Two members of the Faculty of Medicine have been named Canada Research Chairs, while a third Chair has been renewed for a second term. These researchers were among the ten University of Ottawa professors whose CRC appointments and renewals were announced by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Wednesday December 16.
The new Tier 1 Canada Research Chair is:
Katalin Toth — Canada Research Chair in Neuronal Signalling
Dr.Katalin Toth, is an expert on cellular mechanisms essential to memory, learning and spatial navigation. Her research program aims to identify the processes by which neurons create, store and retrieve new memories in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that plays a major role in memory formation. Her studies focus on synaptic interactions between neurons that define information flow in neuronal networks. Understanding these complex processes is essential for developing therapeutic strategies for neurological diseases affecting memory formation.
The new Tier 2 Canada Research Chair is:
Shawn Beug — Canada Research Chair in Apoptosis in Cancer and Immunity
Through state-of-the-art molecular and genetic approaches, Professor Shawn Beug’s research aims to identify factors required for cell signalling, communication and survival in both cancer and immune cells. The insights gained on factors regulating cancer and immunity will contribute to the development of new immune-based therapies for cancer treatment.
The renewed Tier 2 Canada Research Chair is held by:
Marceline Côté — Canada Research Chair in Molecular Virology and Antiviral Therapeutics
Professor Marceline Côté will pursue her investigation of entry pathways of emerging viruses, such as Ebola, Marburg and Lassa fever (LFV), that can spill over from animal species to humans and cause high fatality rate outbreaks. She will expand her studies of host factors essential for LFV infection, as well as of the development of novel pan-antiviral therapies against these emerging viruses.
The Faculty of Medicine welcomes them into the ranks of its current Canada Research Chairs.
View the full list of new holders of Canada Research Chairs at uOttawa prepared by the Office of the Vice-President, Research.
The Chairs Program of the Government of Canada supports two tiers of Canada Research Chairs:
- Tier 1 Chairs, tenable for seven years and renewable once, are for outstanding researchers acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields. For each Tier 1 Chair, the institution receives $200,000 annually for seven years.
- Tier 2 Chairs, tenable for five years and renewable once, are for exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. For each Tier 2 Chair, the institution receives $100,000 annually for five years, with an additional $20,000 annual research stipend for first-term Tier 2 Chairs.
