The new University Research Chair Nibi miinawaa aki inaakonigewin: Indigenous governance in relationship with land and water will focus on collaborating with Indigenous communities, governments, and non-governmental organizations to rethink water governance strategies. Its goal is to enhance the contribution of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in decision-making.
“One of Professor Craft’s principal priorities is the recognition of Indigenous forms of knowledge on an equal footing in law, government and academia, the cornerstone of her inclusive and interdisciplinary research,” said University of Ottawa Vice-President, Research Sylvain Charbonneau. “The creation of this new chair and the renewal of eight others will boost support for innovative studies that expand the boundaries of discovery.”
The University has also renewed six other University Research Chairs in areas as diverse as geophysics, nuclear magnetic resonance, and health:
Pascal Audet (Faculty of Science) – University Research Chair in Solid Earth Geophysics
Professor Pascal Audet’s research program seeks to capitalize on new international opportunities, collaborations, and developments in ocean-bottom seismology to study offshore plate tectonic structures and processes by using networks of broadband seismic instruments on the bottom of the ocean.
David Bryce (Faculty of Science) – University Research Chair in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
The goal of Professor David Bryce’s research is to gain new insight into the structure, dynamics, and properties of chemical compounds and materials. He focuses on solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, employing powerful magnetic fields to explore the behaviour of molecules at the subatomic level.
Yan Burelle (Faculty of Health Sciences) – University Research Chair in Integrative Mitochondrial Biology
Professor Yan Burelle aims to better understand the complex mechanisms linking mitochondrial biology to health and the development of diseases, including cardiomyopathies and skeletal muscle disorders. Mitochondria generate most of a cell’s supply of chemical energy; understanding their role in determining the fate of stem cells and their ability to repair is of great importance to the field of regenerative medicine.
Mary-Ellen Harper (Faculty of Medicine) – University Research Chair in Mitochondrial Bioenergetics
Professor Mary-Ellen Harper’s research focuses on mitochondria, the dynamic sub-structures in cells essential for energy metabolism. Her team uses integrative “omic” approaches (such as metabolomics), and mechanistic approaches in translational studies, to reveal the origins of diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer, and to seek novel treatment strategies for such diseases.
Beth Potter (Faculty of Medicine) – University Research Chair in Health Services for Children with Rare Diseases
Professor Beth Potter will investigate the effectiveness of interventions for rare genetic diseases in children to support decision-making by patients and families, health care providers, and policy-makers, and ultimately to benefit the health outcomes of children.
Vance Trudeau (Faculty of Science) – University Research Chair in Neuroendocrinology
Professor Vance Trudeau’s research program aims to understand how brain hormones control reproduction and how pollution disrupts this essential life process. He is internationally known for his discovery of a new reproductive hormone, called secretoneurin, and for his studies on the effects of pollutants on fish and amphibian reproduction.
The University of Ottawa is also pleased to renew two research chairs on the Francophonie:
E.-Martin Meunier (Faculty of Social Sciences) – Chaire de recherche Québec, francophonie canadienne et mutations culturelles
The main goal of Professor E.-Martin Meunier’s research is to better understand how cultural changes that have occurred since the Quiet Revolution have shaped the identities of Quebec citizens, and of members of Francophone communities, and how these cultural changes have transformed how these individuals relate to the nation.
Marie-Claude Thifault (Faculty of Health Sciences) – Canadian Francophonie Research Chair in Health
The research conducted by Professor Marie-Claude Thifault aims to present the life stories and health care histories of individuals experiencing serious mental illness, from 1909 to 2019.