Description
The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at The University of British Columbia (UBC) invites applications for a Canada Impact+ Emerging Leader in Health and Biotechnology with focus on Translational Quantitative Biomedical Imaging: an early-career researcher who will build an independent program developing and applying quantitative biomedical imaging methods and/or probes to address clinically important questions of diagnosis, prognosis, drug development, and/or treatment response, as well as disease mechanisms. The appointment will be a tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor, with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2027. The successful applicant will also be required to teach appropriate topics in the BPSc, PharmD and MSc/PhD programs, as well as new programs under development.
Research may span from preclinical investigation to early-stage clinical trials, providing opportunities for future partnerships, knowledge translation, and commercialization. The successful candidate will lead research in advanced imaging and molecular imaging, including MRI, PET, CT, employing multimodal and multiparametric image analyses to non-invasively quantify key aspects of pathobiology and pathophysiology. Areas of focus may include the development and use of imaging biomarkers of processes such as inflammation, fibrogenesis, and fibrosis in cancer, neurodegeneration, and other diseases, as well as noninvasive imaging to assess drug action at a systems level.
This appointment advances UBC’s Impact+ priority in Health and Biotechnology and will independently complement the Eddie Goldenberg Distinguished Research Chair in Translational Molecular Imaging and Therapy. The successful appointee will benefit from opportunities for strategic collaboration; the recruit will join Vancouver’s exceptional research ecosystem, with access to world-class researchers and facilities at UBC, TRIUMF, BC Cancer, and affiliated hospital research institutes as well as a new Centre being established at UBC in this research area Formal interdisciplinary links with other UBC Faculties and Departments, including the Faculties of Medicine and Science, School of Biomedical Engineering, and Departments of Physics and Chemistry, are anticipated. Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders are six-year positions valued at $100,000 annually, renewable once for an additional six years, intended for exceptional emerging scholars who have the potential to lead in their fields.
About the Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders Program
Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders is a $120 million investment by the Government of Canada to help institutions recruit more internationally based early career researchers in areas of strategic priority. Emerging Leaders are expected to have an independent program of research, with potential for impact through collaborations with, but not limited to, the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada.
Under the Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders program, nominees must have been working and residing outside Canada when the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada award (https://www.canada.ca/en/impact-plus-chairs.html) is formally accepted. For this specific award, the acceptance date was July 1, 2026. Applicants may apply regardless of their current location; however, candidates selected for nomination must meet this eligibility requirement on the award acceptance date in order to proceed. Expatriate Canadians wishing to relocate to Canada are welcome to apply.
Qualifications
Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders must be:
- An Early Career Researcher (within 5 years of their first independent research-related appointment, with extensions available to account for eligible career interruptions/leaves), or, if a postdoctoral research fellow, must be eligible for a tenure-track position, demonstrate research independence, and meet the criteria of the Emerging Leaders program
- Internationally based (both working and residing outside of Canada) as of July 1, 2026
- Willing and able to start the position, on a full-time basis, by July 1, 2027
The successful candidate will possess:
- A PhD or equivalent doctoral qualification, as part of the UBC requirement
- Relevant postdoctoral, clinical, or industry research experience and demonstrated research skills
- An outstanding publication record
- A track record, or demonstrated potential for success in attracting national and/or international research funding
- Potential for excellence in teaching (professional, undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral levels)
- Well-developed mentoring and communication skills
- Commitment to professional, undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral education
- Experience and/or plan to address equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization
- Commitment and ability to actively participate in collegial internal and external service, events and initiatives
Compensation
The expected salary range for this position is $145,000 - $175,000 CAD per annum. Salary is competitive, negotiable, and commensurate with experience and is subject to final budgetary approval. UBC is committed to attracting outstanding faculty members and offers competitive compensation, start-up and benefits packages, including support for housing and relocation. For more information, please visit: https://hr.ubc.ca/working-ubc.
Application Requirements
Applicants must include the following items in their applications:
- Letter of application indicating interest in this position and relevant experience (1 page)
- Curriculum vitae
- Five-year research program plan (3 pages)
- Statement of teaching philosophy, including the mentorship and supervision of research trainees (1 page)
- Statement describing planned and/or past efforts to advance equity, diversity, inclusivity, and/or reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, which may relate to lived/living experience, professional work or practice, academic and research activities, and/or community engagement (1 page)
- Brief summary of five selected publications outlining the significance, impact, and your contribution, with hyperlinks to the articles (maximum 1 page)
- Names and contact information for three referees
UBC Careers Application Link
Review of Applications and Anticipated Start Date
Review of complete applications will begin November 1, 2026, although applications submitted after this deadline will be reviewed until the position is filled. The anticipated start date for this position is July 1, 2027 or earlier. Inquiries about the position may be directed to pharmsci.hr@ubc.ca.
The Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders program requires institutions to collect self-identification data from all applicants, in accordance with best practices. As part of UBC’s efforts to fulfill our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusivity, all applicants will be required to submit a brief diversity survey, via the online application system, as part of the application process. While completion and submission of the survey is mandatory, applicants may decline to answer any of the questions. Applicant self-identification information is confidential and access is limited and restricted to designated individuals. In alignment with UBC’s commitment to creating an equitable and diverse environment that fosters academic excellence, candidates are encouraged to complete a self-identification survey: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_exPuSwFzPyvB8Ee.
Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence:
UBC hires based on merit and is committed to employment equity. Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters inclusion for underrepresented voices and those who feel discouraged. Inclusion is built through individual and institutional responsibility, achieved by continuous engagement with diversity, to inspire people, ideas, and actions for a better world. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.
UBC is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive, non-discriminatory, and accessible work environment for all members of its workforce. UBC is also committed to ensuring that the application and interview process is accessible to all applicants. Throughout this hiring process, we will work to ensure accessibility for all candidates.
If you have any questions regarding accommodations or accessibility during the recruitment and hiring process or for more information and support, please visit UBC’s Center for Workplace Accessibility website at https://hr.ubc.ca/health-and-wellbeing/workplace-accessibility/centre-workplace-accessibility or contact the Centre at workplace.accessibility@ubc.ca. Job applicants requiring confidential accommodation or accessibility, or requests for adaptive measures to participate in the hiring process, should contact should contact Janet Ferraro, Director, Human Resources at pharmsci.hr@ubc.ca.
UBC recognizes the legitimate impact that leaves (e.g., maternity leave, parental leave, leaves due to illness, leaves due to caring for family members, slowdowns due to chronic illness or disability, or COVID-19 impacts) can have on research achievement and commits to ensuring that leaves are taken into careful consideration during the assessment process. Candidates are encouraged to highlight in their application how career interruptions and personal circumstances have affected their careers.
Nominations are subject to review by the Tri-agency Institutional Programs (TIPS) Secretariat, and appointment as a Canada Impact+ Emerging Leader is conditional upon their approval. Consult the Canada Impact+ Emerging Leader recruitment website for further details.
The UBC Vancouver campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. The UBC Okanagan campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation. UBC is dedicated to being a world leader in advancing Indigenous peoples' human rights and is guided by a mission of reconciliation, as articulated by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. It is firmly committed to recruiting Indigenous faculty, students, and staff as outlined in its Indigenous Strategic Plan. As one of the world's leading universities, UBC creates an exceptional learning and research environment that fosters global citizenship and advances a civil and sustainable society, serving the people of British Columbia, Canada, and the world.
About the University
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a leading global research university, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities worldwide. UBC is proud to nurture and transform the lives of more than 70,000 students from Canada and over 140 countries at our two major campus locations, in Vancouver and Kelowna. Our researchers and scholars are pushing the boundaries of knowledge in an amazing breadth of disciplines. By working across disciplines and building partnerships with universities, industry, government, and communities worldwide, researchers at our two campuses and affiliated teaching hospitals are generating ideas, discoveries, and innovations that improve lives in British Columbia, Canada, and beyond.
The UBC vision is to inspire people, ideas, and actions for a better world.
About the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Located in a state-of-the-art facility on UBC's Vancouver campus, the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC enjoys an international reputation for outstanding pharmaceutical sciences research. Across a broad base of collaborative, paradigm-shaping pilot projects, our world-leading researchers generate relevant results that address the pressing health needs of society. In short, our work improves lives. The UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences is undergoing major expansion and investment to meet our ambitious goal of being one of the leading academic centres internationally in the pharmaceutical sciences within the next decade. As part of this ongoing strategic development program, research activity in the Faculty is focusing on themes (molecular and systems pharmacology, nanomedicine and chemical biology, health outcomes, and pharmacy education) that reflect areas of existing strength, opportunities for new partnerships, and the potential for delivering long-term impact, with an emphasis on translational, patient-impactful science.
