Killam kudos

Administered by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Killam Program’s prizes and fellowships are an illustrious recognition of outstanding academic scholarship. Two McGill professors received Killam awards beginning in 2012: Colin Chapman and Mark Wainberg

Administered by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Killam Program’s prizes and fellowships are an illustrious recognition of outstanding academic scholarship. Two McGill professors received Killam awards beginning in 2012:

COLIN CHAPMAN, professor of anthropology and environment, received a Killam Research Fellowship to conduct research in Kibale National Park in Uganda, where he is examining how changes in climate affect disease transmission between humans and primates. The research fellowships, awarded to seven recipients across the country considered to have an outstanding reputation in their area of research, provide funding of $70,000 a year for two years. These funds allow professors to take a break from teaching and administrative duties to pursue independent research — in Chapman’s case, in the field of primate ecology and conservation.

MARK WAINBERG, director of the McGill University AIDS Centre and professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology, was awarded the 2012 Killam Prize in Health Sciences in recognition of exceptional career achievements in HIV/AIDS research. Wainberg, who received the $100,000 prize in a ceremony at Rideau Hall, is known for first identifying the compound 3TC, a discovery that was key to the development of one of the most valuable anti-viral HIV drugs. His research is also global in scope and current collaborations include an initiative that seeks to prevent the spread of HIV infection in southern Africa. The Killam Program off ers awards to outstanding Canadian scholars working in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences and engineering.