Thompson Rivers University (TRU) invites applications for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC), tenure-track or tenured position at the rank of assistant or associate professor, in the area of Fire Behaviour and Management.
The Government of Canada has established the CRC program as a means of enabling Canadian universities to sustain leading edge research excellence. TRU is committed to advancing wildfire science and training, with wildfire activity across Canada increasing and leading to profound societal and health impacts. The combination of more frequent extreme weather and longer fire seasons is causing larger wildfires and, at times, very intense fire activity. This increase in wildfire activity creates challenges for agencies and resources charged with fire suppression and management. The impacts of escalating wildfire behaviour, and related fire management challenges, have been especially felt in interior British Columbia (BC), the region that TRU and its partners in the Interior Universities Research Coalition (UNBC and UBCO) serve.
The proposed CRC aligns with two of TRU’s institutional research priorities: understanding and responding to climate change, and contributing to greater social cohesion and sense of belonging through a commitment to social justice and equity. TRU is addressing the new reality of more extreme fire behaviour through a unique partnership with the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS). Supported by the Province of BC, TRU Wildfire offers a solutions-focused and comprehensive approach to current and future wildfire challenges, bringing together and linking research, education, training and innovation under one umbrella. In 2023, the Institute for Wildfire Science, Adaptation and Resiliency was formed at TRU to conduct groundbreaking research and innovation to generate new knowledge and contribute solutions to adapt to the new reality of wildfire.
This new CRC in Fire Behaviour and Management will join the Institute, and the Department of Natural Resource Sciences, alongside other wildfire-focused faculty. To complement existing research strengths in fire-weather, wildfire prediction, fire ecology, ecosystem reclamation, and ecological modelling, the CRC’s proposed scientific research program should focus on one or more of the following areas:
Fire behaviour modelling using empirical or semi-empirical models or physics-based models
Fuel management and modelling
Fire occurrence prediction (human- and/or lightning-caused)
Experimental burning in laboratory or field-based settings
Innovative and integrated fire management strategies
Operational wildfire fighter response and suppression effectiveness
Remote sensing to advance fire science, monitoring and management
TRU’s Faculty of Science boasts a distinguished history of excellent teaching and world-class research. It produces graduates who are knowledgeable and skilled problem solvers, and who carry out research that is important to the environment and sustainability. It offers a wide array of undergraduate certificate, diploma, and degree programs in pure and applied sciences, including Bachelor’s degrees in fields related to this position such as Natural Resource Sciences and Ecology and Environmental Biology. The Faculty also offers graduate programs at the Master’s level: the Chair will have opportunity to supervise research students in the MSc in Environmental Science and the MSc in Data Science. Starting in September 2025, TRU will offer three new 3-course certificates in Wildfire Science and Studies.
The CRC in Fire Behaviour and Management will have significant opportunities for collaborative research with other Chairs at TRU including the BC Innovation Research Chair in Predictive Services, Emergency Management and Fire Science, CRC in Fire Ecology, CRC in Economics of Climate Change, Disasters, and Inequality, CRC in Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Communities, and NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Ecosystem Reclamation. There is also opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration among other departments, TRU Faculties and research groups including scholars in the fields of Data Science, Computer Science, Chemistry and Physics, Engineering, Business and Environmental Economics, Geography, Indigenous Studies, Sociology, Sustainability, and Tourism among others. In addition to university facilities, researchers have access to a diverse array of ecosystems within a short distance from Kamloops along with TRU’s Wells Gray Education and Research Centre adjacent to spectacular Wells Gray Provincial Park 2 hours north of the main campus. The Chair will be expected to develop strong relationships with relevant government and non-governmental agencies. They are required to teach a minimum of one course annually.
The successful candidate will receive a conditional offer for the position at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor, with rank and tenure status determined as part of the hiring process. TRU will nominate the candidate for Tier 2 CRC to the Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat. Upon approval of the nomination, the university will confirm the offer with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2026.
About Thompson Rivers University
TRU provides many paths for learning to regional, national, and international learners. Research, creation and innovation are integrated into teaching and learning in over 140 on-campus programs and 60 programs in our Open Learning Division. TRU is one of the six research universities in British Columbia (Research Universities Council of BC (https://rucbc.ca/?page_id=457)) and a member of the Interior Universities Research Coalition.
Thompson Rivers University's spectacular main campus is at the heart of Kamloops, British Columbia, a small city of over 100,000 in BC's sunny interior, where we enjoy four seasons of outdoor adventures, a rich cultural scene and a vibrant, diverse campus community. We recognize that our Kamloops campus is situated on the traditional and unceded territory of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc.
We are committed to recognizing and respecting these lands and the ongoing relationships with Indigenous peoples in our academic and community endeavors.
Equity Statement
Through official policy and plans (TRU Policy ADM 04-1 (https://www.tru.ca/__shared/assets/EmploymentEquity5580.pdf) and TRU’s CRC Equity Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (https://www.tru.ca/__shared/assets/EDI_Action_Plan49174.pdf)), TRU is firmly committed to the principles of employment equity, employing people without regard to ancestry, including colour and perceived race; nationality or national origin, religion or creed or religious belief, religious association or activity; age; sex, including pregnancy; gender identity, sexual orientation, political belief, physical or mental disability, or social disadvantage. While remaining alert and sensitive to the issue of fair and equitable treatment for all, TRU has a special concern with the participation and advancement of members from designated groups identified by the CRC program as having been previously disadvantaged in employment: women, racialized communities, Indigenous/Aboriginal peoples, LGBTQS2 and persons with disabilities. We believe that ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion with both the Canada Research Chairs Program and the research enterprise more broadly will lead to the creation of an innovative and impactful research environment that will seize opportunities and respond to global challenges.
TRU encourages applications from those who would contribute to the further diversification of our faculty and its scholarship including but not limited to women, visible minorities, Indigenous persons and persons with disabilities. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority.
The search, interview, and selection process will be informed by the CRC program’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/program-programme/equity-equite/action_plan-plan_action-eng.aspx) and Creating an Equitable, Diverse and Inclusive Research Environment: A Best Practices Guide for Recruitment, Hiring and Retention (https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/program-programme/equity- equite/best_practices-pratiques_examplaires-eng.aspx).
If candidates require accommodation supports during the search process, please contact TRU People and Culture: TotalRewards@tru.ca (mailto:TotalRewards@tru.ca).
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 are able to benefit from participation in the program. All applicants to this CRC opportunity are required to complete TRU's Diversity and Inclusion survey.
