41 U of T researchers awarded new or renewed Canada Research Chairs

Forty-one faculty members from the University of Toronto have been named or reappointed Canada Research Chairs in support of their research.

Awarded by the Government of Canada, Canada Research Chair positions are designed to reinforce academic research and training excellence with a view to improving depth of knowledge and quality of life, strengthening Canada’s international competitiveness and helping train the next generation of highly skilled people.

“I would like to congratulate all the University of Toronto scholars who have newly been appointed Canada Research Chairs or had their positions renewed,” said Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “From experimental high energy physics and lung cancer therapy response to Indigenous health resurgence and responsible AI in psychometrics, these scholars are advancing knowledge and discovery in an array of critical fields.”

The 2024-2 cycle of Canada Research Chair appointees from U of T includes 21 new and 19 renewed positions, sharing $33.9 million in funding.

New Canada Research Chairs:

• Abdi Aidid of the Faculty of Law – Tier 2 in Artificial Intelligence and Access to Justice
• Myrtede Alfred of the department of mechanical and industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Engineering – Tier 2 in Clinical Systems Equity
• Sara Aronowitz of the department of philosophy in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Tier 2 in Philosophy of Learning and Memory
• Hailey Banack of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health – Tier 2 in Obesity and Aging Across Populations
• Jacqueline Beaudry of the department of nutritional sciences in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Nutrition and Fat Biology
• Amy Bilton of the department of mechanical and industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Engineering – Tier 2 in Engineering for Sustainable Global Development
• Beverley Essue of the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health – Tier 2 in Economics for Global Health Systems Equity
• Samira Ghorbani of the department of biology at U of T Mississauga – Tier 2 in Myelin Repair and Matrix Biology of Aging
• Jiaying Gu of the department of economics at U of T Mississauga – Tier 2 in Statistical Decision Making
• Diane Haakonsen of Sinai Health and the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Cellular Stress Signalling
• Julie Hallet of Sunnybrook Hospital and the department of surgery in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Patient-Centred and Quality Cancer Surgery
• Feng Ji of the department of applied psychology and human development at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) – Tier 2 in Psychometrics and Responsible Artificial Intelligence
• Philip Kim of the Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 1 in Machine Learning in Protein and Peptide Science
• Tricia McGuire-Adams of the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education – Tier 2 in Indigenous Health Resurgence
• Goldie Nejat of the department of mechanical and industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Tier 1 in Intelligent Assistive and Collaborative Robots
• Kacey Prentice of the department of physiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Diabetes Pathogenesis
• Leticia Ridley of the department of English and drama at U of T Mississauga – Tier 2 in Black Theatre and Performance
• Rachel Savage of Women's College Hospital and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health – Tier 2 in Sex, Gender, and Loneliness in Aging
• Katherine Stewart of Sinai Health and the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Stem Cell Biology
• Sabine Tsuruda of the Faculty of Law – Tier 2 in Work Law
• Rae Yeung of the Hospital for Sick Children and the department of paediatrics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 1 in Precision Medicine in Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases

Renewed Canada Research Chairs

• Jennifer Adese of the department of sociology at U of T Mississauga – Tier 2 in Indigenous Kinship, Colonization, and Identity
• Hilary Brown of the department of health and society at U of T Scarborough – Tier 2 in Disability and Reproductive Health
• Kieran Campbell of Sinai Health and the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Machine Learning in Translational Biomedicine
• Brian Ciruna of the Hospital for Sick Children and the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 1 in Spine Development and Scoliosis
• Alan Davidson of the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 1 in Bacteriophage-Based Technologies
• Ali Hooshyar of the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Tier 2 in Electric Power Systems
• Rayjean Hung of Sinai Health and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health – of Tier 1 in Integrative Molecular Epidemiology
• Hartland Jackson of Sinai Health and the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Systems Pathology
• Mohit Kapoor of the University Health Network and the department of surgery in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 1 in the Mechanisms of Joint Degeneration
• Rama Khokha of the University Health Network and the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine– Tier 1 in Adult Tissue Stem Cell Niches
• Vasanti Malik of the department of nutritional sciences in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Nutrition and Chronic Disease Prevention
• Dana Philpott of the department of immunology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 1 in Microbe-Host Interactions in Intestinal Homeostasis
• Nicholas Reed of the department of occupational science and occupational therapy in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Pediatric Concussion
• Laura Rosella* of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health – Tier 1 in Population Health Transformation and Analytics
• Pierre Savard of the department of physics in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Tier 1 in Experimental High Energy Physics
• Lisa Strug of the department of statistical sciences in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Tier 1 in Genome Data Science
• Walter Swardfager of Sunnybrook Hospital and the department of pharmacology and toxicology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Clinical Pharmacology of Cognitive Neurovascular Disorders
• Paaladinesh Thavendiranathan of the University Health Network and the department of medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 1 in Cardio-Oncology
• Kelsie Thu of St. Michael's Hospital and the department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Lung Cancer Therapy Response
• Mei Zhen of Sinai Health and the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 1 in Brain and Behaviour

* Advancement from Tier 2 to Tier 1

Read the Government of Canada announcement