Six new Canada Research Chairs, and three renewals for McGill

McGill’s newest Canada Research Chairs (clockwise, from top left): Patrick Augustin, Ajitha Thanabalasuriar, Matt Dobbs, Sylvain Williams, Tomislav Friščić and Erica Moodie

Today, at l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry announced investments of more than $635 million for science, research, and engineering in Canada.

Investments were made through the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program and The Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), in partnership with the CRC. Funding was also awarded via the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada’s (NSERC) Discovery Grants Program, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s (SSHRC) Partnership GrantsPartnership Development GrantsInsight Grants and Insight Development Grants.

The CRC program is a tri-agency initiative of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHC). Granted in this round to McGill, six new Chairs, as well as three renewals.

McGill’s Ajitha Thanabalasuriar of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences was named a new CRC and the recipient of a JELF grant for a project that aims to better understand what triggers disease progression for those afflicted with chronic lung disease. With the support from the JELF, McGill will acquire a spinning-disk microscope to visualize immune cell function and behaviour.

At McGill, more than 200 grants were awarded through NSERC and SSHRC to researchers in departments across the University. McGill garnered three new SSHRC Partnership Development Grants, 26 Insight Grants, 30 Insight Development Grants, and 138 NSERC Development Grants. Also awarded were four Discovery Accelerator Supplements, one Subatomic Physics Discovery Grant, 11 Research Tools and Instruments Grants, and 28 Discovery Launch Supplements.

The new Canada Research Chairs:

Renewed:

Read the Government of Canada news release.

(L to r): Anna Weinberg, Christopher Moraes and Mark Brandon have all had their CRCs renewed