Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Quantum Communication

The Faculty of Science at the University of Ottawa invites applications for a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Quantum Communication. This competition is limited to candidates currently holding a Faculty position at the University of Ottawa. The University of Ottawa is located on the ancestral land of the Algonquin people and its location in the National Capital Region provides many collaborative research opportunities, including through the Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Physics, which is a joint graduate program with Carleton University as well as the National Research Council. The  Faculty of Science values collegiality and applicants should identify ways they contribute positively to their academic communities.

The candidate will grow an exceptional, externally-funded research program in the broad area of quantum communications. The research of the appointed chair will aim at developing novel methods to fully control structured quantum waves for applications in novel and highly promising technologies such as quantum communication, simulation, and sensing.  

The selected candidate will build or expand partnerships and research collaborations within University of Ottawa’s Nexus for Quantum Technologies (NexQT-NexTQ) Institute, industry, colleagues in the Faculty of Science as well as with leading governmental, non-governmental, and educational organizations located in Canada and especially in the National Capital Region.

Tier 1 Chairs, tenable for seven years and renewable once, are for outstanding researchers acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields. For each Tier 1 Chair, the institution receives $200,000 annually for seven years. Nominees for Tier 1 Chair positions must be full professors or associate professors who are expected to be promoted to the full professor level within one or two years of the nomination. 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. 

The University of Ottawa is committed to ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion in the scholarly and leadership environments of our students, staff, and faculty members. In accordance with the University’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan, the selection will be limited to members of the four designated groups such as Indigenous peoples, individuals who are racialized, persons with disabilities, women and gender minorities as defined in the CRC Program method for establishing equity targets and the Employment Equity Act. All candidates who wish to be considered for this position must complete the confidential self-identification form during the application process (Count-me In survey - login required). The objective of this measure is to increase the representation of the four designated in the allocation of Canada Research Chair positions. Only uOttawa internal candidates are eligible.

• Education : Ph.D. or equivalent in Physics, or closely-related disciplines;
• Required Qualifications: Demonstrated outstanding independent research achievements in photonics. Demonstrated strong commitment to teaching and training of student at the graduate level, a strong record of external research funding and a strong track record, and commitment to interdisciplinary collaborations. Demonstrated track record of incorporating and improving Equity Diversité and Inclusion in research. The candidate must have excellent oral and written communication skills in either English or French. A passive knowledge of the other official language would be an asset.

Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5

• A cover letter;
• An up-to-date curriculum vitae with your employee number (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 on equity, diversity, and inclusion philosophy and concrete practices (1 page);
• The names of three people who may be contacted by the University for letters of reference which will follow the Canada Research Chairs guidelines (Tier 1: all three arm’s length with no conflict of interest including at least one international); and
• Self-identification: The Canada Research Chairs Program requires institutions to collect self-identification data from all applicants, following the program’s best practices. All applicants are required to complete the institutional self-identification questionnaire, the Count-me in survey (login required). By applying for this opportunity, applicants agree that designated administrators in Research Management Services can use the self-identification data from the Count-me in Survey for adjudication purposes. Individual data will be kept confidential on a secured server, and only aggregated data may be shared with selection committee members.

Deadline: March 13, 2023

Applications should be submitted by email as one pdf document sent to this address: [email protected]

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. Sylvain Charbonneau, Vice-President, Research and Innovation
University of Ottawa
550 Cumberland St., room 246
Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 Canada

For questions, please email: [email protected]

The University of Ottawa provides accommodations for applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you are invited to proceed in the selection process, please notify us of any accommodations that you require by contacting the Office of the Vice-Provost, Faculty Relations by email at [email protected]. Any information you send us will be handled respectfully and in complete confidence.

The University of Ottawa is proud of its more than 160-year tradition of bilingualism. Through its Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute, the University provides training to staff members and to their spouses in their second official language.

 Ad posted on February 9, 2023