Canada Excellence Research Chair in Astroparticle Physics

The CERC program awards a researcher and their team $ 8 million or $4 million over 8 years to lead an ambitious research program focused on astroparticle physics.

The Queen’s University Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy in the Faculty of Arts and Science welcomes applications from outstanding established scholars in the area of Astroparticle Physics. 

The Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) program awards world-renowned researchers and their teams $8 million or $4 million over 8 years to lead ambitious research programs in areas that align with the Government of Canada’s Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) priority areas. Canada Excellence Research Chairs are among the most prestigious research positions available globally, offering chairholders the opportunity to grow their impact by launching ambitious research programs at Canadian universities. The CERC program stands at the centre of a national strategy to attract the world’s top researchers, building a critical mass of expertise to further Canada’s growing reputation as a global leader in research and innovation. Successful nominees will build upon a core of research excellence at Queen’s University, expanding their research program to advance the frontiers of research on a global scale.

CERC recruitment is a multi-stage process, where applicants first apply to a nomination posting at the institution. Select nominees will work in partnership with Queen’s to apply to the 2026 CERC competition. Interested applicants are invited to review the full program details. In addition, Queen’s University will provide substantial institutional support in the co-preparation and codevelopment of the program application. 

Research Alignment:

Applicants will have a world-leading research program focused on astroparticle physics.

Astroparticle physics is a priority research area for the Department and Queen’s University. Queen’s hosts the McDonald Institute, named in honour of Nobel Laureate Arthur McDonald, a Tier-1 research institute that coordinates astroparticle physics research across Canada. Queen’s is also the lead university trustee of the world-class underground science facility, SNOLAB. 

The successful candidate is expected to have a strong alignment with the research programs of the McDonald Institute and SNOLAB which includes research into the nature of dark matter, understanding fundamental neutrino properties, and exploring what can be learned through multi-messenger astronomy. 

Please see the application PDF for details of the opportunity and application process. An overview of the Queen's CERC recruitment strategy can be found at https://www.queensu.ca/vpr/cerc.