Canada 150 Research Chairs attract top international researchers to Canada

Canada’s goal of attracting the best and brightest from across the globe has yielded at least four topnotch scientists from Ivy League universities. Science minster Kirsty Duncan recently named the first batch of recipients of the Canada 150 Research Chairs, a one-time program funded in Budget 2017 for $117.6 million. More than 25 researchers have been selected for the rigorous program where each researcher is to receive either $350,000 or $1 million per year for seven years depending on their research proposals. Some of the first chairs announced are from Harvard Univ and Imperial College of London. Margo Seltzer of Harvard will receive $1 million as she conducts research around computer systems at the Univ of British Columbia. Caroline Colijn of Imperial College of London will receive $350,000 to do research at Simon Fraser Univ on mathematics for infection, evolution and public health. Univ of Toronto will host two researchers who will get $350,000 each -- Donna Rose Addis of Univ of Auckland will conduct research on cognitive neuroscience of memory and aging while Miguel Ramalho-Santos of Univ of California, San Francisco will do research on developmental epigenetics. These researchers are expected to share their expertise with Canadian researchers and student trainees participating in the research projects. More than 60% of the participants in the program are women and over 37% are Canadian expatriates. The other awardees are from Australia, Austria, France, South Africa.