Senior Research Leader & Mentor

The goal of the Research Professional Fund is to support the hiring of research professionals in progressive leadership roles within New Brunswick research teams while contributing to advancing knowledge and increasing research impact in a provincial priority sector.

A research professional is an individual holding a graduate degree who is involved in conducting research and participating in student management. Research professionals may also support research activities essential to a project’s day-to-day operations for up to 50% of their time.

Successful projects are expected to demonstrate clear research impact within a provincial priority sector while providing a rich professional experience that supports the research professional’s leadership development. By the end of the award period, researchers must show how the research professional contributed to advancing research, effectively managed students and personnel, and supported the communication of research findings to diverse audiences.

• Applicants must be researchers at one of the eligible research institutions listed in our Award Guidelines.
• Research professionals must hold a graduate degree (Masters, PhD, or post-doc) and not enrolled as a student during the duration of the award.
• Research professionals must spend at least 50% of their time conducting research.
• Research professionals must be involved in student management and supervision.

July 7, 2026

September 10, 2026

November 26, 2026

Up to 2 years

Up to $70k

1:1 cash match (1-part external money, 1-part Research

NB money)

Funds are to be used exclusively for the research professional’s salary.

Applications for this fund are only accepted through the Research

NB application portal and are evaluated against the evaluation criteria for this fund.

See the Award Guidelines for an in-depth workflow and explanation of this process.

The award is for a maximum of two years, with an interim status report due at the end of the first year and a final status report due three months after the award end date. These reports are to be completed via the application portal.

Awardees are required to submit 1- and 3-year Impact Reports following the Final Status Report.

No, two separate applications need to be submitted in this case where the research professional’s involvement in both projects needs to be separately articulated.

Yes, however research professionals must spend a minimum of 50% of their part-time employment working directly on the research project.