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

University of Ottawa•Ottawa, ON

12d•Onsite

About The Position

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). 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. The role leverages the unique clinical populations, cohorts, and high-demand clinical administrative and imaging data of the UOHI, supported by the Institute’s robust informatics infrastructure and the Data Science Centre. The Chair will address broad questions on how frontier AI models can generate actionable insights to improve population health, focusing on prevention, early disease detection, chronic disease management, and health systems transformation with an eye to equity, accessibility, and social accountability. The position also involves supporting decisions by public health professionals, clinicians, system leaders, funders, and citizens/patients, while maintaining a strong human-centered approach. The successful candidate will become an integral part of a dynamic and research-intensive environment with access to state-of-the-art facilities and strong support, where AI research is a strategic priority. As a faculty member, the candidate will support the research and education strategic directions of the School and contribute to training the next generation of research leaders. The Chair will also contribute directly to the UOHI’s 2025-30 strategic plan, aligning with the pillar to ‘Harness data, AI, and technology- with a human touch’, developing and validating AI-enabled methods, advancing ethical, equitable AI approaches, and supporting translational pipelines. As a Core Academic Member of the Brain-Heart Interconnectome (BHI), the candidate will apply their skills to the unique challenges of interconnected brain-heart disorders, contributing to a program aimed at accelerating prevention, detection, treatment, and care through research co-produced with patients and other knowledge users. Tier 2 Chairs are tenable for five years and renewable once, for exceptional emerging researchers with the potential to lead in their field. The Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program allocates $100,000 annually for five years, with an additional $20,000 annual research stipend for first-term Tier 2 Chairs.

Requirements

Ph.D. in a field related to the position
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 tenure
Be assistant or associate professors, or possess the necessary qualifications to be appointed to these levels

Nice To Haves

English-French bilingualism is an asset

Responsibilities

Advance a cutting-edge research program at the intersection of applied artificial intelligence, public health, and health systems transformation
Generate actionable insights to improve the health and wellness of populations through the application of frontier AI models and modeling methods, coupled with determinants of health, and clinical and administrative data
Improve public health, with particular focus on prevention, early disease detection, and management of chronic disease through 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 through 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 through the application of frontier AI models and modeling methods
Support the research and education strategic directions of the School
Contribute to the training of the next generation of research leaders
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’
Develop and validate AI-enabled methods
Advance ethical, equitable AI approaches in healthcare
Support translational pipelines from data-driven discovery to clinical and public health implementation
Apply skills to the unique challenges of interconnected brain-heart disorders
Teaching
Scholarly activities such as research, artistic or literary creation, or professional work
Academic service
Graduate student supervision

Benefits

A complete benefits package
Long-term disability insurance
Basic group life insurance
Health insurance
University of Ottawa pension plan
Optional life insurance
Reimbursement of eligible relocation expenses
Infrastructure support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to help acquire state-of-the-art equipment essential to their work (for new CRC nominees)
Generous pay and benefits package
Defined benefit pension plan
Group insurance coverage
Employee and family assistance program
Training to staff members and to their spouses in their second official language