Tier 2 Canada Research Chair, Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Director - Maria T. Schneider Social Innovation Institute, Triffo School of Business

Competition Number: 26.05.95
Category: Full-Time Tenure-Track.
Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Closing Date: A review of applications will begin July 15, 2026 and continue until a suitable candidate is found.

MacEwan University’s Triffo School of Business is seeking applications for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Director of the Maria T. Schneider Social Innovation Institute. The position will commence January 1, 2027, or as close to that date as mutually agreed, subject to final budgetary approval. This position will support and build on MacEwan University’s Teaching Greatness: Strategic Vision 2030

The CRC will build on the Triffo School of Business’ strengths in community-driven social innovation, transforming ideas into action and community impact. The successful applicant will receive a full-time, probationary tenure-track position (at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor) and may be rooted in any of the four Departments in the Triffo School of Business. See our website Triffo - MacEwan University for information on the Departments. The successful applicant will also serve as the Director of MacEwan’s Maria T. Schneider Social Innovation Institute. Upon starting the academic appointment, the successful applicant will work with the University to apply for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair. For further information relating to a Tier 2 Chair, please click here. In addition to establishing a research program, the workload includes teaching and curriculum development, as well as contributions to university service. The successful applicant will have a reduced teaching load during the CRC appointment.

MacEwan University, in the heart of downtown Edmonton, leads with our Teaching Greatness: Strategic Vision 2030, dedicated to providing students with a transformative, academically rigorous, and personal learning experience in a creative, collaborative, and supportive learning environment. MacEwan continues to evolve and adapt to meet the changing needs of its students and the communities it serves, and today MacEwan offers student-focused instruction and inspires students through a powerful combination of academic excellence and personal learning opportunities.

The Schneider Institute will be housed in MacEwan’s new academic building, scheduled to open in Winter 2027. The Schneider Institute supports the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem from idea generation to commercialization and the implementation and scaling of ideas into a business enterprise. The Schneider Institute is an important hub for students, faculty members, and community partners to collaborate on social innovation and scale ideas into social enterprises. As part of its leadership in innovative teaching and research, the Schneider Institute serves as a space to facilitate ideation and convenes events to develop tools and approaches to support innovation. Among the Institute’s interests are community-driven innovation and scaling up innovative ideas to drive entrepreneurial growth among disadvantaged and marginalized groups. As Director, your responsibilities will include leading the Schneider Institute in meeting and growing its mandate, managing students and research personnel, and fundraising and managing a budget to support its activities.

Candidates with experience or interest in researching Indigenous business will have many opportunities at MacEwan University. Edmonton has the second-largest urban Indigenous population in Canada, and MacEwan University has many Indigenous business partners and opportunities to connect with Indigenous communities and businesses. In addition, MacEwan University’s Indigenous Center, kihêw waciston, is a home away from home for Indigenous students and offers support for gathering, working, and growing in a community that honors the distinctive knowledge of Indigenous peoples.

As a successful applicant, you will have:

• A PhD in business, management, or a related field;
• Evidence of outstanding teaching ability, and a demonstrated commitment to undergraduate teaching; and,
• An active program of original and innovative academic research in innovation, entrepreneurship, social enterprises, and/or Indigenous business, or a related field, and evidence of a research program and research productivity.

You should submit a cover letter outlining how you meet the requirements of a Tier-2 CRC, a curriculum vitae, a statement of research interests, including how they align with the CRC focus, and a teaching dossier (including your teaching philosophy and recent teaching evaluations). The cover letter should indicate in which of the Triffo School of Business’ four Departments you would seek an appointment.

CRC Eligibility Criteria

A Tier-2 CRC has a term of five years, which may be renewed once for a second five-year term. Tier 2 Chairs are intended for exceptional emerging scholars. Candidates must be ten years or less from their first independent academic research-related appointment at the time of nomination. Applicants who are more than 10 years beyond their first independent academic research-related appointment, and who have career breaks, 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.