It gives me unequivocal pleasure to introduce McGill University’s new research magazine, Headway. The choice of title plays on twin themes: the vigour and the brainpower of Canada’s most research-intensive university. Through Headway, we aim to convey some of the vibrancy of the remarkable research culture at McGill.
With Headway scheduled to publish just twice a year, we know it will be challenging to cover the breadth of subjects that McGill researchers investigate, from medicine to music, from environment to education, from buildings to the brain. Boundaries are blurring, not only as those between neighbouring disciplines melt away (is it chemical biology or biological chemistry?), but as disciplines leapfrog over each other to forge new and unexpected links.
This change is being accentuated as new colleagues flood in to join us from around the planet, close to 600 of them in the last six years. We want to showcase what they are bringing to us.
We are living in one of the most dynamic periods in McGill’s long and rich history of research, discovery and innovation. For our enterprise to truly prosper, however, we must communicate our successes, not only through leading journals to our immediate colleagues, but also to a wider audience to ensure a broad base of understanding and support.
We will be writing about McGill research in regular features we hope you will come to recognize:
- New Wave: short profiles of some of our rising stars.
- Networks: collaborative research that links different disciplines and different institutions.
- In Focus and In Depth: feature articles on research leaders and their pioneering work.
- Industrial Impact: research in action – in the community and in the marketplace.
- Act Locally: research that makes its mark on Montreal, Quebec and Canada.
- Act Globally: international research and development projects where McGill plays a leading role.
- News: recent awards and accomplishments we are celebrating in the McGill research community.
- First Person: the research life, from the researcher’s perspective.
I wish you good reading.
Jacques Hurtubise,
Interim Vice-Principal (Research)