Faculty Positions

Position Title / Rank: Assistant or Associate Professor - Canada Research Chair Tier 2 in Animal Disease Genomics and Bioinformatics

College: Ontario Veterinary College

Department: Pathobiology

Date Posted: May 16, 2019
Deadline: July 19, 2019 or until a suitable candidate is found
Please reference AD #19-38

Position Description:

The Department of Pathobiology at the University of Guelph invites applications and nominations for a Canada Research Chair Tier II in Animal Disease Genomics and Bioinformatics. The appointment will be tenure-track at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. Tier 2 Chairs are awarded for a five-year term and can be renewed only once. For more details, visit the CRC program. This position will contribute to a cluster hire of One Health researchers at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), advancing interdisciplinary comparative research at the interface of animal and human health.

Exceptional emerging scholars, with the potential to become world leaders in a field related to Animal Disease Genomics and Bioinformatics, are invited to apply. The successful candidate will have a PhD and post-doctoral training in a discipline related to animal health and disease research with expertise and experience in applications of big data (including but not limited to transcriptomics, genomics, proteomics, epigenomics and metabolomics) to delineate disease processes in animals, especially those caused by infectious agents. Holding a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or another health professional degree will be an asset.

The Chair is expected to establish a strong independent, collaborative and multi-disciplinary research program in the area of Animal Disease Genomics and Bioinformatics aimed at finding solutions, using big data analytic approaches, for control of disease and improving health and welfare in food producing and/or companion animals. The new faculty will work collaboratively with other Pathobiology and OVC faculty to promote the use of high throughput technologies and bioinformatics through various means, such as training workshops. Applicants who have a successful research track record employing One Health approaches are encouraged to apply.

While this is primarily a research appointment, the successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the DVM, undergraduate and graduate courses taught by members of the Department of Pathobiology. In addition, the Chair will contribute to developing a new graduate program in Disease Informatics as well as to teaching graduate level courses in the area of Bioinformatics.

A "Food from Thought" initiative was recently launched at the University of Guelph. The goal of this initiative is to exponentially increase our ability to leverage big data for the benefit of food production and biodiversity at global, landscape and micro scales of research and innovation through strong multidisciplinary research. The successful candidate will work synergistically with members of the Food from Thought initiative.

The Department of Pathobiology has recognized strengths in immunology, microbiology, veterinary infectious diseases, and mammalian and comparative pathology. The Department, together with the Animal Health Laboratory, has a new state-of-the-art 13,000 square meter building housing well-equipped modern research and diagnostic laboratories. The College has a large veterinary teaching hospital (Health Sciences Centre), the Animal Cancer Centre and the Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses. In addition, researchers have access to nearby research stations suitable for conducting studies in a variety of domestic animals and on-campus housing for laboratory animals. For information visit the Department of Pathobiology and brochure about this position.

Eligibility for a Tier 2 Chair requires that applicants are exceptional emerging scholars and have fewer than 10 years of experience as an active researcher in their field at the time of nomination. Nonetheless, applicants who are more than 10 years from having earned their highest degree, where career breaks exist, such as parental or extended sick leave, clinical training, or other exceptional circumstances, may have their eligibility assessed through the program’s Tier 2 justification process. For more information please contact Ailsa Fullwood, Manager, Strategic Research Programs at fullwood@uoguelph.ca . Please consult the Canada Research Chairs website for full program information, including further details on eligibility criteria.

The University of Guelph is the second-largest employer in Guelph, a city of approximately 130,000 people, located about an hour drive west of Toronto, Ontario. University of Guelph is a top-ranked comprehensive university in Canada with an enrolment of about 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across over 40 academic units. The University is known for its commitment to student learning, innovative research, and collaboration with world-class partners. It is a unique place, with transformative research and teaching and a distinctive campus culture. People who learn and work here are shaped and inspired by a shared purpose: To Improve Life. Reflecting that shared purpose in every experience connected to our university positions us to create positive change, here and around the world. Our University community shares a profound sense of social responsibility, a drive for international development, and an obligation to address global issues.

Application Process

Salary and rank are negotiable and commensurate with experience and qualifications. Assessment of applications will begin on July 19, 2019 and will continue until the position is filled. Interested applicants should submit the following materials as a single PDF file: (1) a cover letter; (2) a curriculum vitae; (3) a 2-page summary of future research plans; (4) names and contact information of three references.

Dr. Shayan Sharif
Professor and Chair
Department of Pathobiology
University of Guelph
Guelph, ON N1G 2W1

Email:shayan@uoguelph.ca

At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative. The University of Guelph is committed to an Employment Equity Program that includes special measures to address the underrepresentation of individuals from four designated groups (women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and members of visible minorities/racialized groups) within its allocation of Canada Research Chairs. The university especially seeks and prioritizes applications from qualified applicants from these four groups. We encourage applicants to self-identify within their cover letter in their application and through the confidential Applicant Tracking Questionnaire. To be considered a priority applicant, self-identification data must be provided. Learn more about the University’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan for the CRC Program. Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

The University recognizes that applicants may have had obligations outside of work that have negatively impacted their record of achievements (e.g., parental, elder care, and/or medical). You are not required to disclose these obligations in the hiring process. If you choose to do so, the University will ensure that these obligations do not negatively impact the assessment of your qualifications for the position.

The University of Guelph resides on the ancestral lands of the Attawandaron people and the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit and we offer our respect to our Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Métis neighbours as we strive to strengthen our relationships with them.

If you require a medical accommodation during the recruitment or selection process, please contact Occupational Health and Wellness at 519-824-4120 x52674.