Faculty Positions
Position Title / Rank: Vice-President, Research and Innovation
Office of Research
Date Posted: December 20, 2023
Please reference AD#23-70
Position Description:
With gratitude, the University of Guelph recognizes that its campuses are located on the lands of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum and the traditional lands of the Hodinöhsö:ni’, Anishinaabeg and Huron Wendat, and offers respect to the Mississaugas of the Credit, Six Nations of the Grand River, the Delaware Nation at Moraviantown and the diverse communities of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples who reside on these lands. The University of Guelph also recognizes that its educational and research enterprises occur on Indigenous lands across Turtle Island and Mother Earth and endeavours to ensure that its activities honour and respect Indigenous peoples and their lands.
Are you a forward thinking research leader? Do you want to join a vibrant university community in one of Canada's most liveable cities? The University of Guelph is a research powerhouse with incredible capacity for interdisciplinary research in solving the world’s big problems. The genius of the University of Guelph lies in their strength in both basic and translational research. Applications, nominations, and expressions of interest for the position of Vice-President, Research and Innovation (VPRI) are invited, with the appointment to be effective summer 2024. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the next phase of research, innovation, and community engagement activities of a university that continues to Improve Life.
Reporting to the President and Vice-Chancellor as a collaborative member of the executive team leading the University, the Vice-President, Research and Innovation is the internal and external advocate for research and innovation, providing leadership and vision in shaping strategic priorities, and advancing areas of opportunity to further accelerate growth for greater global impact. Within the University, the VPRI promotes the research mission, communicates and celebrates achievements, enhances multidisciplinary activities and collaborations, and fosters an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment that allows research excellence and innovation to flourish. Externally, the VPRI advances knowledge translation by working effectively with businesses, communities, and governments, while showcasing the accomplishments of the University’s research community and advancing partnerships, initiatives, and funding on a local, provincial, national, and international level. The VPRI also has an important role in building industry relationships and furthering the University’s advancement efforts.
Candidates for Vice-President, Research and Innovation will be accomplished scholars, exemplary leaders, and collaborative teambuilders with proven records of having supported a thriving research enterprise in a complex research environment. With an open, transparent, respectful, team-focused, and collegial approach to leadership, communication, and interpersonal relationships, the new VPRI will champion equity, diversity, and inclusion, and empower the Office of Research to support its people, partnerships, and community. Able to develop and promote multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research initiatives, the new VPRI will excel in obtaining internal and external support for research, connecting and translating research impacts to the community, and engaging with a variety of internal and external stakeholders and partners. The new VPRI will be an innovative problem solver with a sophisticated understanding of the relationships among research, knowledge translation and mobilization, innovation, and commercialization.
The University of Guelph has achieved prominence in Canada and around the world for its commitment to developing exceptional thinkers and engaged citizens. The University continues to play an integral role in the educational, business, and cultural life of Ontario, through its research, innovation, leading edge interdisciplinary and experiential education in the physical and life sciences, arts, business, social sciences, engineering, and agricultural and veterinary sciences. Dedicated to cultivating the essentials for our quality of life – water, food, environment, animal and human health, community, commerce, social justice, culture, and learning, the University of Guelph community of nearly 30,000 students and over 5,000 faculty and staff share a focus on collegiality, a profound sense of social responsibility, an obligation to address local and global issues, and a concern for sustainable development.
Research at Guelph reflects the University’s strategic research framework themes: catalyzing discovery and change, connecting communities, inspiring learning and inquiry, stewarding valued resources, and nurturing a distinctive university culture. The Office of Research oversees a $187 million research enterprise across seven colleges, the Ridgetown regional campus, 14 research centres, and the University of Guelph/Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Agreement. With collaborations in 77 nations and the greatest number of invention disclosures per faculty member in Canada, the University of Guelph is a leader in the creation and dissemination of knowledge with impact. Further information about the University and its research may be found at www.uoguelph.ca.
All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. The University of Guelph and Laverne Smith & Associates will provide support in the recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that takes into account an applicant’s accessibility needs. 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.
At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative. Acknowledging the University’s diverse population and ensuring that every member of an inclusive campus is a valued contributor is a foundational pillar of success. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.
The consultants will begin review of candidates immediately, with committee consideration later in the new year, and will continue until the role is filled. Applications should include a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and the names of three references (who will not be contacted without the consent of the candidate), and should be submitted in confidence to the University’s executive search consultants:
Laverne Smith & Associates Inc. Email: GuelphVPRI@lavernesmith.com