Assistant Professor - Data Science Methods for Population Health & Health Systems
October 4, 2022
The Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) at the University of Toronto St-George campus invites applications for up to three (3) full-time tenure stream faculty positions in Data Science Methods for Population Health and Health Systems. The appointments will be at the rank of Assistant Professor, with an expected start date of July 1, 2023.
The successful candidate in this search MAY BE eligible for nomination for to a Canada Research Chair (CRC) Tier 2 if they self-identify as a member of the four federally designated groups, as defined by the Employment Equity Act: (women, visible minorities, persons with disabilities and Indigenous Peoples) or as trans, non-binary, or Two-Spirit, as part of the University of Toronto’s implementation of its Canada Research Chairs Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Action Plan.
Tier 2 Chairs are intended for exceptional emerging scholars. Nominees should be within ten years of receiving their PhD. Applicants who are more than 10 years from having earned their highest degree (and where career breaks exist, such as maternity, parental or extended sick leave, clinical training, etc.) may have their eligibility for a Tier 2 chair assessed through the program’s Tier 2 justification process. The nominee’s research area must align with the subject matter eligibility of the Natural Science & Engineering Research Council (NSERC).
Data Science is a fast-expanding strategic area at the DLSPH for which the school intend to have recruited a total of four new faculty positions in this area by the end of this year. The DLSPH is advancing data science methodologies to address population health challenges, improve health systems and understand how these emerging methods and technologies impact health equity and health policy.
The DLSPH hosts the Canadian training program in Artificial Intelligence for Public Health (AI4PH), the Institute for Pandemics, and is a major partner of the Data Sciences Institute, a central hub and incubator for data science research, training, and partnerships at the University of Toronto. The DLSPH offers a vibrant research environment and has affiliations with the Vector Institute, ICES, the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, and major data science initiatives at affiliated teaching hospitals – offering a broad range of opportunities for methodological and software development and collaborations in open source and data sciences to inform policies, promote social justice, deliver precision public health, design better urban environments and other population health and health system areas – using, for example, public health surveillance data, administrative data and electronic medical records, genomics data, social media data, environmental exposure data. Faculty have access to a wide array of computational resources including access to national high performance and super computing resources such as the Digital Research Alliance of Canada.
Applicants must have a Ph.D. in applied mathematics, economics, statistics, biostatistics, epidemiology, informatics, computer science, engineering, or other relevant quantitative disciplines at the time of appointment or shortly thereafter, with a demonstrated record of excellence in research and teaching.
The candidate must demonstrate scientific and academic leadership by high-impact research that addresses important problems in population health and health systems through innovation in data science methods. Evidence of readiness for entrepreneurship (e.g., patents, research commercialization, research applications/partnerships beyond academia) and demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across disciplines and sectors, are valued assets. We seek candidates whose research and teaching interests complement and enhance our existing departmental strengths.
Candidates must provide strong evidence of research excellence of an internationally competitive calibre, as evidenced by a record of contributions or publications in leading journals in the field or a research pipeline that is at high international levels, presentations at significant conferences, accolades or awards, and strong endorsements by referees of high standing. The successful candidate will be expected to mount an innovative, competitive and independently funded research program.
Evidence of excellence in teaching is required and is demonstrated by a strong statement of teaching philosophy, teaching accomplishments, the teaching dossier (with required materials outlined below) submitted as part of the application, and strong endorsements from referees.
The successful candidate will undertake undergraduate and/or graduate teaching responsibilities on the University’s Toronto St-George campus. The successful candidate will join a vibrant intellectual community of world-class scholars at Canada’s leading university. The University of Toronto offers a wide range of opportunities for collaborative and interdisciplinary research and teaching, the excitement of working with a highly diverse student population and actively encourages innovative scholarship. The Greater Toronto Area offers amazing cultural and demographic diversity and one of the highest standards of living in the world.
Established by the Royal Charter in 1827, the University of Toronto is the largest and most prestigious research-intensive university in Canada, located in one of the world's great cities. The University has more than 19,000 faculty and staff, some 73,000 students enrolled across three campuses, an annual budget of $1.8 billion, including $376 million in externally funded research, an additional $469 million in research funding in the affiliated teaching hospitals, and one of the premier research libraries in North America.
The DLSPH is a Faculty of the University of Toronto that originated as one of the Schools of Hygiene begun by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1927. The School, which plays a critical role in the COVID-19 pandemic response, went through a dramatic renaissance after the 2003 SARS crisis and it is now the largest public health school in Canada, with more than 850 faculty, 1,000 students, and research and training partnerships with institutions throughout Toronto and the world. The School contributes to improving population health and health systems through discoveries and innovation in data science and AI, climate change response, implementation and improvement sciences, preventable disease and wellness, sustainable and equitable health systems, global and Indigenous health, among many other areas.
For more information about the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, please visit our home page: https://www.dlsph.utoronto.ca.
For further information on the federally endowed Canada Research Chairs Program, open to all nationalities, including eligibility criteria, please consult the Canada Research Chairs website. For more information about the CRC nomination process at the University of Toronto, contact Judith Chadwick, Assistant Vice-President, Research Services, at crc@utoronto.ca.
Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.
All qualified candidates are invited to apply online by clicking on the link. Applications must include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, writing sample, teaching dossier (including a statement of teaching philosophy, sample course materials, and teaching evaluations), and a statement outlining current and future research interests.
If you have questions about this position, please contact the Dean’s Office at acadsearch.dlsph@utoronto.ca.
All application materials must be submitted through the University of Toronto’s online application system. Submission guidelines can be found at http://UofT.me/how-to-apply. Your CV and cover letter should be uploaded into the dedicated fields. Please combine additional application materials into one or two files in PDF/MS Word format.
Applicants must provide the name and contact information of three references. The University of Toronto’s recruiting tool will automatically solicit and collect letters of reference from each after an application is submitted (this happens overnight). Applicants remain responsible for ensuring that references submit letters (on letterhead, dated and signed) by the closing date.
Applications, including reference letters, must be received by November 21, 2022.
The University recognizes that scholars have varying career paths and that career interruption due to personal circumstances can be part of an excellent academic record. Search committee members have been instructed to give careful consideration to, and be sensitive to the impact of, career interruptions in their assessments.
The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons/persons of colour, women, Indigenous/Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.
The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment, and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities. If you require any accommodations at any point during the application process, please contact uoft.careers@utoronto.ca. In addition, the office of Health & Wellbeing Programs and Services assists with providing accommodation to persons with disabilities in the workplace.
The Canada Research Chairs Program requires institutions to collect self-identification data from all applicants, following the program’s best practices. This data is important to the University’s ability to ensure that researchers from diverse groups can benefit from participation in the program. As part of your application, you will have to complete a brief Diversity Survey, accessed via the online application system. Applicants are encouraged to self-identify in any of the groups where applicable. While submission of the survey is required, providing answers to the individual survey questions is voluntary, and applicants can log a response indicating that they decline the survey. For more information, please see http://UofT.me/how-to-apply.
Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff. Aggregated and anonymized data regarding the applicant pool will be reported only to the chair of the selection committee, the committee’s equity advisor, and a small number of staff members in the Division of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, for purposes of program administration and to meet reporting requirements.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
