Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Medical Imaging

Canada Excellence Research Chair in

Medical Imaging

Located in downtown Toronto, the largest and most culturally diverse city in Canada and on the territory of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples, the Department of Physics, in the Faculty of Science at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) [www.torontomu.ca], invites applications to the Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) Program for a non-renewable period of eight years in any of the following areas: Medical Imaging, Translational Imaging, Ultrasound Molecular Imaging, Lung Imaging, Theranostics and Quantitative Imaging. The CERC is a tenured faculty position with no required teaching duties. At the conclusion of the CERC appointment, the successful candidate will continue in their tenured position with regular duties of a faculty member.

The successful candidate will be registered and nominated by the University for the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) Program by mid-January and mid-March 2026 respectively with results expected by January 2027. Awardees will have up to twelve (12) months to commence the program after the notice of award, and upon the acceptance being signed by all parties. The successful nominee will be appointed at either the Associate or Full Professor rank with tenure and the salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. With recent investments of over $22M in infrastructure and operation funding by TMU, the successful candidate will join a rapidly growing ecosystem focused on Medical Imaging involving the network of Research Hospitals in Toronto as well as the newly created School of Medicine at TMU. 

The Nominee will be expected to:

• articulate, develop and advance a world-class innovative productive research program that contributes to Scholarly, Research and Creative (SRC) activities at TMU and in the Faculty of Science.
• expand their leadership and influence within their academic discipline through editorships, awards, refereed publications, policy briefs, reports, conference organization and other leadership contributions;
• demonstrate a commitment to the training of highly qualified personnel at all levels of study; and,
• collaborate effectively within a multi-disciplinary community of researchers with various theoretical and/or experimental orientations and levels of analysis.

About the Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) Program

The CERC program aims to recruit the best global talent to Canada in order to support the next generation of leaders as integral parts of their ambitious core research teams, so they can chart their own paths forward. The social and economic benefits of the program will impact Canadians and others around the world through the commercialization, knowledge translation and mobilization the research generates.

CERC awards are among the most prestigious and generous available globally. The University desires to attract top-tier, internationally-based scholars and researchers to Canada. Following a highly competitive and rigorous selection process involving peer review, CERCs are appointed for a period of eight years, and will have two possible award values of $500,000 or $1,000,000 per annum (inclusive of salary, benefits and research expenses) over the award period totaling $4,000,000 or $8,000,000. Chairs will be awarded in alignment with the Science, Technology and Innovation Priorities for the CERC Program. The priorities as identified by the Government of Canada are:

• Healthy People and Populations
• Innovative and Resilient Communities
• Sustainable Food Systems
• Clean, Sustainable and Prosperous Canada
• Technologically Advanced Canada

The objectives of the CERC program are to:

• Strengthen Canada’s ability to attract the world’s top researchers, in order to be at the leading edge of breakthroughs in the Government of Canada’s science, technology and innovation (ST&I) priority areas expected to generate social and economic benefits for Canadians;
• Help Canada build a critical mass of expertise in the priority areas of Healthy People and Populations and Technologically Advanced Canada;
• Create a competitive environment to help Canadian institutions in their pursuit of excellence in their research, attract a cadre of world-leading researchers;
• Contribute to branding Canada as a location of choice for world-leading research, science and technology development, alongside other federal programs with similar objectives.

The selection process will follow TMU’s Canada Research Chair Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, which commits the University to intentionally pursuing and implementing system-wide equity initiatives to embed diversity and inclusivity in all university structures, programs, policies, and practices.

About the Department of Physics

The Department of Physics (http://www.torontomu.ca/physics) offers an undergraduate degree in Medical Physics and Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Physics in the fields of Biomedical Physics, CAMPEP-Accredited Medical Physics and Complex Systems. The Department has at present 18 full-time faculty members, 6 post-doctoral fellows, 55 graduate students, and 8 staff members. The Department has a core group of scientists who have secured substantial external peer-reviewed funding for cutting-edge research in Medical Physics, Biomedical Physics and Complex Systems, including an NSERC CRC Tier 2 and has recently been allocated an NSERC CRC Tier 1 position. Our faculty members collaborate extensively with the surrounding biomedical community in what the City of Toronto has designated as the Discovery District, home to 7 world-renowned hospitals and more than 30 specialized medical and related sciences centers. The University holds inter-institutional agreements with Sunnybrook and St. Michael’s hospitals that provide access to clinical and research radiation therapy and imaging facilities.

About Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)

A vibrant, urban university known for its culture of innovation, entrepreneurship, community engagement and city-building through its award-winning architecture, TMU is home to a highly diverse undergraduate and graduate student population of over 48,000 students and over 245,000 alumni worldwide. 

TMU’s academic programs are built on the integration of theoretical and practical learning and distinguished by a professionally focused curriculum with a strong emphasis on excellence in teaching, research and creative activities. TMU’s researchers are on a trajectory of success and growth across a number of research areas; their long-standing partnerships and collaborations with community, industry, government, and professional practice drive innovation that responds to real-world problems.

Dedicated to a people-first culture, TMU as an employer has received a number of recognitions over the years, including having been ranked number one on the Forbes list of Canada’s Best Employers for Diversity.

We invite you to explore the range of benefits and supports available to faculty, including access to our diverse faculty and staff networks.

Nominees to the CERC program must be tenured at their current institution and at the rank of Full Professor or Associate Professor and eligible to be promoted to Full Professor within one to two years of the nomination.

The nominee must hold a full-time academic appointment at the nominating institution as of the start date of the Chair award.

 In addition to the above requirements, the successful nominee shall:

• hold a Ph.D. (or equivalent; a TMU requirement) in a relevant discipline with a record of outstanding research contributions;
• have demonstrated an innovative and world-class program of research that advances interdisciplinary impact; and,
• have demonstrated a commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, in their research and teaching.

Nominations are subject to review by the CERC Secretariat, and appointment as a Canada Excellence Research Chair is conditional upon their approval.

TMU recognizes that scholars have varying career paths and that career interruptions can be part of an excellent research record and recognizes the legitimate impact that leaves (e.g., parental leave, medical leave) can have on a candidate’s record of research achievement. These leaves will be taken into careful consideration during the assessment process. Please consult the Canada Excellence Research Chairs website for full program information, including further details on eligibility criteria and application requirements.

Nominations will be subject to compliance with research security requirements in accordance with relevant legislation and policies. Further information can be found on TMU's research security website.

This position falls under the jurisdiction of the Toronto Metropolitan Faculty Association (TFA) [www.tfanet.ca]. Visit us at www.torontomu.ca/faculty-affairs to view the TFA collective agreement and a summary of TFA benefits.

How to apply 

Applicants must submit their application online via the Faculty Recruitment Portal [https://hr.cf.torontomu.ca/ams/faculty/] by clicking on “Start Application Process” to begin. Applications, consisting of the following, must be received by August 12, 2025:

• a letter of application outlining your interest in the position and what makes you a strong candidate overall as a researcher, educator, and community leader. The letter should include your proposed innovative research program, your ability to build capacity and attract external resources as well as your equity, diversity, and inclusion statement, in regard to attracting and mentoring a diverse group and other highly qualified personnel and establishing an equitable and inclusive research environment (up to 5 pages);
• a current curriculum vitae providing a clear sense of your scholarly and professional development via your education and your research activities and outcomes, including but not limited to: peer-reviewed and non-peer reviewed publications, conference presentations, public talks, articles reaching specialist and non-specialist audiences, effective use of social media for research impact and networking; as well as your contributions to making your discipline a more equitable and inclusive discipline through committee work, community engagement, social media, and advocacy; and,
• the names and email contact information of three academic referees.

Toronto Metropolitan University welcomes those who have demonstrated a commitment to upholding the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion and will assist us to expand our capacity for diversity in the broadest sense. In addition, to correct the conditions of disadvantage in employment in Canada, we encourage applications from members of groups that have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, Indigenous peoples of North America, Black-identified persons, other racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and those who identify as women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

Indigenous candidates are encouraged to provide aspects of their lived experience and cultural imperatives in all that they do, such as mindfulness to outcomes in respective communities.

The CERC program welcomes all nominees regardless of nationality and country of residence who meet Canadian immigration criteria. Researchers who hold a full-time academic appointment at a Canadian institution are eligible, but should they be nominated the University will be required to demonstrate the net benefit to Canada in moving their research from one Canadian institution to another.

Contacts

Questions about the CERC program and/or working at TMU should be emailed to Dayle Levine [dayle.levine@torontomu.ca], Director, Institutional Programs, Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation. Specific research-related questions in relation to this competition should be sent electronically to Michael Kolios [mkolios@torontomu.ca], Associate Dean, Research, Innovation and External Partnerships, Faculty of Science.

Indigenous candidates who would like to learn more about working at Toronto Metropolitan University are welcome to contact James McKay, Indigenous Human Resources Lead at indigenous@torontomu.ca.

Candidates who belong to one or more of the equity-deserving groups recognized at TMU are welcome to connect with Debbie Thompson [debbie.thompson@torontomu.ca], Executive Director, Office of the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion [www.torontomu.ca/equity].   

For any confidential accommodation needs in order to participate in the recruitment and selection process and/or inquiries regarding accessing the Recruitment Portal, please contact Zenab Pathan at vpfa@torontomu.ca.

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