History and Medicine – Associate Professor or Professor with Tenure – McMaster University Call for applications
History and Medicine – Associate Professor or Professor with Tenure, Joint Faculty Appointment
McMaster University
Apply by 31 March 2026
View Job Ad on University Affairs
The Department of History and the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine invite applications for a cross-appointed faculty position at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor with Tenure. This role is designed for an exceptional scholar whose work bridges humanities-based historical inquiry and contemporary infectious diseases scholarship, with particular emphasis on the history of plagues and pandemics, climate variability and climate change, and their influence on infectious illness and disease emergence.
The successful candidate will be a cross-disciplinary historian of infectious disease and historical epidemiologist whose research advances understanding of pandemics and epidemic disease across time, including how environmental and climatic forces shape patterns of transmission, vulnerability, societal response, and resilience. The appointment will foster a long-term program of scholarship and training at the interface of history, epidemiology, environmental science, and clinical infectious diseases.
Areas of Specialization
Applicants must demonstrate established expertise in most of the following areas:
- Historical epidemiology, including the use of historical sources to evaluate patterns of disease emergence, transmission, and population impact.
- Environmental history with a clear focus on climate and ecological determinants of infectious disease.
- The history of plagues and pandemics, with strength in medieval and/or classical periods.
- The written, archaeological, and paleo scientific evidence used to reconstruct and interpret past pandemic disease (including interdisciplinary approaches to historical disease detection and attribution).
- The history of zoonoses and historical zoonotic emergence, including animal–human interfaces and changing ecological conditions associated with spillover risk.
- The historical development of scientific concepts and practices relevant to epidemics (e.g., contagion theory, surveillance, quarantine, risk, modelling, public health governance).
Research Expectations
The successful candidate will maintain an internationally recognized, externally funded research program that contributes to both historical scholarship and to the research communities on infectious diseases. Evidence of excellence may include:
- A strong record of high-impact peer-reviewed publications in both humanities and natural/health sciences venues.
- A sustained and coherent research program focused on disease emergence, pandemic dynamics, and environmental and climatic contributions to infectious disease patterns.
- Demonstrated success as principal investigator or equivalent leadership role on large, competitive grants, including funding from multinational or international organizations.
- A track record of productive collaboration across disciplines (e.g., historians, epidemiologists, clinicians, climate scientists, ecologists, data scientists).
The ideal candidate will bring methodological range, for example, integrating archival research with one or more of the following: quantitative historical demography, spatial analysis, climate proxy datasets, comparative historical methods, or interdisciplinary synthesis.
Teaching, Mentorship, and Leadership
The successful candidate will contribute to education and mentorship across both academic units. Responsibilities will include:
Teaching and curriculum development in the Department of History at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Contributing to training and scholarly programming in Infectious Diseases and related health research environments.
Supervision and mentorship of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and trainees across disciplines.
Demonstrated excellence in research team leadership, including the ability to build supportive, high-performing teams.
Active engagement in interdisciplinary graduate training initiatives and collaborative scholarly networks.
Preferred Qualifications (Strong Assets)
While not required, the following will be considered strong assets:
- Field experience working with interdisciplinary research teams in health, climate, or environmental science contexts.
- Experience developing collaborative research infrastructure (e.g., research networks, datasets, training programs).
- Demonstrated experience working with or interpreting archaeological datasets, paleo genomic/paleomicrobiological findings, and/or climate proxy records relevant to infectious disease history.
- Familiarity with conceptual frameworks relevant to One Health and the historical dynamics of zoonotic spillover.
- Demonstrated contributions to understanding societal resilience and adaptive responses to disease emergence.
- Evidence of high-profile scholarly dissemination (e.g., policy-relevant scholarship, public-facing work, major invited lectures).
Qualifications
The minimum requirements for the position include:
- A PhD in History or a closely related field.
- Excellence in scholarship, teaching, mentorship, and interdisciplinary research.
- Evidence of a strong scholarly record including publications in high-quality peer-reviewed journals.
Please apply online to Job Opening 74585 via the McMaster Academic Careers website (http://www.workingatmcmaster.ca/careers/) directing your application to:
Lorrie Reurink
Manager, Human Resources and Faculty Recruitment
Expressions of interest should include:
- An up-to-date curriculum vitae and cover letter.
- A description of training and research experience. Applicants are encouraged to describe any impact that career interruptions have had on research, academic, and/or clinical scholarly productivity, if applicable.
- A brief statement describing any contributions made or planned in relation to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion or inclusive excellence in teaching, research, or service within higher education, community-based or other profession settings (two-page maximum).
- The names and addresses of three professional referees.
Letters of reference are not required and will not be reviewed at the application stage; letters of recommendation from referees will be requested at later stages of the search process.
All qualified applicants are encouraged apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be considered first for this position. To comply with the Government of Canada’s reporting requirements, the University is obliged to gather information about applicants’ status as either Permanent Residents of Canada or Canadian citizens. Applicants need not identify their country of origin or current citizenship; however, all applications must include one of the following statements:
“Yes, I am a citizen or permanent resident of Canada” or
“No, I am not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada”
Pay Transparency Statement
The starting salary will not be less than $116,663, and will be determined based on rank, discipline, experience, and qualifications. Salaries for faculty members progress through a Career Progress/Merit Plan; average salaries by rank and Faculty for previous academic years can be found here.
How To Apply
To apply for this job, please submit your application online.
Employment Equity Statement
McMaster University is located on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Mississauga Nations and within the lands protected by the “Dish With One Spoon” wampum agreement.
The diversity of our workforce is at the core of our innovation and creativity and strengthens our research and teaching excellence. In keeping with its Statement on Building an Inclusive Community with a Shared Purpose, McMaster University strives to embody the values of respect, collaboration and diversity, and has a strong commitment to employment equity.
The University seeks qualified candidates who share our commitment to equity and inclusion, who will contribute to the diversification of ideas and perspectives, and especially welcomes applications from indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) peoples, members of racialized communities, persons with disabilities, women, and persons who identify as 2SLGBTQ+.
As part of McMaster’s commitment, all applicants are invited to complete a confidential Applicant Diversity Survey through the online application submission process. The Survey questionnaire requests voluntary self-identification in relation to equity-seeking groups that have historically faced and continue to face barriers in employment. Please refer to the Applicant Diversity Survey – Statement of Collection for additional information.
Job applicants requiring accommodation to participate in the hiring process should contact: Human Resources Service Centre at 905-525-9140 ext. 222-HR (22247), or
Faculty of Health Sciences HR Office at ext. 22207, or
School of Graduate Studies at ext. 23679
to communicate accommodation needs.
AI Statement
McMaster and its third-party partners may use AI tools to screen, assess, or select applicants during the hiring process. Please note that currently our recruitment platform does not use AI nor is it part of our current recommended recruitment process.
