From fundamental physics to child well-being, Թ researchers advance discovery across disciplines
Health e-News 27 May 2026

Թ has been awarded $18.1 million in federal funding to support 16 Canada Research Chairs – six new and 10 renewed – seven of them from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The University’s newly appointed CRCs will drive forward cutting-edge research in fields that include subatomic physics, food science and agricultural chemistry, and counselling psychology. Renewed Chairs will continue vital work in such areas as Parkinson’s disease, bioengineering, data ethics and intergenerational childhood trauma.

“Guided by Թ’s newly launched Strategic Research Plan, our Canada Research Chairs lead ambitious, long‑term research that advances discovery and delivers real‑world benefits for society,” said Dominique Bérubé, Vice‑President, Research and Innovation at Թ. “I congratulate our new and renewed Chairholders and thank the Government of Canada for its continued investment in world‑class research at Թ.”

The CRC Program is a tri-agency initiative of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

The CRC program invests approximately $311 million annually to recruit and retain world-class researchers in the fields of engineering, health sciences and humanities and social sciences.

There are two types of Canada Research Chairs: Tier 1 Chairs, awarded to outstanding researchers acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields, are valued at $200,000 annually for seven years with one opportunity for renewal for another seven-year term; Tier 2 Chairs, valued at $120,000 annually for five years and renewable only once for another five-year term at a value of $100,000 annually, are for exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field.

As a Canada Research Chairs Program partner, the Canada Foundation for Innovation is also committing over $5.8 million to support 25 research infrastructure projects at 16 institutions, through its John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF). Newly appointed CRC Professor Satoshi Yoshiji, Department of Human Genetics, was awarded $167,953 in JELF infrastructure funding. 

FMHS’s new and renewed CRC recipients:  

  • Marcel A. Behr, Canada Research Chair in Mycobacterial genomics, CIHR, Tier 1 (Renewal)
  • Maziar Divangahi, Canada Research Chair in Trained Immunity, CIHR, Tier 1 (New)
  • Edward A. Fon, Canada Research Chair in Parkinson’s Disease, CIHR, Tier 1 (Renewal)
  • Kalle Gehring, Canada Research Chair in Structural Biology of Neurodegenerative Diseases, CIHR, Tier 1 (Renewal)
  • Alba Guarné, Canada Research Chair in DNA transposition, CIHR, Tier 1 (Renewal)
  • David Juncker, Canada Research Chair in Bioengineering, NSERC, Tier 1 (Renewal)
  • Satoshi Yoshiji, Canada Research Chair in Human Genetics and Therapeutic Discovery, CIHR, Tier 2 (New)

Թ’s new and renewed CRC recipients: 

  • Ahmed El-Geneidy, Canada Research Chair in Public Transport Planning and Operation, NSERC, Tier 1 (New)
  • Samer Faraj, Canada Research Chair in Technology, Innovation, and Organizing, SSHRC, Tier 1 (Renewal)
  • Salwa Karboune, Canada Research Chair in Advanced Applications of Biocatalysis for the Synthesis of Functional Ingredients, NSERC, Tier 1 (New)
  • Rachel Langevin, Canada Research Chair in Intergenerational (Dis)Continuity of Childhood Trauma, CIHR, Tier 2 (New)
  • Sara Mahshid, Canada Research Chair in Nano-Biosensing Devices, CIHR, Tier 2 (Renewal)
  • Marc D. McKee, Canada Research Chair in Biomineralization, CIHR, Tier 1 (Renewal)
  • Ali Seifitokaldani, Canada Research Chair in Electrocatalysis for Renewable Energy Production and Conversion, NSERC, Tier 2 (Renewal)
  • Eran Tal, Canada Research Chair in Data Ethics, SSHRC, Tier 2 (Renewal)
  • , Canada Research Chair in Experimental Subatomic Physics, NSERC, Tier 1 (New)

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