15 new U of T scholars named Canada Research Chairs

Fifteen new Canada Research Chairs, ranging from studying Canadian dialects to how the brain ages, have been awarded to the University of Toronto this spring by the federal government.

In addition to the new chairs, 13 existing Canada Research Chairs at the university had their terms renewed. In total, the announcement means $24.8 million in new funding for top U of T researchers out of the $125.9 million awarded to institutions across Canada, said a government news release.

“The University of Toronto is proud of the tremendous globally important research our 15 new and 13 renewed Canada Research Chairs are involved in,” said Vivek Goel, U of T’s vice-president of research and innovation. “We also appreciate the ongoing support of the Government of Canada in funding this research, which enables U of T to attract and retain some of the top scholars in the world.”

The new Canada Research Chairs at U of T are:

• Jean Chen, Faculty of Medicine – department of medical biophysics and Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, named Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Neuroimaging of Aging
• Daniel De Carvalho, Faculty of Medicine – department of medical biophysics and UHN (Princess Margaret Hospital), Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Cancer Epigenetics and Epigenetic Therapy
• Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalez, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering -- Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Quantitative Cell Biology and Morphogenesis
• Chi-Chung Hui, Faculty of Medicine – department of molecular genetics and The Hospital for Sick Children Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Mouse Development and Disease Modelling
• Peter Jüni, Faculty of Medicine – department of medicine and St. Michael’s Hospital, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Clinical Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases
• Ran Kafri, Faculty of Medicine – department of molecular genetics and The Hospital for Sick Children Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Quantitative Cell Biology 
• Warren Lee, Faculty of Medicine – department of medicine and St. Michael’s Hospital, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Mechanisms of Endothelial Permeability
• Rhonda McEwen, University of Toronto Mississauga – Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Tactile Interfaces, Communication and Cognition
• Lucy Osborne, Faculty of Medicine – department of medicine, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in  Genetics of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Jeehye Park, Faculty of Medicine – department of molecular genetics and The Hospital for Sick Children, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Molecular Genetics and Neurodegenerative Diseases
• Kimberley Pernell-Gallagher, Faculty of Arts and Science – department of sociology, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Economic Sociology
• Matti Siemiatycki, Faculty of Arts and Science – department of geography, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Infrastructure Planning and Finance
• Sali Tagliamonte, Faculty of Arts and Science – department of linguistics, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Language Variation and Change
• Ulrich Tepass, Faculty of Arts and Science – department of cell & systems biology, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Epithelial Polarity and Development
• Neil Vasdev, Faculty of Medicine – department of psychiatry and Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Radiochemistry and Nuclear Medicine

The renewed Canada Research Chairs at U of T are:

• Constantin Christopoulos, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – department of civil engineering, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Seismic Resilience of Infrastructure
• John Dick, Faculty of Medicine – department of molecular genetics and UHN, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Stem Cell Biology
• Richard Gilbert, Faculty of Medicine – department of medicine and St. Michael’s Hospital, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Diabetes Complications
• Jason Moffat, Faculty of Medicine – Donnelly Centre, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Functional Genetics
• Steven Narod, Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Women's College Hospital, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Breast Cancer
• Joyce Poon, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – department of electrical and computer engineering, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Integrated Photonic Devices
• Milica Radisic, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Functional Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering
• Donald Redelmeier, Faculty of Medicine – department of medicine and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Medical Decision Science
• Dwight Seferos, Faculty of Arts and Science – department of chemistry, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Polymer Nanotechnology
• Frank Sicheri, Faculty of Medicine – department of molecular genetics and Sinai Health System, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Structural Principles of Signal Transduction
• Sabine Stanley, Faculty of Arts and Science – department of physics, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Planetary Physics
• Sharon Straus, Faculty of Medicine – department of medicine and St. Michael’s Hospital, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Translation and Quality of Care
• Mark Taylor, Faculty of Arts and Science – department of chemistry, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Molecular Recognition and Catalysis

The 15 new researchers announced this spring are joining U of T and its affiliated hospitals’ total contingent of 255 Canada Research Chairs. 

Created in 2000, the Canada Research Chairs program not only supports important research but also helps the university attract and retain the best and most promising researchers from around the world.

In addition to conducting research that improves our depth of knowledge and quality of life, the chairs also train the next generation of leaders in their fields through student supervision and teaching.