Western Wins Seven New Canada Research Chairs

Seven researchers from The University of Western Ontario have been honoured as Canada Research Chairs, Industry Minister Lucienne Robillard announced today. The Canada Research Chairs Program is part of an overall Government of Canada plan to encourage Canada's innovation. It promotes leading-edge research and innovation in universities, provides exciting opportunities for Canadian researchers, and attracts the best research minds in the world to Canadian universities. "The Canada Research Chairs program is one of the most important recruiting and retention tools available for Western as it seeks to get the best researchers and teachers to London" says Nils Petersen Western's Vice President(Research). "These seven individuals from Engineering, Medicine, Science and Social Science are leaders in their respective fields and will enhance Western's reputation as a research intensive University across the world". Each Chair is also eligible for funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation program. There are a total of 41 Canada Research Chairs at Western. Two thousand Chairs will be established in Canada by 2005; Western is projected to receive more than 70 of these. The following Canada Research Chairs from Western were named today: Donglin Bai - Cellular Communication - Department of Physiology & Pharmacology: $500,000 over five years Bai's research involves examining the roles played by chemical synapses and gap junctions in human disorders such as epilepsy and stroke to provide new insights into neuron function. Danièle Bélanger - Population, Gender, and Development research - Department of Sociology: $500,000 over five years Bélanger examines relationships between demographic change, socioeconomic development, and the position of women in the developing world, with aims to help inform Canada's international development agenda and promote gender equality. Lars Konermann - Protein Folding and Biological Mass Spectrometry - Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry: $500,000 over five years Konermann's work focuses on the structure and function of proteins, using mass spectrometry as a research tool. This technique allows structural changes of proteins and other molecules to be observed on time scales as short as 0.001 seconds, providing unique insights into the function of biological systems. His work will contribute to a better understanding of protein-misfolding diseases such as Alzheimer's, and it will assist the development of new drugs. Bin Ma - Bioinformatics - Departments of Biochemistry and Computer Science: $500,000 over five years Ma's research focuses on developing algorithm design and software for the computer analyses of biological data. Her aim is to provide health researchers with bioinformatic methods and computer software to analyze data that could not be processed before. Silvia Mittler - Photonics of Surfaces and Interfaces - Department of Physics & Astronomy: $1.4 million over seven years Mittler is using integrated optical sensors, which have a thin layer of light on top that detect certain molecules. The technique will be able to be used in detecting molecules in many areas, ranging from blood screening to environmental analysis. Zhen (Robert) Zhong - Transplantation and Experimental Surgery - Department of Surgery at Western, scientist at Robarts Research Institute and Lawson Research Institute: $1.4 million over seven years Zhong's research involves investigating the physiological, cellular, and molecular basis of immune responses involved in organ transplant acceptance and rejection to overcome challenges met implementing life-saving organ transplantation. Jingxu (Jesse) Zhu - Powder Technology Applications - Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering: $1.4 million over seven years Zhu's research on ultrafine powder technology, nanoparticles and fluidization, aims to develop powder technology for direct applications in powder coating, pulmonary drug delivery, selective laser sintering, biological wastewater treatment, and gasification of municipal wastes. "The work our Chairholders are doing in universities throughout the country plays a key role in making Canada a better place to live," says Lucienne Robillard, Minister of Industry. "Congratulations to all the new Canada Research Chairs." For more information, please contact: Dr. Nils Petersen (519) 661-3812 or Christine Roulston, Communications and Public Affairs, (519)661-2111, ext. 85165. Information on the Canada Research Chairs Program can be found on the Web at www.chairs.gc.ca.