Employment opportunities

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the Faculty of Science at the University of Waterloo is seeking applications from exceptional scholars and researchers for the position of Chair of the Department. Candidates are expected to have a distinguished record of teaching and research as well as a demonstrated ability in leadership and administration. Candidates must be eligible for a faculty position, normally at the rank of full professor. The successful candidate will set the academic tone for the Department, be responsible for the relationship between the Department and the broader academic community and play a leading role in the academic planning and management process within the Faculty of Science. Candidates with a Ph.D. in all areas of Earth and Environmental Sciences will be considered. The anticipated start date is July 1, 2025.

Currently, the Department has 23 full-time members of faculty, 25 full-time staff, 76 graduate students, 19 postdoctoral fellows and research associates and 280 Honours undergraduate students. The Department also contributes to the delivery of the Geological Engineering program to 67 students in partnership with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Students in all these programs have access to the co-op stream of study, which allows them to alternate study terms with work terms, ultimately graduating with up to two years of paid work experience. Waterloo is #1 in Canada for employer-student connections and students in these programs have access to a network of over 7,100 employers. All students have access to undergraduate laboratory and field course offerings, which provide students with hands-on skills, training and experience that sets our students apart in their experiential learning.

The Department is research intensive with an annual research income of $7.5M, and attracts outstanding Canadian and international applicants to its graduate programs. Currently we have a CERC Laureate, 2 Canada Research Chairs and 3 University Research Chairs in the
Department. Earth and Environmental Science researchers collaborate with other units within the Faculty of Science and other faculties at the University of Waterloo, and hold memberships in several research centres and institutes, including the Water Institute, the Climate Institute, the Institute for Sustainable Energy, the Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics, and the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research.

The University of Waterloo is located in the attractive two-university community of Kitchener- Waterloo (population ca. 700,000) in southwestern Ontario, about one hour west of Toronto.

The salary range for this position is $150,000 to $200,000. Negotiations beyond this salary range will be considered for exceptionally qualified candidates.

The closing date for applications is January 31, 2025. Three letters of reference will be requested for applicants invited for an interview. Please send a curriculum vitae, cover letter, and a statement of demonstrated leadership and qualifications, and EDI to: Professor Chris Houser,

Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada, lweber@uwaterloo.ca.

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within our Indigenous Initiatives Office. The Faculty of Science is the first faculty at the University of Waterloo to have an embedded Indigenous Initiatives Office. Science Indigenous Initiatives serves as a central hub for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students, researchers, faculty, and staff, along with allies within the Faculty of Science. Our office works to provide the community with guidance, support, and resources to strengthen our shared vision of reconciliation.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as Indigenous peoples (e.g., First Nations, Métis, Inuit/Inuk), Black, racialized, people with disabilities, women and/or 2SLGBTQ.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Lisa Weber (lweber@uwaterloo.ca).

If you have any questions regarding the position, the application process, assessment process, or eligibility, please contact Lisa Weber: lweber@uwaterloo.ca.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Why Waterloo: Three great reasons to be a faculty member at Waterloo

The Faculty of Science at the University of Waterloo is seeking an exceptional scholar and researcher to internally fill a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (NSERC, CIHR), established by the Government of Canada to enable Canadian universities to foster research excellence with an anticipated CRC start date of May 2026. To be eligible, candidates must identify as a woman or gender equity-seeking group, which is defined to include individuals who self-identify as a woman, transgender, gender-fluid, nonbinary and Two-Spirit people.

The Faculty of Science is looking for candidates within the University of Waterloo with a PhD or equivalent in one of the following research areas – Health and Biomedical Sciences; Environment and Ecology; Sustainable Materials and Sensing; Discovery and Exploration. Candidates should be at the rank of Full Professor or be an Associate Professor who is expected to be promoted to the rank of Full Professor within one to two years of the nomination. The candidate will propose an innovative program of high-quality research that will attract external funding and excellent graduate students. Evidence of an actively developing research program with emphasis on one of the following topics: Health and Biomedical Sciences; Environment and Ecology; Sustainable Materials and Sensing; Discovery and Exploration and a successful record of Tri-Agency funding (NSERC or CIHR) is required. Ability and desire to partner with faculty in closely related fields is required.

Duties include research, teaching at the undergraduate and graduate level, service to the unit, and the supervision of graduate students. Experience developing an array of traditional and on-line courses for a diverse student body is required. The successful candidate will have a reduced teaching load during the term of the CRC. Applicants whose research aligns with the strategic plan of the Faculty, https://uwaterloo.ca/science/about/science-strategic-plan and our Mission Statement – To lead in learning and discovery by fostering an inclusive environment that pushes boundaries through curiosity and leverages different perspectives to magnify our impact, would be preferred.

The successful candidate will be appointed as a regular member of the appropriate Department/School and will be subsequently nominated for a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair. Nominations for Canada Research Chairs (CRC) are subject to review by the CRC Secretariat and appointment as a CRC is conditional on their approval (see the CRC website for full program information). The University of Waterloo is committed to providing the candidate with support to secure the CRC.

To meet the criteria for a Tier 1 CRC, successful candidates must be outstanding and innovative world-class researchers whose accomplishments have made a major impact in their fields and be recognized internationally as leaders in their fields. They must also have superior records of attracting and supervising graduate students and postdoctoral fellows (taking into account different practices in the relevant field or discipline) and, as chairholders, be expected to attract, develop and retain excellent trainees, students and future researchers; and be proposing an original, innovative research program of the highest quality. The University of Waterloo understands the impact that legitimate career interruptions (e.g. parental leave, leave due to illness) can have on a candidate’s record of research achievement and encourages potential candidates to explain in their application the impact this may have on their record; this information will be taken into careful consideration during the assessment process. Please consult the CRC website and the Office of Research for full program information, including further details on eligibility criteria.

Applications received by February 1, 2025 will be given full consideration. However, applications will continue to be reviewed until the position is filled. Three letters of reference will be requested for applicants invited for an interview. Send curriculum vitae, cover letter, teaching and research statements and up to three sample publication materials to: Professor Chris Houser, Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 Canada, chouser@uwaterloo.ca.

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within our Indigenous Initiatives Office.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as Indigenous peoples (e.g., First Nations, Métis, Inuit/Inuk), Black, racialized, people with disabilities, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

In keeping with the principles of employment equity and the CRC program’s equity targets, this particular selection process will follow the provisions for a special program as described by the Ontario Human Rights Commission in order to address the underrepresentation of individuals from equity-seeking groups among our Canada Research Chairs, which has been identified through research (Canadian Association of University Teachers, 2018; Council of Canadian Academies, 2012; Henry et al., 2017; and Witteman, Hendricks, Straus, & Tannenbaum, 2019) to be systemic in nature. As such, this opportunity is open only to individuals who self-identify as a woman or member of a gender-equity seeking group, which is defined to include individuals who self-identify as a woman, transgender, gender-fluid, nonbinary and Two-Spirit people. Improving the representation, participation and engagement of equity–seeking groups within our community is a key objective of Waterloo’s Strategic Plan 2020-2025.

All applicants to this CRC opportunity are required to self-identify using the self-identification applicant survey at https://uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_08RcdJzz6YAh4TX. Because this is a special opportunity for a specific member of the federally designated groups, applicant self-identification information will be used for the purposes of screening and consideration. Please note that this information will be securely accessed only by members of a central selection committee and, for nominees selected, for the fulfillment of CRC program purpose(s).

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview or workplace accommodation requests please contact Occupational Health (occupationalhealth@uwaterloo.ca or Karen – extension 40538); who will work with the selection committee to secure accommodation while ensuring that the information is safe- guarded and confidentiality is maintained. If you have any questions regarding the position, the application process, assessment process, eligibility, or the CRC program, please contact Chris Houser, chouser@uwaterloo.ca.

Why Waterloo: Three great reasons to be a faculty member at Waterloo

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo is seeking applicants for the position of ‘Teaching and Research Postdoctoral Scholar’ (PDS). The successful applicant will have completed their doctoral degree in any area of Earth and Environmental sciences and have research interests that align with those of any of our faculty members. Candidates must be able to deliver high-quality first-year courses in ‘Introductory Earth Sciences’ and ‘Introductory Environmental Sciences’. The PDS must be able to teach both courses (in English) at our partner institution (The China University of Geosciences) in Wuhan, China for a period of 10 to12 weeks each year. Accommodation, and travel expenses during the time in China will be covered. Lecture and course materials will be provided, and the PDS will have approximately 5 months lead time before teaching duties begin. The PDS will spend the remainder of the year engaged in research under the supervision of a faculty member of their choosing within the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Waterloo. The ability to speak Mandarin Chinese is NOT a requirement for this position. This position is a 3-year renewable contract at a salary of $60K per annum, with an additional cost of living stipend of approximately $1960.00 per month while teaching in China. This position is only open to individuals holding or able to obtain a Canadian passport and a Chinese visa. Interested individuals should email their CV, statement of interest (1.5 pages maximum), as well as names and contact details of three potential referees to Lisa Weber (lweber@uwaterloo.ca) with ‘EES postdoc search’ in the subject line no later than June 15, 2025. The anticipated start date for this position is Sept 15, 2025.

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within our Indigenous Initiatives Office.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as Indigenous peoples (e.g., First Nations, Métis, Inuit/Inuk), Black, racialized, people with disabilities, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Lisa Weber lweber@uwaterloo.ca.