Three New Brunswick bio-scientists supported through Canada Research Chairs program

September 23, 2009
Guelph, ON - The New Brunswick biosciences community emerged with two renewals and one new chair in today's announcement on the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program. The program stands at the centre of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world's top countries in research and development. It invests $300 million per year to attract and retain some of the world's most accomplished and promising minds. There are two types of Canada Research Chairs: Tier I Chairs, tenable for seven years and renewable, are for outstanding researchers acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields. Tier II Chairs, tenable for five years and renewable once, are for exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. For each Tier II Chair, the university receives $100,000 annually for five years.

The two renewals support two strong programs begun in 2004:

Dr. Karen Kidd of the department of biology and Canadian Rivers Institute at UNB Saint John is the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Chemical Contamination of Food Webs, the main research focus of which is aimed at understanding the effects of human activities on freshwater ecosystems, primarily lakes and rivers impacted by industrial, agricultural and municipal effluents. Her groundbreaking work is cited extensively in scientific literature and in the media.
Dr. Marc Surette is the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Cellular Lipid Metabolism. His team's research revolves around understanding the control of the cellular distribution and metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids and eicosanoids. Commonly referred to as "Omega Oils", these dietary oils have a favorable health impact on a number of disease states. Dr. Surette's ground-breaking work includes the identification of plant-based oils as substitutes for reliance on fish-based oils.

Christopher Martyniuk will be the new Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Molecular Ecology at UNB. Dr. Martyniuk is joining UNB from the University of Florida. Based in the department of biology and the Canadian Rivers Institute at UNB Saint John, he will look at the effects that aquatic contaminants from municipal and industrial sources have on fish reproduction and health. His research will help increase understanding of how such aquatic toxicants affect wildlife and human health around the world.

As Tier II chairs, each will receive $500,000 from the Canada Research Chairs program over the next five years. In addition, the Canada Foundation for Innovation will provide an additional infrastructure funding for some of these researchers.

For more information on these researchers and their programs, please visit:

http://www0.umoncton.ca/marc_surette/english.html
http://www.unbsj.ca/sase/biology/kiddlab/
http://www.nbif.ca/eng/portfolio/surette/
http://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/chairholders-titulaires/profile-eng.aspx?profileId=1131
http://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/chairholders-titulaires/profile-eng.aspx?profileId=2578
http://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/chairholders-titulaires/profile-eng.aspx?profileId=1144

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