Clinical Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence, Mental Health and Healthcare Innovation - Royal Ottawa Health Care Group (The Royal)

Clinical Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence, Mental Health and Healthcare Innovation

Royal Ottawa Health Care Group (The Royal)

Ottawa, Ontario

The Royal Ottawa Health Care Group (The Royal) is one of Canada’s foremost academic health science centres dedicated exclusively to mental health and addiction care. Located in Ottawa and affiliated with the University of Ottawa, The Royal integrates specialized clinical care, research, education, and innovation to advance understanding, treatment, and recovery for people living with mental illness and addiction.

At the heart of this work is The Royal’s Research Institute, a globally recognized centre for mental health and addiction research and innovation. Guided by the belief that “Research is Care,” the Institute supports more than 170 active research projects and 41 interventional clinical trials. It brings together scientists, clinician-scientists, trainees, clinical leaders, patients, families, and partners to accelerate the translation of discovery into improvements in care.

The Royal is entering an important period of research growth, supported by a landmark philanthropic investment from the Waverley House Foundation and other donors. This investment will support the recruitment of outstanding. research leaders and the establishment of several Clinical Research Chairs, strengthening The Royal’s capacity to advance discovery and position the organization as a global leader in mental health and addiction research and care.

The Opportunity

The Royal is seeking an internationally recognized clinician-scientist to serve as Clinical Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence, Mental Health and Healthcare Innovation (Chair). The successful candidate will build and lead a globally recognized research program at the intersection of artificial intelligence, mental health, and healthcare transformation, with a particular emphasis on generative and agentic AI. Supported by protected research time, competitive start-up funding, dedicated research infrastructure, and strong institutional and philanthropic commitment, the Clinical Research Chair will develop and evaluate AI-enabled approaches that improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care navigation, and health outcomes.

The Clinical Research Chair will join a highly collaborative academic and clinical environment with access to advanced health data and imaging platforms, interventional psychiatry programs, and a growing network of academic, healthcare, government, industry, and innovation partners. The Clinical Research Chair will also help establish an Ottawa Centre of Excellence in AI and Mental Health, connecting scientific discovery, clinical validation, talent development, policy, implementation, and commercialization. Areas of research may include generative and agentic AI, clinical decision support, personalized digital interventions, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, interventional psychiatry, responsible AI, clinical trials, implementation science, healthcare innovation, and commercialization.

Key priorities for the Clinical Research Chair  will include:

• Establish and grow a distinctive, internationally recognized research program in artificial intelligence and mental health, with particular emphasis on generative and agentic AI.
• Advance AI-enabled mental health care by developing and evaluating innovative approaches to clinical decision support, personalized interventions, treatment selection, and patient outcomes.
• Translate discovery into clinical and system impact, moving promising innovations through rigorous evaluation, clinical trials, implementation, and broader adoption.
• Advance responsible and patient-centred AI through strong governance, rigorous validation, privacy and cybersecurity safeguards, equitable design, and meaningful human oversight.
• Build research capacity by recruiting and mentoring trainees, emerging investigators, and interdisciplinary collaborators across mental health, medicine, engineering, computer science, and related fields.
• Strengthen The Royal’s national and international leadership through partnerships with academic institutions, healthcare organizations, government, industry, and people with lived experience, including helping to establish an Ottawa Centre of Excellence in AI and Mental Health.
• Secure competitive peer-reviewed funding and complementary investment to build a sustainable program with lasting scientific, clinical, and health system impact.

Experience

The successful candidate will be an accomplished clinician-scientist with a national or international reputation at the intersection of artificial intelligence and mental health. They will bring a distinguished record of research achievement and scholarly productivity, success securing competitive peer-reviewed funding, experience leading complex research programs and interdisciplinary teams, and a demonstrated ability to translate research into clinical practice, health policy, or system improvement.

Candidates will hold an MD or MD/PhD from a recognized academic institution and be certified, or eligible for certification, by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, or hold an equivalent international credential. They must be eligible for medical licensure in Ontario and for appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor at the University of Ottawa. Advanced research training and substantive expertise in artificial intelligence, data science, digital health, biomedical engineering, computer science, or a related field would be considered an asset.

A collaborative and innovative research leader, the successful candidate will bring the scientific credibility, clinical insight, technical fluency, and relationship-building skills to work across disciplines and organizational boundaries. They will be committed to mentorship, responsible innovation, meaningful engagement with patients and families, and translating research into improvements for patients, communities, and health systems.

To confidentially explore this opportunity, please submit your CV or contact Heather Spiegel or Judy Mandelman at resumes@promeus.ca. An Executive Brief is available upon request.