Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Critical Mineral Systems

Lakehead University (Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada) 

Tenure-Track Assistant or Associate Appointment 

Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Critical Mineral Systems 

Lakehead University invites applications for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Critical Mineral Systems.  The ideal candidate is one who can contribute to our understanding of critical mineral and other metal deposits through field-based research coupled with advanced analytical methodologies.  Researchers with interests in Ni-Cu-PGE, emerging mineral resources, such as lithium and rare-earth elements, and other ore deposit types are particularly encouraged to apply. 

This tenure-track appointment will be at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. This CRC position is for five (5) years and is renewable once.  Tier 2 Canada Research Chairs are intended for outstanding and innovative emerging researchers whose accomplishments have made a major impact in their fields and are recognized as leaders in their fields.

By combining discovery and translational research, the Chair will increase the research capacity and training opportunities at Lakehead University. The Chair will add to the continuing development of research excellence in Critical Minerals within the University.

Lakehead University and our Community

Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has 9 faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked, once again, among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities in Maclean’s 2022 University Rankings; as well as being included in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2020 World Universities Rankings for the second consecutive year, and 64th among 1,410 universities from around the world in THE's 2022 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). For further information, please visit: www.lakeheadu.ca.

Lakehead University is recognized as one of Canada’s top research-intensive universities in its category for the last decade (Research Info$ource). Aligned with our Strategic Plan, Research Plan, CRC Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, and Institutional EDI Action Plan, we are actively recruiting outstanding scholars to enhance and grow our research and innovation capacity. Situated in the diverse and multicultural communities of Thunder Bay and Orillia, our unique campuses and their locations inspire us to discover and innovate in exciting and non-traditional ways.

Lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for innovative programs and cutting-edge research. Our campuses are located in Thunder Bay on the traditional lands of the Fort William First Nation, Signatory to the Robinson Superior Treaty of 1850 and in Orillia on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, and Rama First Nation. Lakehead University acknowledges the history that many nations hold in the areas around our campuses and is committed to a relationship with Métis and Inuit and First Nations peoples.

The Faculty

The appointment of this Canada Research Chair will be in the Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies (FSES) and specifically in the Department of Geology at the Thunder Bay campus.  FSES has ten departments and offers Bachelor, Master’s and Doctoral degrees, including programs that cross departmental boundaries. For information about the Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies, please visit our website.

The Department of Geology at Lakehead University is a dynamic group of interdisciplinary researchers with active field and laboratory research programs in economic geology, geochemistry, petrology, structural geology, tectonics, early Earth ocean-atmosphere-terrestrial systems, and biogeochemistry.  We are a small department with a strong focus on experiential learning and have strong connections with the local industry.  The department offers undergraduate programs in Geology, Environmental Earth Science, and Water Resource Science and offers MSc in Geology. The successful candidate will contribute to department offerings at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. These may include new courses in the candidate’s area of expertise. An ability and willingness to teach courses outside of the main area of interest will be considered an asset. The successful candidate will also be expected to supervise undergraduate and graduate (MSc) student thesis research as well as participate in our fourth-year undergraduate field school. The successful candidate is expected to conduct an active research program related to critical mineral systems and to seek external financial support for this research from both government agencies and the private sector.  The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Mining and Exploration (https://www.lakeheadu.ca/centre/cesme).

Lakehead University has several centralized labs to support research, including the Lakehead University Environmental Laboratory, and the Lakehead University Instrumentation Lab.  Instrumentation available for the successful candidate’s use includes ICP-OES and MS, high resolution FESEM-EDX system, TEM, XRD, a fluid inclusion stage with IR, several spectroscopy systems, state of the art microscopes with digital imagers, and assorted other instrumentation.  Also available to the successful candidate is access to the department’s lapidary facility.

For further information, please contact Dr. Andrew Conly, Chair of Geology (andrew.conly@lakeheadu.ca). Detailed information on the Department is available through the website of the Department of Geology (https://www.lakeheadu.ca/programs/departments/geology)

Requirements

Tier 2 CRCs are for exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. Candidates for Tier 2 Chair positions must meet all the requirements for Tier 2 CRCs and be eligible for assistant or associate professor positions. Tier 2 CRC’s normally are not more than 10 years from their highest degree at the time of submitting the nomination to the CRC secretariat. However, nominating institutions may nominate a professor or a researcher who is more than 10 years from their highest degree at the time of nomination and has experienced career interruptions based on the categories outlined here.

Successful candidates will:

• be excellent emerging world-class researchers who have demonstrated research creativity;
• have demonstrated the potential to achieve international recognition in their fields in the next five to ten years;
• as chairholders, have the potential to attract, develop and retain excellent trainers, students and future researchers; and
• be proposing an original, innovative research program of the highest quality.

CRCs at Lakehead University are appointed and governed by the provisions of the Lakehead University Faculty Association Collective Agreement. For the duration of the CRC, the CRC will be given a reduced teaching load in order to dedicate the majority of their time to research, be provided with a start-up grant, an annual research grant, and research space appropriate for the proposed CRC’s program of research.

Application Deadline and Process

The Department of Geology will begin the review of applications on July 8, 2024 and the position will remain open until filled.

A complete application as one electronic pdf file consists of:

• Letter of application (1 page) that includes your interest in the position; what you would bring to the department and faculty; the impact that your research will have on the field of critical mineral systems (your research statement can elaborate on this); and what makes you a strong candidate overall as a researcher, educator, and community member.
• A curriculum vitae (CV) that provides a clear sense of your scholarly and professional development via your education and your research activities and outcomes; your contributions to making critical mineral systems a more equitable and inclusive discipline through committee work, community engagement, media, and advocacy.
• Description of Proposed Research (up to 2 pages) that describes your proposed CRC program of research.  The proposal should include an executive summary and outline context, methodology, engagement with research users and communication of results, and list of references.  You are also to include a plan for establishing and maintaining a diverse core team (page limitation excludes the summary and list of references) (see link provided (see the link for Lakehead University’s Strategic Research Plan for additional information).
  • Teaching statement (up to 1 page) and a dossier of syllabi and other evidence, if available. These must demonstrate how you engage, encourage, and develop the learning capacity of students entering higher education from a diverse array of backgrounds, and how you embed practices and principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in your classroom, your assignments, and your classroom style.
  • Research Contributions (no page limit) Describe the contributions that you have made in your research area during the period in which you have received research funding. Please group your research contributions by category in the following order, with the most recent contributions listed first:

1. Describe the five most significant research contributions that you have made during your career and explain the significance of each A list of your five most significant contributions (no page limit) (following the CRC guidelines) Describe the five most significant research contributions that you have made during your career and explain the significance of each.
2. Published refereed contributions, such as: books (where applicable, subdivide according to those that are single-authored, co-authored and edited works), monographs, book chapters, and articles in scholarly refereed journals. “Refereed contributions” assumes assessment of the work in its entirety—not merely of an abstract or extract—before publication, and by appropriately independent, anonymous and qualified experts (i.e., assessors who are at arm’s length from the author).
3. Other refereed contributions, such as: conference proceedings, papers presented at scholarly meetings or conferences, articles in professional or trade journals, government publications, etc.
4. Non-refereed contributions, such as: book reviews, published reviews of your work, research reports, policy papers, public lectures, creative works, papers in conference proceedings, specialized publications, technical reports, internal reports, discussions, abstracts, symposium records, monographs, books or book chapters, conference presentations, government publications, etc.
5. Forthcoming contributions: Indicate one of the following statuses: “submitted,” “revised and submitted,” “accepted” or “in press.” Provide the name of the journal or book publisher, and the number of pages.

• Other Contributions (no page limit) (following the CRC guidelines) Describe any other activities that show the impact of your work, such as awards; contributions to scientific peer review (membership on peer review committees, external reviews, etc.); consulting; contributions to professional practice or public policy; membership on committees, boards, or policy-making bodies with government or the private sector.
  • The names and contact information for three references, one of whom must be at arm’s length.
  • A Self-Identification Survey is mandatory andmust be completed by applicants. This survey can be found at https://forms.gle/sA5uWmTTdZXK6yNB7.

Please note that the CRC Program imposes no restrictions on nominees with regard to nationality or country of residence; however, applicants should indicate their current citizenship status within their application.

Complete applications are to be directed via email to:

Dr. Todd Randall, Dean

Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies

Email: applications.ses@lakeheadu.ca

Please note that only those selected for an interview will be notified.

The successful candidate will be expected to work with the Office of Research Services in completing a complete nomination package due to the CRC Secretariat on October 22, 2024.

If you have questions about the CRC program at Lakehead University, please contact Anne Klymenko, Director, Research Services by email: anne.klymenko@lakeheadu.ca or by telephone at 807-343-8110 Ext. 8223.

Equity Statement

Lakehead University has an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan 2019-2024 with a goal to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as measured by increasing representation of under-represented groups among applicants, candidates and hires. We encourage candidates to self-identify, if you are from an under-represented group, and prefer candidates with the knowledge, competencies and relationships derived from lived experience. We encourage women and gender minorities, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples and racialized individuals to apply. Experience working with Indigenous or racialized communities, and/or members of other equity-deserving groups is a strong asset. A lived experience or worked experience of any of these issues is preferred.

Lakehead University recognizes that alternative career paths and/or career interruptions (e.g., maternity leave, leave due to illness) can impact research achievements and commits to ensuring that leaves are taken into careful consideration in the assessment of the candidate.  Candidates are encouraged to highlight how alternative paths and/or interruptions have impacted their research in their application.  Lakehead also recognizes the value of mentoring and research training, outreach, professional service, community-based research, other forms of scholarly expression, areas and/or research outputs; demonstrated experience in increasing diversity in the previous institutional environment, and in curriculum, is also an asset.  

Lakehead University is committed to supporting an accessible environment. Applicants requiring accommodation during the interview process should contact the Office of Human Resources at (807) 343.8010 ext. 8334 or human.resources@lakeheadu.ca to make appropriate arrangements.

Please visit our Office of Human Rights and Equity website: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/faculty-and-staff/departments/services/human-rights-and-equity and our Human Resources policies related to accommodations and supports: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/faculty-and-staff/policies/human-resources to explore all of the supports our organization provides to enable a strong and connected employment experience.  Should an applicant require accommodations for interviews or other meetings, please contact Human Resources at (807) 343-8334 or by emailing human.resources@lakeheadu.ca.

Additional Information

Additional information regarding the Canada Research Chair program can be found at:

https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/program-programme/nomination-mise_en_candidature-eng.aspx#s2.  Tier 2 CRC nominees must be Assistant or Associate Professors. The Canada Research Chairs Program supports outstanding researchers in areas that will further Lakehead's Strategic Research Plan. All Chair nominations are subject to review and final approval by the CRC Secretariat. Please consult the Canada Research Chairs website https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca for full program information and further details on eligibility criteria. Information regarding our CRC EDI Action Plan is available here: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/111/LakeheadU_CRC%20EDI%20Action%20Plan_ETWG_Sept%2027_2019_final.pdf and information regarding our EDI policies can be found here: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/faculty-and-staff/departments/services/human-rights-and-equity/resources.