Twelve Canada Research Chairs for Université de Montréal (UdeM, representing a total of $7.8 million in funding for natural sciences, social sciences, and engineering, were announced today at a Montréal ceremony that involved all of the city's universities. “Today's event demonstrates the vitality of science in Montréal and the strength of the cooperation within our community,” said Dr. Guy Breton, rector of Université de Montréal. The rector acknowledged the wide range of research fields at the university would benefit from the funding, and went on to note that he was particularly proud of the fact that projects led by an equal number of men and women at UdeM would be benefitting from the programme this year.
Today's announcement mostly concerned the renewal of existing chairs, but one new chair was created at the Department of Geography. The department's Dr. Kathryn Furlong was awarded the new Canada Research Chair in Water, Urban and Utility Governance. Her research looks at the important challenges faced by municipalities around the world in terms of providing safe, reliable, and equitable water supply. “The World Health Organization estimates that 860 million people in the developing world lack access to clean drinking water. Meanwhile, in higher income countries like Canada, municipal supplies face challenges that include crumbling infrastructure, insufficient revenues and inefficient water use,” Dr. Furlong explained. “This funding will help me ask important questions like how services should be provided, who should be involved, the role of municipalities, and the accessibility of services to rural and low-income areas.”
“The Canada Research Chairs programme is a cornerstone for Canadian researchers and their important work,” Dr. Breton said. “On behalf of this year's recipients, I would like to thank for the Government of Canada for this structuring support.”
The full list of recipients is as follows:
Tier 1 – $200,000 per annum for seven years
- Katherine L.B. Borden, Canada Research Chair in Molecular Biology of the Cell Nucleus
- Pierre Thibault, Canada Research Chair in Proteomics and Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry
Tier 2 – $100,000 per annum for five years
- Antonella Badia, Canada Research Chair in Structured Ultrathin Organic Films
- Rikard Blunck, Canada Research Chair in Molecular Mechanisms of Membrane Proteins
- Derek Boerboom, Canada Research Chair in Ovarian Molecular Biology and Functional Genomics
- Graziella Di Cristo, Canada Research Chair in Neural Circuit Development
- Benoît Dupont, Canada Research Chair in Security and Technology
- Kathryn Furlong, Canada Research Chair in Water Governance
- Jean-François Gaudreault-Desbiens, Canada Research Chair in North American and Comparative Legal and Cultural Identities
- Marie Kmita, Canada Research Chair in Molecular Embryology and Genetics
- Jean-Claude Labbé, Canada Research Chair in Cell Division and Differentiation
- Hélène Lebel, Canada Research Chair in Organometallic Catalysis
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Media contact:
William Raillant-Clark
International Press Attaché
Université de Montréal
Tel: 514-343-7593
w.raillant-clark@umontreal.ca
@uMontreal_News
La chimie verte, un concept à la mode