Canada Impact+ Emerging Leader. Assistant Professor in Functional Genomics

Posting Date: October 23, 2026 The Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences at the University of Alberta invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor in an area broadly related to functional genomics and generative biology, with the focus on plant adaptation and the resilience of managed and natural ecosystems under a changing climate. Charles Chen’s Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair inAdaptive Genomics for Climate-Resilient Forestry and Agriculture in the Department of Renewable Resources at the University of Alberta. Salary and research support will be specified in the appointment offer. The successful candidate will establish an innovative, independent, and externally funded research program, teach undergraduate and graduate courses, supervise students and other highly qualified personnel, and contribute to interdisciplinary collaboration across the Faculty, the University, and with external partners. We seek an emerging scholar to lead an innovative, externally funded research program integrating functional genomics, biological synthesis and design, and experimental approaches to understand how adaptive biological functions emerge and interact across scales, and how they can be harnessed to enhance resilience in agricultural, forest, and natural-resource systems. The successful candidate will hold an academic appointment in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, with an academic home in the Department of Renewable Resources. Applications are invited from emerging scholars whose research will advance our understanding of adaptive biological function and develop innovative approaches to enhance the resilience of plants, forests, crops, and natural-resource systems. Areas of interest include functional genomics, genetics, plant and forest breeding, recombination, genome and epigenome engineering, synthetic biology, and AI-guided biological design; Research may span multiple levels of biological organization, from genes, cells, and regulatory networks to tissues, organs, whole plants, populations, and ecosystems, integrating computational, experimental, and design-based approaches to understand, predict, generate, and test biological variation and function. We particularly welcome research that bridges disciplinary and biological scales and translates fundamental discoveries into applications supporting resilient forests and/or crops, sustainable natural-resource management, and the conservation of biological resources. The successful candidate will establish an independent, externally funded research program, contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching and student mentorship, and foster interdisciplinary collaborations within the University of Alberta, in addition to Dr. Engagement with external partners and stakeholders, including government, industry, Indigenous communities and organizations, forestry and natural-resource professionals, conservation organizations, and tree improvement programs, is encouraged, as are knowledge mobilization, extension, and collegial service. An early career researcher, defined as being within five (5) years of the start date of their first research-related appointment (minus eligible leaves of absence, such as parental, medical, community, or bereavement leave) as of the posting date. Successful nominees will be appointed at the University of Alberta as: Assistant tenure-track Professor. Chairholders will be required to take up their appointment on a full-time basis and located at the University of Alberta. The University of Alberta recognizes the legitimate impact that life circumstances (e.g., maternity leave, parental leave, leaves due to illness, leaves due to caring for family members, slowdowns due to chronic illness or disability, COVID-19 impacts, etc.) can have on a candidate’s record of research achievement and that these circumstances will be taken into careful consideration during the assessment process. The Assistant Professor role is the starting point on the academic faculty member career pathway at the University of Alberta. Faculty members are full members of their department and participate actively in academic governance and collegial decision-making. The responsibilities of the role include teaching, research, and service: Teaching : Contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching in the Department of Renewable Resources, including classroom instruction, student advising, and the supervision and mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students. Teaching responsibilities will be determined in consultation with the Department Chair and according to the candidate’s expertise and departmental needs. Relevant teaching areas may include plant science and genetics, molecular genetics and biotechnology, conservation biology, land reclamation, natural-resource management, forest management, quantitative methods, and related disciplines. The successful candidate