The University of Ottawa invites applications for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in neuromuscular disease and related cardiac disorders. The successful candidate will hold a clinical non-tenure track position with the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Medicine, its affiliated hospital The Ottawa Hospital, and its affiliated research institute – The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute; OHRI with the potential for other cross-appointments. The candidate will be a member of the Brain-Heart Interconnectome (BHI). The BHI is a ground-breaking interdisciplinary research program aimed at accelerating prevention, detection, treatment and care of interconnected brain/neuromuscular and heart disorders through research co-produced with patients and other knowledge users. The Chairholder will hold or will be eligible to hold a license to practice medicine with the College of Physician and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO).
Tier 2 Chairs, tenable for five years and renewable once, are for exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. For each Tier 2 Chair, the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program allocates to institutions $100,000 annually for five years, with an additional $20,000 annual research stipend for first-term Tier 2 Chairs.
The ideal candidate will be an exceptional emerging researcher with expertise in neuromuscular disorders and related cardiovascular disease. This may include associated interventions for disease management, with either a focus on neurology and/or physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Potential areas of research may include (but not limited to):
- Shared neuromuscular and cardiac disease cellular mechanisms;
- Biomarker discovery in neuromuscular disease with cardiac phenotypes;
- Skeletal and cardiac muscle imaging;
- Exercise physiology in neuromuscular disease patients with cardiac involvement;
- Wearable technology, assistive devices and robotics in neuromuscular and cardiac disease;
- Joint models of care in neuromuscular and cardiac disease;
- Regenerative medicine for neuromuscular disease involving cardiac conditions.
Eligibility and Required Qualifications
- Education: MD or MD-PhD; minimum one year of fellowship training in neuromuscular disorders.
- Required Qualifications:
- Applicants must possess significant neuromuscular-focused research experience with a demonstrated record of strong scientific achievement in their field. Evidence of excellence will include publications in leading, peer-reviewed journals, success in securing external funding (e.g., operating grants), presentations at major conferences, recognition through awards or distinctions, and a solid record with respect to teaching and training of students at the graduate level.
- Candidates must demonstrate the potential to develop an independent and impactful research program within an equitable and inclusive environment, as well as the ability to obtain external research funds.
- Additional contributions that enhance the visibility and advancement of the Department and University are also highly valued.
- The University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital are bilingual institutions and therefore in the case of potentially successful candidates of equal ability, a bilingual (French/English) candidate would be preferred.
- Candidates should, at a minimum, be assistant or associate professors, or possess the necessary qualifications to be appointed to these levels. Candidates who are more than 10 years from their highest degree must contact the University of Ottawa directly for questions related to their potential eligibility for a Tier 2 Chair. The institution may nominate a professor or a researcher who is more than 10 years from their highest degree at the time of nomination and has experienced legitimate career interruptions (see acceptable justifications). In such cases, the institution must submit to the Secretariat a formal justification (using the Tier 2 Justification Screening Form), explaining why the nominee is still considered to be an emerging scholar. The University recognizes the legitimate impact that leaves (e.g., parental leave, leave due to illness) can have on a candidate’s record of research achievement and that these leaves will be taken into careful consideration during the assessment process. New CRC nominees are also eligible for infrastructure support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to help acquire state-of-the-art equipment essential to their work.
Application Package:
- A cover letter;
- An up-to-date curriculum vitae (Please include any personal circumstances and/or career interruptions such as parental or sick leaves that may have impacted your research trajectory. These will be taken into consideration in the selection process);
- A research plan (2 to 3 pages);
- A statement of relevance to the BHI and commitment to a research co-production approach (research carried out in collaboration with community, patients, health professionals, policy makers and other knowledge users) (1 page);
- A statement of teaching interests (1 to 2 pages);
- A statement on equity, diversity, and inclusion philosophy and concrete practices (1 page);
- The names of three people whom may be contacted by the University for letters of reference which will follow the Canada Research Chairs guidelines (i.e. Tier 2: one arm’s length and two who are not affiliated to the University of Ottawa unless they are the candidate’s PhD or postdoctoral supervisor); and
- Self-identification: Complete the confidential Employment Equity questionnaire online during the application process. The Canada Research Chairs Program requires institutions to collect self-identification data from all applicants, following the program’s best practices.
Deadline: April 4, 2026
More information regarding Academic Careers can be found online. Apply online through the University of Ottawa Careers portal.
To apply, we invite you to merge the various sections of your application into a single PDF file, which you can then upload to the Careers website. However, if you encounter any problems submitting your application, you can send it to the following email address: .
The selection process will begin immediately after the closing date and will continue until the position is filled. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Please address your cover letter to the following person:
Dr. Julie St-Pierre, Vice-President, Research and Innovation
University of Ottawa
550 Cumberland St., room 246
Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 CANADA