Concordia University is located on unceded Indigenous land of the Kanien’kehá:ka. Tiohtià:ke, or Montreal, is historically a gathering place for many First Nations and is now home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other peoples. Concordia University respects the continued connections with the past, present and future in its ongoing relationships with Indigenous and other peoples within the Montreal community.
Our university
Concordia University is recognized as a top-ranked Canadian university in QS’s Top 100 under 50, and first in North America. It is one of the 200 most international universities in the world according to Times Higher Education whose 2021 Impact rankings also placed Concordia in the top 25 universities world-wide for work to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals on Climate Change, Reduced Inequality, and Smart Cities and Communities.
Concordia University’s research excellence is driven by its diverse research community. It supports 25 institutional research centers and platforms, as well as four major research institutes in aerospace, next-gen cities, applied AI, and media arts and digital culture. Transdisciplinarity is a hallmark of Concordia University’s research and training. Equally important are its commitments to provide research graduate students with an inclusive research training environment and to support robust experiential learning opportunities ranging from co-op placements and research internships to study and research abroad. The University also offers several globally ranked professional graduate programs. The newly revised Concordia’s Strategic Research Plan 2023‐2028 outlines how its research strengths can bring unique, innovative solutions with high impact to the grand challenges facing our society.
Key strategic initiatives have been implemented to scale up the capacity and increase the visibility of Concordia’s research and graduate environment, as well as its commitments to innovation and internationalization. Last year, The Government of Canada awarded Concordia a historic $123M research grant, through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, to electrify society and decarbonize communities. This success recognized the unique capacity it has developed by federating the transdisciplinary strengths of Concordia’s Canada Excellence Research Chair in Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Communities and Cities, the Centre for Zero Energy Building Studies, the Center for Energy and its Transition.
The position
Concordia University is now seeking to appoint its next Vice President Research, Innovation and Impact (VPRII). The VPRII is a key member of the University’s executive team, reporting to the president and working in collaboration with other vice-presidents and senior academic and administrative leaders, including the Deans and University Librarian to provide strategic leadership and bring innovative visioning that accelerates the development of high-impact research, graduate education, and international initiatives at Concordia University.
The new VPRII will be a respected scholar – appointable at the rank of Professor – with demonstrated excellence as a leader and administrator, committed to fostering a collegial environment where fundamental and applied research, creative output, innovation, and impact are privileged. The successful candidate will have a track record of advancing the research mission of a globally recognized academic unit and significant leadership experience. The successful candidate will inspire intellectual curiosity and creativity, encourage collegiality and collaboration, and empower Concordia’s community to be successful in performing a rich array of research and creative activity. The VPRII will also demonstrate a firm commitment to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and decolonization as part of the quest for academic excellence.
Operationally, the VPRII is responsible for ensuring that the administrative activities of the sector provide efficient, value-added support to the research community and are marked by a high degree of professionalism and a strong service ethos. The VPRII is expected to work collaboratively with the Faculties and research units to develop and implement effective policies and procedures to support research excellence, ethical conduct of research and integrity, infrastructure, knowledge mobilization, global strategies, and the development of intellectual property consistent with changing practices to incentivize innovation and maximize the impact of research. The VPRII sponsors the timely development of innovative academic programs, professional upskilling for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and the application, university-wide, of policies and best practices in graduate education and supervision.
The VPRII champions the importance of graduate studies and postdoctoral research within the university working closely with the Dean of Graduate Studies (dual report to the VPRII and the Provost and Vice President, Academic) and the School of Graduate Studies, which is nested within the VPRII portfolio.
The incumbent
The VPRII will be passionate, curious, and hard working with a proven record of leadership in a complex research environment, current knowledge of the many changes and opportunities in the global research context, and the credibility to function successfully at all levels of the University. They will have with a track record of personal research achievement and of developing and promoting interdisciplinary research initiatives, a sophisticated understanding of the relationships among research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and knowledge mobilization, and of connecting and translating research impacts to the community are all essential.
The VPRII will have a demonstrated history of senior administrative success, as well as experience in budgeting, building collaborative teams, and promoting excellence and a demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, academic freedom, and decolonization. They will have exceptional organizational and interpersonal skills, and a record of building collaborative teams and solving problems across disciplines, the VPRII will excel in the ability to engage other stakeholders and will be able to consolidate internal and external support for research and innovation while partnering effectively with other educational institutions, government, communities, and industry.
The VPRII must be bilingual, able to function persuasively in both English and French, have a solid appreciation of the Quebec research and academic context, and understand the Canadian and global landscape for research, graduate studies, and internationalization.
The search
An executive search exercise is being undertaken by Concordia University’s search partner Perrett Laver. The deadline for applications is Sunday, April 21, 2024. Further information, including details of how to apply, can be found at Perrett Laver’s Vacancies page quoting reference GRA-0112.
Applications should consist of a full CV detailing academic and professional qualifications and relevant achievements and should be accompanied by a covering letter describing briefly how candidates meet the selection criteria in the ‘position description’, why the appointment is of interest, and what they believe they can bring to the role.
Concordia University is strongly committed to employment equity within its community, and to recruiting a diverse faculty and staff. The University encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including women, members of visible minorities, Indigenous persons, members of sexual minorities, persons with disabilities, and others who may contribute to diversification; candidates are invited to self-identify in their application. Candidates who require accommodation to ensure their full participation in the recruitment process are asked to make their needs known in advance. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
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