Job Description

Professor of Rural Epidemiology

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Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) is a university on a human scale, dedicated to research and graduate education. Since 1969, our 700 employees have been committed to supporting innovation and excellence in a dynamic and multidisciplinary work environment.

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As part of the Ruralites durables Research Centre team, you will contribute to Quebec's economic, social, cultural, and sustainable development by supporting rural areas and their communities through research, research-based training, and knowledge transfer.

Your role

The Ruralites durables Research Centre at Institut national de la recherche scientifique is a new permanent intersectoral research centre entirely dedicated to rural issues. This new centre on a human scale, provincial in scope but rooted in the Charlevoix region, promotes empowerment, resilience, governance, and sustainability of resources related to rural areas in a way that benefits current and future generations.


Reporting to the centre's management, you will conduct research and teach at the graduate level as a professor. You will also play a major role in developing a world-class intersectoral research and training centre integrating the natural sciences, engineering, health, and social sciences sectors to solve, with and for rural communities in Quebec, the strategic issues identified by these communities.

Your responsibilities

Located at the interface between natural, inhabited, agricultural, and industrial environments, rural areas are also characterized by being mostly expansive while being sparsely populated. Together, these two characteristics place rural communities at the forefront of several epidemiological phenomena with complex causes, whether related to interactions:


Between wildlife, farm animals, and humans (e.g., zoonoses); Between anthropogenic risks (related to human activity) and living organisms; Between conditions in rural living environments.

The Sustainable Ruralities Center team is looking for an epidemiology specialist interested in analyzing these complex interactions and their impacts on human health, using parameters and methods adapted to the rural context.


More specifically, you will have the following duties and responsibilities:


Establish an independent and innovative research program specifically dedicated to rural epidemiology; Develop internal collaborations with faculty at the centre and other INRS centres; Develop external collaborations with communities and stakeholders; Help establish the centre's research infrastructures; Secure funding for your own research activities by obtaining external grants; Participate in creating training programs for the rural health centre; Participate in graduate teaching, supervision and training; Dedicate a significant portion of your teaching duties to community service in the form of citizen partnership research, scientific consulting, or other activities in the field with various communities and stakeholders in rural areas.

The list of tasks and responsibilities listed above is brief and indicative. It is not a complete and detailed list of the duties and responsibilities that may be performed by the employee in this position. However, duties and responsibilities not listed should not affect the assessment.

Desired profile

Education

Have (or be in the process of obtaining) a doctoral degree in a discipline relevant to the job description Postdoctoral experience is an asset

Experience

Have an excellent track record of research achievements that will lead to the successful development of a strong and independent research program Demonstrate strong potential to obtain research funding from granting agencies or external partners Significant research experience with stakeholders (co-construction research, partnership, citizen participation, etc.)

Skills and other abilities

Research and academic expertise related to the initial scientific program of the Ruralites durables Research Centre Demonstrated skills in teaching and supervising graduate students Excellent interpersonal skills Proven ability to work within intersectoral and interdisciplinary teams while collaborating with public and private partners Proficiency in spoken and written French Candidates with limited knowledge of French are strongly encouraged to apply - Necessary resources will be provided to facilitate their learning of the French language*
Proficiency in spoken and written English. As INRS has international collaborations, a good command of English is required

Inclusive environment

INRS values diversity, recognizes its role as an agent of change, and strives to ensure an inclusive environment for all. INRS encourages applications from Indigenous people, women, visible and ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities, in accordance with the equal opportunity employment and employment equity programs to which it subscribes. If you anticipate requiring accommodation, or if you have any questions regarding equity, diversity, and inclusion at INRS, please write to edi@inrs.ca in confidence.

Additional information

Posting internally and externally from November 5, 2025, to January 9, 2026, at 4 p.m.


Note that selection interviews for this position will be held in February 2026.


In accordance with the salary scale, salaries vary based on experience and training, ranging from a minimum of $ 100,863 for assistant positions to a maximum of $ 194,538 for full positions.

Work location

Institut national de la recherche scientifique

Ruralites durables Research Centre

63 rue Ambroise-Fafard

Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec

G3Z 2J7

To apply

INRS encourages applicants who meet the requirements of the position to apply online via the INRS website in the "Careers" section including:


Their complete resume; A copy of their three most important publications; A three (3)-pages summary of their future research program and its structuring impact in the context of the creation of the Ruralites durables Research Centre; A text outlining their philosophy of supervision and teaching in the context of the creation of the Ruralites durables Research Centre; * The name and contact information of three (3) references.