Call for nominations: International Francophonie Research Chair – Chaires de recherche sur le monde francophone program

Nominees: 

• Full-time regular professors at the University of Ottawa are eligible to apply. These include APUO professors, affiliated institute scientists and clinicians/researchers holding an academic appointment at the University of Ottawa at the rank of assistant, associate or full professor.
• Note that individuals who currently hold or have held another research chair funded by the University of Ottawa (e.g., Canada Research Chair, Clinical Research Chair, Chaire de recherche sur le monde francophone, University Research Chair or Distinguished Research Chair) are not eligible. Current holders of endowed chairs are also ineligible.
• We encourage applications from members of groups that are under-represented in research (women and gender equity-seeking groups, Indigenous persons, racialized persons or persons with disabilities).

The International Francophonie Research Chair is part of the Chaires de recherche sur le monde francophone (CRMF) program. These chairs have an initial term of five years, and may be renewed only once, following a positive recommendation by the dean of the Faculty and the University’s Research chairs evaluation committee (RCEC).

The chairholder will receive an annual research fund of $25,000.

The chair’s initial term is five years, and can only be renewed once. 

Send the nomination package by email to rcca-coord@uOttawa.ca. 

All nominations submitted by Faculty research offices must include the following documents:

• A letter from the dean presenting the nominee, justifying their nomination and confirming the reduced teaching load (two-to-three pages ). The letter should also explain the benefits of the chair to the Faculty and the University of Ottawa.
• The title of the chair (e.g., International Francophonie Research Chair in ...), a summary of the research program (100-word  abstract in plain, concise and accessible language, describing the unique aspects and importance of the proposed research program). This summary may be used for promotional purposes.
• A description of the proposed research program written by the nominee (three-to-five pages in French). For further details, see the “Evaluation process” section below and the nomination instructions (PDF, 190.74 KB).
• A statement outlining the chair’s equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) philosophy and the EDI practices upon which they will base the EDI plan they intend to implement during their term (maximum of one page).
• A budget plan and justifications. The total budget is $25,000 per year for five years and may be used to cover core research expenses (e.g., research assistants, graduate students, office supplies) and EDI actions (adapted infrastructure and software, accommodations for researchers or trainees with special needs, inclusive dissemination and other eligible expenses to make research more inclusive). Up to $5,000 of the total annual budget may be used as a salary supplement for the chairholder. In this section, please explain and justify how the budget will be used, specifying how much of the budget (%) will be allocated to the core costs of research and the salary supplement. (Note that funding allocated to the core costs of research will be in addition to, and will not replace, the chairholder’s current external funding).
• An up-to-date curriculum vitae consistent with the Ontario Council on Graduate Studies template (PDF, 127.74 KB) outlining the nominee’s last eight years, convention publications in the discipline (half-page maximum) and any personal circumstances and/or career interruptions (e.g., parental or sick leave) that may have impacted the nominee’s research record. These will be taken into consideration during the selection process.
• A list of the nominee’s top five research contributions during their career, along with an explanation of their significance and impact.
• Three letters of recommendation, at least two of which are from independent evaluators with no conflicts of interest (see definition below). A letter from a colleague familiar with the nominee’s work is acceptable. One of the three letters must come from abroad.

All nominees must support the University of Ottawa’s EDI efforts and complete the “Count Me In” self-identification survey in VirtuO. The various selection committees may use aggregated information in their evaluation process.

Two of the external evaluators supplying letters of recommendation must be independent in the field. Make sure that these individuals: 

• are not affiliated in any way with the University of Ottawa (including affiliated hospitals and research institutes);
• have no personal relationship with the nominee (including close friend, relative, former PhD or postdoctoral supervisor, mentor, student previously under the nominee’s supervision);
• have not collaborated, published or shared funding with the nominee in the past  six years, and do not intend to do so in the immediate future;
• will not be involved in the proposed research program;
• do not stand to gain or lose financially or materially from the outcome of the evaluation of the nomination.

Recommended nominations will be evaluated by the Research Chairs Evaluation Committee, chaired by the vice-president, Research and Innovation (or their delegate) for final approval.

Nomination packages, including letters of recommendation, will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• The nominee’s excellence and productivity, and/or demonstration that the research will result in exceptional achievements
• The probability of achieving international recognition in the field
• The probability of attracting and retaining excellent trainees, students and future researchers
• The quality and feasibility of specific actions seeking to create a more diverse, inclusive and equitable research environment
• The relevance of the proposed research program to the University of Ottawa’s strategic areas of research
• The originality and quality of the proposed research program

The nomination package must also describe:

• The interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches the nominee intends to use
• The nominee’s commitment to developing and promoting research on the Francophonie and on the realities of the French-speaking world
• Synergies with other research programs and other CCRMF chairholders; nominees must explain how their proposed research relates to or complements the research of other chairholders 

Following the RCEC’s final recommendation, a notice of decision will be sent to the successful nominee and to the dean of the Faculty concerned. There is no appeal.