Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Applied AI Innovation in Public Health

Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Applied AI Innovation in Public Health

Faculty/Department: SEPH Professors

Campus: Roger Guindon Hall

Union affiliation: APUO

The University of Ottawa invites applications for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Applied AI Innovation in Public Health. The successful candidate will hold a tenure-track position with the Faculty of Medicine's School of Epidemiology and Public Health, and a Scientific appointment to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) and be a Core Academic Member of the Brain-Heart Interconnectome (BHI). Located on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe-Algonquin people, in the heart of the nation's capital and in close proximity to multiple national agencies, the University of Ottawa is one of Canada's top ten research-intensive universities. It is recognised as the first and largest bilingual university in North America and offers strong connections to organisational, government and policy interest holders.

About the Role

This interdisciplinary Canada Research Chair will advance a cutting-edge research program at the intersection of applied artificial intelligence, public health, and health systems transformation, drawing on relevant fields such as Biostatistics, Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI), Information Systems, or Health Informatics. Leveraging the unique clinical populations, cohorts, and high-demand clinical administrative and imaging data of the UOHI, and supported by the Institute's robust informatics infrastructure and the Data Science Centre, the Chair will answer the following broad questions:

• How can the application of frontier AI models and modeling methods, coupled with determinants of health, and clinical and administrative data generate actionable insights to improve the health and wellness of populations?
• How can the application of frontier AI models and modeling methods improve public health, with particular focus on prevention, early disease detection, and management of chronic disease?
• How can the application of frontier AI models and modeling methods contribute to health systems transformation so as to meet the current public health challenges with an eye to equity, accessibility, and social accountability?
• How can the application of frontier AI models and modeling methods support decisions by public health professionals, clinicians, system leaders, funders, and/or citizens/patients, while maintaining a strong human-centered approach?

The successful candidate will become an integral part of our dynamic and research-intensive environment with access to state-of-the-art facilities and strong support from the University of Ottawa and UOHI, where artificial intelligence research has been identified as a strategic priority within our 'Digital World' research mandate. In addition to the School of Epidemiology and Public Health, this environment encompasses the Faculty of Medicine's clinical departments (e.g., Department of Medicine), as well as departments of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (CMM), Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology (BMI), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (SPS) and the Department of Innovation in Medical Education (DIME). As a faculty member at the School of Epidemiology and Public Health the candidate will support the research and education strategic directions of the School and contribute to the training of the next generation of research leaders. The strategic plans of the School, Faculty and University will serve as clear guiding posts for action.

The Chair will also contribute directly to the UOHI's 2025-30 strategic plan, aligning with the major institutional pillar to 'Harness data, AI, and technology- with a human touch', leveraging the UOHI Data Science Center to develop and validate AI-enabled methods, advance ethical, equitable AI approaches in healthcare, and support translational pipelines from data-driven discovery to clinical and public health implementation. As a Core Academic Member of the Brain-Heart Interconnectome (BHI), the candidate will be well positioned to apply their skills to the unique challenges of interconnected brain-heart disorders. The BHI is a ground-breaking interdisciplinary research program aimed at accelerating prevention, detection, treatment and care of interconnected brain and heart disorders through research co-produced with patients and other knowledge users.

Tier 2 Chairs Overview

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.

Nominees for Tier 2 Chair positions must be emerging researchers. They 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 first independent academic research-related appointment 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 first independent academic research-related appointment at the time of nomination and has experienced legitimate career interruptions (see acceptable justifications). In such cases, institutions must submit to TIPS a formal justification (via the institutional application dashboard on the Convergence platform), explaining why the nominee is still considered to be an emerging researcher. 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.

Qualifications

Education: Ph.D. in a field related to the position

Required Qualifications:

• Superior research achievements in the CRC's identified area(s) and proof of interdisciplinary collaborations
• A solid record with respect to teaching and training of students at the graduate level
• The ability to obtain external research funds
• Excellent communication skills in either English or French
• Passive (or active) knowledge of one's second official language (French or English) is a requirement for…

Equity and Inclusion

The University of Ottawa is committed to ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion in the scholarly and leadership environments of our students, staff, and faculty. Accordingly, we strongly encourage applications from skilled and experienced members of the four designated groups such as Indigenous Peoples, racialized individuals, persons with disabilities, women and gender equity-seeking groups, as defined in the CRC Program method for establishing equity targets and the Employment Equity Act, as well as from all qualified candidates with the skills and knowledge to productively implement equity measures that ensure and retain diverse teams and promote inclusive practices for research team members. As part of this preferential hiring process, applications from members of the four designated groups will be prioritized and assessed first for the vacancy. The purpose of this measure is to increase the representation and contribution of members of the four designated groups in the allocation of Canada Research Chair positions. All candidates are asked to complete the confidential self-identification questionnaire during the application process online. Internal candidates such as professors, postdoctoral fellows, and students are not eligible.