Canada Impact+ Research Chair in Aerospace Engineering

Overview

The Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Victoria (UVic) seeks to recruit a world-class researcher for a Canada Impact+ Research Chair (Impact+) in Aerospace Engineering. The successful Impact+ candidate will contribute world-leading expertise to UVic’s growing role as a global leader in the design, development and testing of next-generation air and space systems. The Chairholder will join and help shape a dynamic, multi-disciplinary and highly collaborative research environment at UVic that advances high-performance and sustainable aerospace platforms and systems.

Multidisciplinary and integrated fields of research in aerodynamics, structures, avionics, propulsion, guidance, navigation and control are enabling lightweight and energy-efficient platforms that have the potential to transform the future of aviation and space industries. Through this Impact+ Chair, we seek to accelerate and dramatically expand the use of artificial intelligence and real-time decision-making frameworks towards increasingly complex operations.

At UVic, we view dual-use air and space systems as being critical to next generation transportation, remote sensing and earth observation applications such as data-driven climate solutions, coastal and Northern domain awareness, defense and resource stewardship and management. Advancing Canada’s strategic priorities in these areas depends on an ability to collect, interpret, and act on data sampled across vast spatial and temporal scales from above.

The Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science is committed to advancing these national priorities. To further deepen our capacity for transformational innovation, we seek a researcher with demonstrated excellence in aerospace engineering, whose work emphasises multidisciplinary systems integration, and who is fully committed to working with local, national and international networks to translate their discoveries into real world applications at the intersection of economic growth, environmental and social responsibility, and national and global connectivity.

The Chairholder will be expected to collaborate broadly, initiate and sustain interdisciplinary initiatives, contribute to design and delivery of course and experiential learning activities within undergraduate and graduate degree programs, and mentor highly qualified personnel who will lead Canada’s future aerospace sector.

The Impact+ program is a one-time initiative designed by the Canadian government to invest in world-leading researchers whose work addresses critical national and global challenges. The program emphasizes both research excellence and tangible impact. Impact+ Chairs will receive long-term funding (up to $1m per year for 8 years, with the possibility of 4 year extension) and institutional support to advance ambitious and transformative projects in Canada’s strategic priority areas, build and maintain exceptional research teams, and collaborate with partners across sectors and borders.

Impact+ Chairs are expected to establish significant new partnerships and collaborations with both Canadian and international entities (industry, health systems, government and not-for-profit organizations), and, where appropriate, Indigenous Peoples and communities. A core expectation is that Impact + Chairs, and their research teams, will actively translate and mobilize research outcomes into practice, policy, and commercialization pathways that deliver measurable social and economic benefits for Canada and the world.

UVic is ranked the #1 university in Canada and #5 globally for climate action (THE Impact Rankings 2025), and has been awarded Platinum rating in Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) as an institution. UVic researchers engage in meaningful work which impacts everyday life, with UVic ranked #4 among all Canadian universities in citation impact per faculty member (QS rankings 2026).

Alongside globally recognized research, UVic researchers are committed to making their findings accessible and affordable, contributing to UVic’s status as #2 in Canada Open Access…