Job Description

McGill University
Appointment of Dean, Faculty of Science

McGill University is located on land that has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. McGill honours, recognizes, and respects these nations as the traditional stewards of the lands and waters on which we meet today. We acknowledge and thank the diverse Indigenous peoples whose presence marks this territory on which peoples of the world now gather.

McGill University is in Montreal, a vibrant, multicultural, multilingual city with a sparkling cultural life, in the francophone province of Quebec. Montreal has been selected numerous times as the best city for students in North America. Montreal is safe, housing costs are among the lowest for cities of comparable size, and the overall quality of life is outstanding.

McGill University, founded in 1821, is one of Canada’s best-known institutions of higher learning and is consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. With faculty members hailing from 70 countries driving research that has global impact and more than a quarter of its student body representing almost 150 countries, McGill is the most internationally diverse of any research-intensive university in the country.

McGill University seeks to appoint its next Dean of the Faculty of Science. Reporting to the Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic), the Dean will play a critical leadership role, ensuring the Faculty’s priorities are central to institutional strategy. They will strengthen McGill’s reputation through innovation, interdisciplinary initiatives, and partnerships with industry, government, and research organizations, as well as leading on fundraising and advancement initiatives in the Faculty. Supporting experiential and learning opportunities at field stations like the Bellairs Research Institute in Barbados and the McGill Arctic Research Station on Axel Heiberg Island in the High Artic, the Dean will also bolster the Faculty’s global impact in areas such as AI, sustainability, and high-energy physics.

The successful candidate will demonstrate strategic acumen in leveraging the diverse academic and research strengths of McGill’s Faculty of Science. A credible scholar in a discipline represented in the Faculty, they will possess a proven track record of championing excellence in research, teaching, and service while promoting collaboration across the Faculty’s wide-ranging disciplines.

They will be deeply committed to advancing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Indigenization, integrating these principles into the Faculty’s operations and culture.

Encompassing departments including Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Geography, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics, Psychology, and the School of Computer Science, as well as interfaculty and interdisciplinary programs like Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, and Sustainability, the Faculty requires a Dean with exceptional communication and consensus-building skills. The role also involves cultivating synergies with affiliated departments in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Engineering, and fostering collaboration across research centers and initiatives such as the Bieler School of Environment. Proficiency in French is needed, reflecting McGill’s commitment to engaging meaningfully with francophone communities in Quebec and beyond.

The appointment is for a five-year term (renewable), with an expected start date of July 1, 2025, or as mutually agreed. The successful candidate will also receive an underlying academic appointment within McGill University.

How to Apply

McGill is partnering with the executive search firm Perrett Laver on this search. Applications should consist of a full CV detailing professional and academic qualifications and relevant achievements as well as names and contact information of three referees. It should be accompanied by a cover letter describing how candidates meet the selection criteria, why the appointment is of interest, and what they believe they can bring to the role. Further information, including a full position description and selection criteria, and details of how to apply, can be downloaded at https://apptrkr.com/5833063, quoting reference 7635. The closing date for applications is 12:00pm noon Eastern Time on Monday January 13th, 2025.

Commitment to Equity and Diversity

McGill University is located on land, which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange among Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabeg nations. McGill honours, recognizes, and respects these nations as the traditional stewards of the lands and waters on which the university stands today.

McGill University is committed to equity and diversity within its community and values academic rigour and excellence. We welcome and encourage applications from racialized persons/visible minorities, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as from all qualified candidates with the skills and knowledge to engage productively with diverse communities.

At McGill, research that reflects diverse intellectual traditions, methodologies, and modes of dissemination and translation is valued and encouraged. Candidates are invited to demonstrate their research impact both within and across academic disciplines and in other sectors, such as government, communities, or industry.

McGill further recognizes and fairly considers the impact of leaves (e.g., family care or health-related) that may contribute to career interruptions or slowdowns. Candidates are encouraged to signal any leave that affected productivity, or that may have had an effect on their career path. This information will be considered to ensure the equitable assessment of the candidate’s record.

McGill implements an employment equity program and encourages members of designated equity groups to self-identify. It further seeks to ensure the equitable treatment and full inclusion of persons with disabilities by striving for the implementation of universal design principles transversally, across all facets of the University community, and through https://www.mcgill.ca/hr/benefits/disabilities. Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations for any part of the application process may contact, in confidence, maria.rivas-rivero@perrettlaver.com.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

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