Assistant Director

Date Posted: 09/03/2026

Req : 50073

Faculty/Division: Faculty of Architecture,Landscape&Design

Department: Daniels Faculty of Arch., Land & Design

Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Position Number:

Existing Vacancy: Yes

Description:

The Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto offers graduate programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, forestry, and visual studies. Its mission is to educate students, prepare professionals, and cultivate scholars who will play a leading role in creating more culturally engaged, ecologically sustainable, economically efficient, socially just, and artfully conceived environments.

The greater Toronto region serves as a dynamic laboratory for both its students and faculty, while the University of Toronto, which year after year ranks among the top universities in the world, provides a wealth of knowledge and expertise that they can draw from. Like Toronto, Daniels’ students and faculty are incredibly cosmopolitan in sensibility, hailing from every part of the world, with their work crossing all sorts of geographic and cultural boundaries.

The city’s multicultural networks and international connections make the Daniels Faculty a powerful place to start a career.

The Bioeconomy and Sustainable Materials Institute (BSMI) was launched as an Institutional Strategic Initiative at the University of Toronto in 2026 (). The Institute is dedicated to the sustainable management of natural resources with the goal of creating a viable economy for sustainable bio-based practices and services. BSMI supports the transformation and innovation of the Canadian bioeconomy and utilizes ecosystem-based approaches that harmonize human activities, industrial decisions, and public policy with sustainable ecological systems.

The Institute integrates perspectives and research from diverse disciplines and builds on the University of Toronto’s strengths in forestry, ecology, architecture, and landscape design, as well as economics, engineering, agriculture, and public policy. By integrating diverse disciplines, addressing gaps in approaches and research, and engaging with various societal actors, BSMI aims to develop solutions that are scientifically sound, socially equitable and environmentally sustainable.

Working under the direction of the Institute Director, the Assistant Director will play a pivotal leadership role in the strategic development and management of the start-up and development of the Institute. The Assistant Director will oversee BSMI’s operations, plan and deliver BSMI activities, implement and evaluate strategic short- and long-term plans and projects that support the mission of the BSMI, including building a network of scholars across the University’s three campuses, amplifying research and translation impact, and establishing programming to support innovative training opportunities.

The Assistant Director will also write grant applications and lead the cultivation of partnerships and strategic alliances that support technology transfer, knowledge mobilization, and commercialization of research innovations.

• Developing strategic plans to determine the unit's programs and activities
• Identifying, developing and executing strategies for research and development collaborations
• Developing project schedules including milestones, critical path, timelines, deliverables and reporting
• Researching and recommending new opportunities for external collaborations and partnerships
• Promoting the University’s research capabilities to industrial, governmental and finance sectors to enhance research and innovation funding opportunities
• Fostering and maintaining networks to build capacity and collaboration

• Master's Degree or acceptable combination of equivalent experience. PhD an asset.
• Minimum six (6) years of progressive experience in a research environment, preferably in a university or other large research organization
• Experience writing grant applications including the drafting of the full research proposal based on the outcomes of this phase of the…