Canadian Excellence Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence for Improving Patient Outcomes and Enhancing Health Service Delivery

Academic

Job Category

Faculty Bargaining

Job Title

Canadian Excellence Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence for Improving Patient Outcomes and Enhancing Health Service Delivery

Department

Faculty | Tenure and Tenure Stream | Department of Computer Science | Faculty of Science (Joanna McGrenere)

Posting End Date

July 31, 2025

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

The salary will range between $230K and $300K Canadian dollars per annum.

The Department of Computer Science and the Department of Medicine at The University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver campus, are recruiting an outstanding researcher to be nominated for the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Artificial Intelligence for Improving Patient Outcomes and Enhancing Health Service Delivery. The CERC program, Canada’s highest research chair appointment, is designed to attract and support world-renowned researchers and their teams to Canada.

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world and is a renowned global centre for teaching, learning and research.  Since 1915, UBC has been opening doors of opportunity for people with the curiosity, drive and vision to shape a better world. Today, our students, faculty and staff come from around the world and our international research partnerships and publications help us collaborate on a global scale. The UBC Computer Science Department was recently ranked the #2 Canadian university in artificial intelligence (AI) and boasts 14 Canada CIFAR Affiliate chairs, more than any other institution and over 40% of the national total. The UBC Department of Medicine is an indispensable part of a world-leading medical faculty and a global hub of biomedical innovation. Together the two departments are primed to chart new pathways for transforming health system innovations using AI and Machine Learning (ML). UBC’s campuses are located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Syilx (Okanagan) Peoples and of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Stó:lō and Səlílw̓ ətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil Waututh) Nations.

The CERC in Artificial Intelligence for Improving Patient Outcomes and Enhancing Health Service Delivery will develop AI models with clinicians and healthcare researchers, bringing direct benefits to patients and improvements to systems-level practice. The Chair, appointed to both the Faculties of Science and Medicine, will build a world-class research program in AI methods and tools that will have wide applicability in healthcare settings. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: reinforcement learning, interpretable or explainable ML, computer science methods for precision medicine, and methods effective for rare diseases. The Chair can leverage UBC’s unique access to population-level data and deepen existing collaborative ties with health system partners, including the BC Ministry of Health and Provincial Health Services Authority, to deploy impactful solutions in real-world clinical settings, while protecting patient privacy.

As a faculty member and CERC chair holder, the successful candidate will be expected to supervise postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, teach graduate and/or undergraduate classes, collaborate with other faculty members, and actively participate in service to the Departments, University, and academic/scientific community.  
 
In addition to the above, candidates must:

• have a PhD (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline as a UBC requirement;

• be an internationally recognized leader of a research program with at least 10 years of competitive research experience

• demonstrated research success at the intersection of AI and medicine

• have a track record in publishing in both computer science and medical forums

• demonstrated leadership in research and teaching that is creative, innovative, and collaboration-based.

CERC holders will have strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion and a commitment to creating a welcoming community where those who have been historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized are treated equitably, feel respected, and belong.  UBC recognizes that inclusion is built by individual and institutional responsibility through continuous engagement with diversity to inspire people, ideas, and actions for a better world. As Canada’s highest research chair appointees, UBC CERCs will have a unique and profound impact on our commitments to these values.

It is expected that the successful candidate will qualify for a full-time faculty appointment at the rank of Professor or as an Associate Professor who is expected to be promoted to Full Professor within one to two years of the nomination. Nominees from outside the academic sector must possess the qualifications necessary to be appointed at these levels. The anticipated start date will be between no earlier than April 1, 2027.  Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience and is subject to final budgetary approval. The salary will range between $230K and $300K Canadian dollars per annum. Competitive start-up packages, relocation, housing assistance, and infrastructure development funds will be provided. For more information, please visit: https://hr.ubc.ca/working-ubc.

The selected candidate will be nominated for a Canada Excellence Research Chair. The CERC nomination is subject to review and final approval by the CERC Secretariat. This CERC award, if successful, will be for $1 million per year for eight years   The faculty appointment in the Departments of Computer Science and Medicine may be conditional on award of the CERC.

How to Apply

Interested candidates must apply through the Academic Jobs Online https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30195.  Review of applications will begin on  August 1, 2025 and continue until the position is filled. The successful applicant will be required to prepare a CERC Registration Package by January 12, 2026, and a complete application application package by UBC’s internal deadline of March 1, 2026.

Applicants should submit:
1.    Cover letter (up to 2 pages) that outlines:

• Your research vision and accomplishments
• How your expertise, scholarship and planned research will integrate with the Departments of Computer Science and Medicine and the broader UBC community
• How you have displayed leadership through existing or proposed research, teaching, service, community engagement, outreach, contributions to equity, diversity and inclusion, or other relevant activities

2.    Curriculum vitae.
3.    Statement (up to 4 pages) describing your current and proposed research program.
4.    Statement (up to 1 page) of teaching interests and accomplishments.
5.    Statement (up to 1 page) identifying your past contributions to equity, diversity and inclusion, along with your ability to work with a culturally diverse student body (giving specific examples where possible), as well as your philosophy of and potential future contributions to equity, diversity and inclusion.
6.    Up to 3 representative publications.
7.    Names and contact information for 3 referees.

As part of the application process, applicants will be asked to complete a voluntary employment equity survey (https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cUvl7PKtt6aSW6W) in alignment with the institution's commitment to creating an equitable and diverse environment that fosters academic excellence. Personal information is collected under the authority of sections 26(a), 26(c), and 26(e) of the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The Equity & Inclusion Office will collect data, and all responses will be stored in a secure database. The information collected will be for program-level reporting.

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. Inclusion is built by individual and institutional responsibility through continuous engagement with diversity to inspire people, ideas, and actions for a better world. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Métis, Inuk, or Indigenous person. UBC acknowledges that certain circumstances may cause career interruptions that legitimately affect an applicant’s record of research or educational leadership achievement. We encourage applicants to note in their applications whether they would like consideration given to the impact of any circumstances, such as those due to health or family reasons, in order to allow for a fair assessment of their research productivity.

In assessing applications, UBC recognizes the legitimate impact that leaves (e.g., maternity leave, parental leave, leaves due to illness, leaves due to caring for family members, slowdowns due to chronic illness or disability, or COVID-19 impacts) can have on research achievement and commits to ensuring that leaves are taken into careful consideration. Candidates are encouraged to highlight in their application how interruptions have had an impact on their careers.

Program nominees are not restricted by their nationality or their country of residence.  Non-Canadian Chairholders may work in Canada under the procedures by Employment and Social Development Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. In some cases, a work permit may be expedited.

Please visit UBC’s Center For Workplace Accessibility website at https://hr.ubc.ca/health-and-wellbeing/working-injury-illness-ordisability/centre-workplace-accessibility or contact the Centre at workplace.accessibility@ubc.ca, if there are specific needs or questions regarding accommodations or accessibility during the job application, recruitment and hiring process or for more information and support. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible work environment for all members of its workforce. Within this hiring process we will make efforts to create an accessible process for all candidates (including but not limited to disabled people). Confidential accommodations are available on request by contacting Stephanie van Willigenburg, Associate Dean, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Faculty of science, stephvw@science.ubc.ca.