McGill granted five new Canada Research Chairs

"The Canada Research Chairs Program is one we can be proud of. It will serve three generations of scholars and scientists: the senior researchers, the younger ones, and the graduate students who will benefit greatly by being able to work with world-class researchers in a high profile environment," said the Honourable. Alan Rock, federal Minister of Industry to an audience of higher officials and faculty from McGill University, Université de Montréal, Concordia University and Université du Québec à Montréal. The Montreal rectors, principal, vice principal, vice rectors research and deans attended Minister Rock's press conference, held at McGill University this morning, to celebrate the announcement of 106 new Canada Research Chairs awarded to 36 universities across Canada.

The latest national announcement of the Canada Research Chairs program is worth $107.4 million, including $95.3 million in funding from the Canada Research Chairs Program and $12.1 million in infrastructure funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. McGill has five new Canada Research Chairs in disciplines related to mental health, neuroscience, chemistry and chemical engineering.

Speaking in the name of her fellow university presidents, McGill University's Principal Heather Munroe-Blum praised the Canada Research Chairs program and the Canada Foundation for Innovation's unwavering support to the advancement of knowledge. "In the case of McGill University, the CRC program has enabled us to hire five stars: Dr Ashok Malla, Dr Caroline Palmer, Dr Debra A. Titone, Dr Reghan Hill and Dr Scott Bohle. The Government of Canada's ongoing commitment to move this country into the top five nations in terms of research and development is being strongly advanced with this latest announcement. McGill is delighted to play a lead role in Quebec's and Canada's efforts to push back the boundaries of knowledge."

Dr David Thomas, Canada Research Chair in Molecular Biology, as of November 2001, was also featured during the national announcement. A full professor in the department of Biochemistry since June 2001, Dr Thomas' expertise is in the field of genetics with special emphasis "molecular machines", that is, the physically and functionally interacting components of cells as well as advanced medical therapies to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's and immune system disorders. Dr Thomas played a key role in securing the Canada Foundation for Innovation funding for the future Francesco Bellini Life Sciences Building.

The five new Canada Research Chairs at McGill University

Dr Ashok Malla, who was appointed as professor of psychiatry at McGill in October 2002, is an expert in early diagnosis and intervention in schizophrenia and other psychotic illnesses. In his new role as Canada Research Chair in Early Psychosis, Dr Malla's research program at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre will include the development of a longitudinal database of new cases of first-episode psychosis and the analysis of various treatment models for preventing relapses and improving long-term outcome for those afflicted with schizophrenia and related disorders.

Dr Caroline Palmer is McGill's Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuropsychology of Performance. Expected to take up residence at McGill in July 2003, Dr Palmer is an expert in human performance, music perception and quantitative/computational modelling with broad training in music, statistics, speech science, and in clinical and cognitive psychology. Her research is focused on two long-term objectives - identifying memory and motor processes that underlie accurate and fast performance in a variety of behaviours, and determining the cognitive changes that occur as people acquire skills.

As Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience of Language and Memory, Dr Debra A. Titone will conduct research on various types of language comprehension and memory processes using several cognitive and neuroscientific methods. Interested in determining how the brain allows us to create meaning from language, this young award winner with postdoctoral fellowships from Brandeis University and Harvard Medical School will address myriad computational challenges from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience, with the overall goal of unravelling the mysteries of language processing. Dr Titone was appointed as assistant professor in the department of psychology in September 2002.

Dr Reghan Hill will occupy the Canada Research Chair in Colloids for Advanced Materials. Dr Hill holds a PhD from Cornell and was appointed as assistant professor in the department of chemical engineering in October 2002. Dr Hill is an expert in colloids (a term derived from the Greek word for « glue »), which are materials comprised of finely divided particles. His research focuses on the electrokinetic transport processes in colloidal systems, especially polymer-coated colloids. Practical applications of this research include improved drug delivery vehicles and the assembly of extremely small mechanical devices for use in so-called lab-on-a-chip technologies. A full professor appointed to the Department of Chemistry in September 2002, Dr Scott Bohle is McGill's Canada Research Chair in Chemical Biology. Dr Bohle is an expert in the chemistry of nitric oxide, an important signaling molecule in living systems, and the basis for research that will generate new knowledge of chemistry from biology. As the holder of numerous awards, Dr Bohle has contributed significant advances in the development of new drugs and catalysts.

Canada Foundation for Innovation

On Tuesday March 4, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) announced the latest round of New Opportunities Awards funding to promising researchers at Canadian institutions. This fund provides world-class infrastructure to newly-recruited faculty members with the goal of enabling these researchers to undertake cutting-edge research in their first full-time academic appointment.

Professor Jacalyn Vogel of McGill University's Department of Biology was awarded $177,076 from this Fund for her project entitled "Laboratory infrastructure for analysis of microtubule assembly and organization". These funds will support an internationally competitive research laboratory in a highly competitive area of cell biology research.