruitment process used to nominate an Impact+ Research Chair could also be used to nominate individuals for the Impact+ Emerging Leaders and the Canada Research Chairs Programs. This job posting and the recruitment requirements apply to both programs, and the process is in compliance with the requirements related to the recruitment and nomination of chairholders within the scope of both these programs.

For more information and questions, please contact the Office of the Vice‑President of Research and Innovation.

The Program imposes no restrictions on candidates with regard to nationality or country of residence. Employment and Social Development Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada have established procedures to allow non‑Canadian chairholders to work in Canada. Please refer to the Global Skills Strategy process and the information about the dedicated service channel, where the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) – Tri‑Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS) is identified as a referral partner.

DISCLAIMER : This document is for informational purposes only. In the event of any discrepancy between this document and the French version, the latter takes precedence. The official version of the call for applications is available on Professeure, professeur - Chaires de recherche Impact+ Canada pour des innovations critiques afin de renforcer la souveraineté technologique du Canada | Faites carrière à Polytechnique Montréal.

Please apply online at: https://rita.cegid.cloud/go/69442a01a84f832da9d2ed13/51fc022258b70066fae4a082/en