Canada Excellence Research Chairs
The Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) Program supports the recruitment of world-renowned researchers, strengthening Canada's ability to attract top talent.
Its goal is to establish Canada as a leading destination for research and technology development, while building expertise in key science, technology, and innovation (ST&I) priority areas to drive social and economic benefits.
The opportunity
The University of Lethbridge invites applications from world-leading researchers for the 2026 CERC competition.
This program is an opportunity for international researchers, including Canadian expatriates wishing to return to Canada, to lead a prestigious research program at the University of Lethbridge. Applicants must be full Professors or associate professors expected to be promoted to full professor within two years of the nomination. Applicants from outside academia must possess the qualifications necessary to be appointed to these levels.
Applications are invited from a broad range of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health and related sciences in the following priority areas that build on the unique strengths of the University of Lethbridge and its infrastructure and research facilities.
Priority Areas
Rural & Regional Maternal & Child Health
Research topics of interest will be aligned with the One Child Every Child CFREF program in which the University of Lethbridge is a key partner. These may include but are not limited to the following: community-based interventions aimed at improving prenatal, maternal, child and youth health; Indigenous, land-based, and holistic wellness sciences; brain health and socio-demographic interventions; genomics for personalized medicine; recruitment and retention of health care providers; and innovative health and medical education.
Agriculture and Global Change
Research topics of interest include but are not limited to the following: improved knowledge and outcomes relating to food security and food sovereignty, ecosystems health, natural resource management, the politics of global change across borders, integrated supply chains, species at risk and ecological disruptions such as wildfire, drought and flood, and agriculture technology.
Application Process
The CERC program requires a two staged application process where interested applicants must first apply to an open job posting at the university and then applicants who are successful through the internal selection process will apply to the program. The U of L will provide substantial support in the preparation and development of the program application including budget planning, proposal development and editing.
Nominee eligibility
Nominees must be full professors or associate professors expected to be promoted to full professor within one or two years of the nomination. Alternatively, if they come from outside the academic sector, nominees must possess the qualifications necessary to be appointed at these levels. The nominee must hold a full-time academic appointment at the nominating institution as of the start date of the Chair award. Awardees will have up to 12 months to take up the award after the notice of award and acceptance has been signed by all parties.
The program imposes no restrictions on nominees regarding nationality or country of residence and there are established procedures to allow non-Canadian chairholders to work in Canada. Members of the Chair's team may also be eligible for an expedited work permit.
Researchers who hold a full-time academic appointment at a Canadian institution are eligible to be nominated; however, they may not be nominated by the institution at which they currently hold their appointment. If an institution nominates a researcher who is currently at a Canadian institution, the institution must demonstrate the net benefit to the country in moving the researcher from one Canadian institution to another.
Selection Criteria
Nominees for the CERC program will be evaluated using the same selection criteria: Research/academic merit and leadership skills of the candidate, quality of the research program, and potential contribution to the excellence of the Canadian and international research ecosystem.
Interested applicants are invited to review the full program details on the CERC website.
About the University
It’s your time to shine! Work where the world comes to create, discover and learn.
We are one of Canada’s top universities and leading research institutions. With more than 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students, two campuses (Lethbridge and Calgary), seven faculties and schools, and more than 2,500 employees, ULethbridge is Lethbridge’s second largest employer. Faculty and staff come together to contribute, each in their own way, to establishing ULethbridge as Canada’s destination university. In 2022, Lethbridge was recognized as one of Canada’s top small cities.