Canada Research Chair Tier II in Patient-oriented Community Reintegration Research in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

The Department of Applied Human Sciences in the Faculty of Arts and Science at Concordia University invites applicants for a Canada Research Chair (CRC) Tier II in Patient-oriented community reintegration research in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), a research-intensive tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor. Our focus is on transformative patient-oriented research on rehabilitation and community reintegration of persons with TBI. We are seeking candidates who will develop cutting-edge research that investigates how modifiable lifestyle behavior interventions (e.g., physical activity, diet, social support) in combination with other therapeutic recreation and leisure programs (e.g., leisure education, social skills training), impact the health, long-term rehabilitation, and community reintegration of persons living with TBI across the lifespan and in different cultural communities. The research will examine community participation using interdisciplinary frameworks (e.g., biopsychosocial, socioecological) and may use multimodal research approaches to understand the impact community interventions have on the rehabilitation and long-term recovery for people with TBI. The successful candidate will establish collaborations in Montreal and across Canada, where a national strategy to improve brain injury awareness, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery is underway. They will collaborate with other health researchers and join Concordia’s School of Health. The candidate is expected to create connections with community partners including (but not limited to) local and national brain injury associations and frontline rehabilitation centres in Montreal, across Quebec, and Canada. 

Candidates must have a PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences or a related discipline and have relevant postdoctoral training or research scientist experience with a focus on TBI. The successful candidate will provide evidence of an outstanding record of research achievements, a demonstrated potential to secure external funding, and a history of being part of innovative community-based research programs, taking into full consideration career stage, career breaks, and special circumstances. Candidates should also demonstrate the potential to work within the complex network of local, national, and/or international healthcare and rehabilitation systems for persons with TBI.   

Candidates eligible for Tier II chair positions must be excellent emerging scholars within 10 years of their highest degree at the time of nomination (exclusive of career interruptions). Potential Tier II candidates who are more than 10 years from their highest degree should take note that certain career interruptions may still make them eligible for nomination. Potential candidates are encouraged to submit a formal justification by means of the Tier II Justification Assessment Form, which will be considered in the review of applications. Please consult the Canada Research Chairs website for full program information, including further details on eligibility criteria and acceptable justifications to the extension of the eligibility term. 

Notwithstanding the above and irrespective of their submission of a formal justification, candidates are encouraged to share any career interruptions or personal circumstances that may have had an impact on their career goals (such as the decision to have a family, eldercare, slowdowns due to chronic illness or disability and so forth) in their letter of application. These will be carefully considered in the assessment process. The Department values diversity among its faculty and strongly encourages applications from those who will contribute to that profile. Concordia University is an English-language institution of higher learning at which the primary language of instruction and research is English. Since this position supports academic functions of the university, proficiency in English is required. Since this position also requires the development of community partnerships within the Quebec healthcare context, the successful candidate must demonstrate fluency in French, both written and spoken.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents will be given priority. To comply with the Government of Canada’s (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) reporting requirements, the University is obliged to gather information about applicants’ status as either Permanent Residents of Canada or Canadian citizens. While applicants need not identify their country of origin or current citizenship, all applicants must include one of the following statements:  

Yes, I am a citizen or permanent resident of Canada  

or  

No, I am not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada 

Applications should be submitted by Monday, December 1, 2025 and addressed to: Dr. Rosemary Reilly, Chair of the Department of Applied Human Sciences and must include a cover letter clearly identifying the title and position code (25-C-AHS-O), a detailed curriculum vitae, a research philosophy statement including the supervision of graduate students, a narrative statement of research/achievements/impact (including the three most important research contributions to date), a statement of teaching philosophy/interests and evidence of teaching effectiveness (teaching evaluations if applicable) and three letters of support (preferably one from a community organization with whom the candidate has partnered). Applications should be submitted electronically to sandra.topisirovic@concordia.ca, with the subject heading CRC Application. Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled. Only short-listed candidates will be notified. The appointment is expected to commence in August 2026. 

Concordia University is strongly committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community, and recognizes the importance of inclusion in achieving excellence in teaching and research. As part of this commitment to providing our students with the dynamic, innovative, and inclusive educational environment of a Next‐Generation University, we require all applicants to articulate in their cover letter how their background, as well as lived and professional experiences and expertise have prepared them to teach in ways that are relevant for a diverse, multicultural contemporary Canadian society.  

Possible examples to demonstrate a diverse experience may include, but are not limited to:  

1. teaching about or working with underrepresented populations  
2. mentoring students from underrepresented backgrounds 
3. committee work  
4. offering or organizing educational programming 

 • participation in training and workshops  

All applicants will receive an email invitation to complete a short equity survey. Participation in the survey is voluntary and no identifying information about candidates will be shared with hiring committees. Candidates who wish to self-identify as a member of an underrepresented group to the hiring committee may do so in their cover letter or by writing directly to the contact person indicated in this posting. 

Applicants who anticipate requiring adaptive measures throughout any stage of the recruitment process may contact, in confidence, the equity office at: equity@concordia.ca.