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March 24, 2025

The University of British Columbia, Vancouver campus, seeks outstanding internal UBC candidates for the position of Director of the Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC).

CERC is a multidisciplinary research hub with a vision to be a global leader in Research-Development- Demonstration (RD&D) for innovative clean energy solutions to climate change and sustainability. It officially opened in 2006 and is supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF). Its members include a broad range of disciplines within Applied Science and other Faculties on both the UBC Vancouver and Okanagan campuses with the common goal of conducting world-class clean-energy research, training, development and demonstrations. CERC collaborates with partners from industry, academic institutions and various levels of government both inside and outside of Canada to provide safe, widespread, and equitable access to sustainable energy.

The successful candidate must hold an appointment at the rank of Professor or Associate Professor in the Faculty of Applied Science at UBC Vancouver or UBC Okanagan, and must be a current active member of CERC. The ideal candidate is a dynamic, visionary and collaborative leader, who will bring people together and build on CERC’s strengths in education, research and professional practice as it manages its growth trajectory. The successful candidate must have proven leadership and administrative experience or have demonstrated the potential for such skills in other ways.

The Director will be responsible for the governance, organization, administration and resources of CERC. They will be expected to foster CERC’s interactions with its internal and external communities, identify the challenges and opportunities facing CERC, devise and implement strategies to address challenges and benefits from opportunities, and lead new collaborative research initiatives and secure new resources.

The position is for a three-year term and will be available on July 1, 2025 or soon after, depending on the completion time of the selection process. Nominations and applications are now invited.

Nominators must submit a maximum one-page description of why they consider the nominee to be a highly desirable candidate. After consulting with the Committee, the Chair will invite some nominees to apply as deemed appropriate. Individuals do not need to be nominated to apply and the Committee encourages all interested applications to submit an application without nominations at this time.

Applicants are invited to submit a package that consists of a brief cover letter (maximum 2 pages) expressing their interest and providing a brief summary of their background and their vision for CERC. Applications must also include a current curriculum vitae and the name and contact address (including email address) of three references who are able to provide an objective assessment of the candidate’s suitability for this leadership position.

Nominations and applications should be submitted in confidence to:

Dr. James Olson, Chair
CERC Director Search Committee Faculty of Applied Science

The package must be sent by e-mail only to sue.yee@ubc.ca and any attachments should only be Word or pdf files, set for printing on letter-size paper.

The deadline for nominations is Wednesday, April 2, 2025. The deadline for applications is Monday, April 14, 2025.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.