On July 1, 22 UCalgary faculty members will be appointed as chairs of the prestigious new UCalgary Research Excellence Chairs (UCREC) program. These appointments highlight the university's commitment to fostering cutting-edge research and innovation across various disciplines.
The new program, funded through the President’s Strategic Initiatives Fund and overseen by the Office of the Vice-President (Research), provides significant funding to support top-tier researchers who advance knowledge, address critical societal challenges, and enhance the university's research reputation on a global scale. The program draws inspiration from the esteemed Canada Research Chairs program and aims to champion scholars of comparable calibre.
The program aligns with the priorities of the newly launched Ahead of Tomorrow strategic plan through supporting research excellence, nurturing talent, and promoting transdisciplinary collaborations that push the boundaries of knowledge.
“The UCalgary Research Excellence Chairs program was created to recognize our exceptional scholars,” says Dr. William Ghali, vice-president (research).
“We’re pleased to appoint our inaugural chairholders, a group of distinguished researchers who play a pivotal role in addressing complex challenges facing society.”
The chairs for the inaugural cohort represent a diverse range of research areas and bring a wealth of expertise and a track record of high-impact research to their respective roles. The development of the UCalgary Research Excellence Chairs program was led by Dr. Penny Pexman, associate vice-president (research).
“The new chairs program enables our scholars to build capacity and provide strategic research leadership — something that our entire research ecosystem benefits from,” says Pexman. “Through their appointment, chairs are enabled to not only advance their respective fields but also inspire and mentor the next generation of researchers.”
The chairs were selected from a list of candidates nominated by their faculties. “The nominees put forward are truly impressive, and all should be congratulated for their excellence,” adds Ghali.
The complete list of the inaugural cohort of UCalgary Research Excellence Chairs at the University of Calgary:
Dr. James Agarwal, PhD Professor, Haskayne School of Business
Dr. Marie-Claire Arrieta, PhD Associate professor, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the CSM. Member of the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute at the CSM
Dr. Pallavi Banerjee, PhD Associate professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts
Dr. Paul Barclay, PhD Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science
Dr. Johnathan Canton, PhD Assistant professor, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos, PhD Associate professor, Faculty of Social Work. Member of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute at the CSM
Dr. Sean Dukelow, MD, PhD Professor, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine. Member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute and the McCaig Institution for Bone and Joint Health at CSM
Dr. W. Brent Edwards, PhD Associate professor, Faculty of Kinesiology
Dr. Marina Gavrilova, PhD Professor, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science
Dr. Sabine Gilch, PhD Associate professor, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Casey Hubert, PhD Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science
Dr. Christopher Hugenholtz, PhD Professor, Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts
Dr. Regine King, PhD Associate professor, Faculty of Social Work
Jennifer Koshan, LLM Professor, Faculty of Law
Dr. Nicole Letourneau, PhD Professor, Faculty of Nursing. Member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute at the CSM
Dr. Bijoy Menon, MD Professor, Departments of Clinical Neurosciences, Radiology and Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine. Member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the CSM
Dr. Alicia Nahmad Vazquez, PhD Assistant professor, School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape
Dr. Richa Pandey, PhD Assistant professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering
Dr. Aaron Phillips, PhD Associate professor, Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinical Neurosciences, and Cardiac Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, and adjunct professor, Faculty of Kinesiology. Member of the Libin and Hotchkiss Brain Institutes at the CSM
Dr. Yvonne Poitras Pratt, PhD Associate professor, Werklund School of Education
Dr. Milana Trifkovic, PhD Professor, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering
Dr. Venkataraman Thangadurai, PhD Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science
The UCalgary Research Excellence Chairs program will have a second intake of applications in a year and a half. For more details, please visit the UCalgary Research Excellence Chairs program page.