Assistant Professor-Department of Biology (Zoologist)

WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY

The Department of Biology at Wilfrid Laurier University (Laurier) invites applications for a Tenure Track Faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor, subject to budgetary approval. We are seeking an Integrative Organismal Zoologist using a whole organism approach to investigate physiological, developmental and evolutionary aspects of organism-environment interactions to begin July 1, 2026. Expertise and research focus in non-vertebrate metazoans or protozoans is strongly preferred. The Waterloo campus will be the primary location for this position; however, teaching responsibilities may include instruction at the Brantford and Milton campuses via in-person or virtual delivery.

Anticipated Salary Range: $90,000 to $140,000.  Actual salary to be commensurate with experience.  

The Department of Biology is a dynamic unit within the Faculty of Science, with leading researchers in many fields and a commitment to building collaborative interdisciplinary research partnerships to address complex and diverse issues. This position in the Department of Biology falls under several of the University’s strategic research themes, including environmental sustainability, health and well-being, and governance and policy. Within the environmental sustainability research theme, the examination of whole organisms within ecosystems is highlighted as an area that can advance our understanding of environmental change, conservation, and sustainable resource management, which is consistent with the broader mission of Laurier to promote sustainability now and into the future, with research that engages multiple practitioners, stakeholders and communities to produce results with real-world impact. We are seeking an Assistant Professor using an integrative approach to directly address current and emerging questions around how organisms survive and persist, with applications in environmental sustainability. The successful candidate will study the structure, function, ecology, and/or evolution of whole organisms, connecting development, physiology and/or behaviour to broader evolutionary and environmental processes.

We seek outstanding candidates who leverage deep natural history knowledge to conduct conceptually driven research in ecology, evolution and/or behaviour. The successful candidate will have a track record of studying the organism as a focal unit of inquiry using an integrative and/or multidisciplinary approach. Possible research topics include (but are not limited to): how organisms resist or recover from stress or environmental perturbation; mechanisms of plasticity; the role of behaviour in fostering resilience; whether the impacts of organismal resilience scale across levels of biological organization; the role species interactions play in resilience; how resilience mechanisms enable organisms, populations, and communities to respond adaptively to human-induced changes; and how resilience mechanisms evolve and how they impact evolution. The ideal candidate will develop an active research program that bridges molecules to ecosystems, using any mixture of advanced experimental, computational, and/or analytical approaches and technological tools (e.g., artificial intelligence, remote sensing, environmental informatics, predictive modeling, and/or environmental genomics). With this hiring, the Department of Biology will build capacity in the area of physiological and evolutionary biology and further strengthen our strategic research themes.

The successful candidate is expected to contribute service to the University and academic community, and to scholarly and/or professional activities.

About Laurier Biology

The Department of Biology offers undergraduate degrees in Biology and Environmental Science, as well as a MSc program in Integrative Biology and a PhD program in Biological and Chemical Sciences (in conjunction with the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry).

The department values equity, diversity and inclusion, and is involved in a number of efforts and initiatives to promote these values, including participation in the federal Dimensions program aimed at addressing systemic barriers in research, and initiatives such as the annual Anne Innis Dagg Lecture series that celebrates the career and accomplishments of its namesake and promotes women in science. The ability and interest of the applicant to contribute to or expand these equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives within the department would be desirable. To learn more about the Department of Biology, our programs, initiatives and current faculty research interests, please visit the Biology program landing page. Applicants are encouraged to review Laurier’s Strategic Plan for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

The successful applicant will have access to extensive shared research infrastructure in the Laurier Science Research Centre and the Centre for Cold Regions and Water Science (CCRWS), which help to foster collaborative research programs. Cold regions and water science research have become a strategic focus of the University and are supported by substantial lab and field-based infrastructure and a growing complement of faculty focused on these broad areas of research.

Qualifications

To be considered, applicants must possess a PhD in Biological Sciences, or a related discipline, with relevant post-doctoral experience studying non-vertebrate metazoans or protozoans. The successful candidate will have a strong record of research productivity that demonstrates the potential to develop an independent, externally-funded research program.

In keeping with Laurier’s long-standing reputation for teaching excellence, the successful candidate will teach undergraduate courses in Biology, so evidence of past teaching and/or mentoring experience at this level would be an asset. The successful candidate will teach foundational courses in Biology that may include a complement of our organism-focused courses and/or, our evolution, biodiversity and conservation courses, depending on the applicant’s area of expertise. The development of new courses, such as in whole organism conservation, would also be desirable to reinforce and expand our existing undergraduate offerings. The successful applicant’s research program should also support the training of HQP, notably at the graduate level (i.e., MSc and PhD students), and they should be willing to engage in other graduate teaching/mentoring opportunities by serving on advisory committees and contributing to graduate-level courses. The successful applicant will be expected to contribute to service to the university and their scholarly community. Finally, the successful candidate will demonstrate a commitment to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility through their research agenda, teaching practices, mentorship, and/or service.

How to Apply

To apply, applicants should submit:

• Cover letter;
• Detailed curriculum vitae;
• Statements of 1) Research and 2) Teaching and Training (5 pages combined). In a total of 5 pages, applicants should: i) introduce and contextualize the proposed research program, describe long and short-term research objectives, outline research methodologies (including instrumentation and infrastructure), describe impact and significance of current and proposed research, and highlight contributions to date (which may include non-traditional forms of scholarship); and, ii) outline teaching philosophy, experience and interests, and the HQP training philosophy. Applicants are also welcome to describe approaches that overcome barriers to research and teaching that they may have used in the past or will employ moving forward. Promotion of equity, diversity and inclusion through teaching, training or directly in research activities, where relevant, will be favourably taken into account in the hiring process.
• Using up to an additional ½ page, applicants may address any career interruptions or special circumstances that could have affected their record of research and teaching, in accordance with SSHRC/NSERC definitions and guidelines
• PDF copies of up to three scholarly publications that demonstrate contributions to the field; and a separate page with a short statement (max. 350 words) describing the impact of these three contributions
• Contact information (name, address, phone, email) of three academic referees willing to provide letters of recommendation.

Application packages should be combined into a single PDF document addressed to:

Dr. Matt Smith,

Chair, Department of Biology,

Wilfrid Laurier University,

email to bioadmin@wlu.ca.

Applicants should clearly identify that they are applying for the Integrative Organismal Biologist position in the subject line of their email.

Deadline for submission is March 22, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, per Canadian immigration laws, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. To comply with the Government of Canada’s reporting requirements, the University is obligated to gather information about applicants’ status as either Permanent Residents of Canada or Canadian citizens. Applicants need not identify their country of origin or current citizenship(s); however, all applicants must include one of the following statements in their cover letter:

I am a current citizen or permanent resident of Canada;

I am not a current citizen or permanent resident of Canada

About Wilfrid Laurier University

Laurier is a leading Canadian university renowned for its learning environment and student-focused educational experience. As a comprehensive university with more than 19,000 students, Laurier has grown rapidly in research intensity while at the same time preserving its well-earned reputation for undergraduate and graduate teaching and learning excellence. With a multi-campus and multi-community culture, Laurier offers students an exceptional range and depth of more than 100 academic programs taught by award-winning lecturers across nine faculties. For more information about working at Laurier applicants are encouraged to visit the institution’s web page.

Diversity and creating a culture of inclusion is a key component of The Laurier Strategy and Laurier’s Strategic Academic Plan, and it is one of Laurier’s core values. Laurier is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive academic community. We encourage applications from individuals from historically underrepresented groups, including but not limited to women, members of racialized communities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and individuals of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions. Indigenous candidates who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programing at Laurier are welcomed to contact the Office of Indigenous Initiatives at indigenous@wlu.ca. Candidates from other equity deserving groups who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programming at Laurier are welcome to contact Employment Equity and Accessibility at equity@wlu.ca.

Members of equity-deserving groups must self-identify to be considered for employment equity. Candidates may self-identify, in confidence, to Ruth MacNeil, Senior Administrative Officer (rmacneil@wlu.ca). Further information on the equity policy can be found here.

Laurier strives to make our application process accessible and provides accommodations for both applicants and employees as outlined in Policy 8.7. If you require assistance applying for this position, would like this job posting in an alternative format, or would like to discuss accessibility and accommodations during the recruitment process please contact Human Resources (HR@wlu.ca).

The Faculty of Science wishes to thank all applicants for their interest. All applications shall be reviewed and considered under the criteria established by the Search Committee, and a short list of candidates shall be interviewed. Only those applicants selected for the short list will be contacted.