CANADA RESEARCH CHAIRS
The Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program stands at the centre of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world’s top countries in research and development. The Faculty of Science is home to 10 CRCs.
See the full list of CRCs at York University.
YORK RESEARCH CHAIRS
The York Research Chairs program is envisioned as York University’s internal counterpart for the national Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program and recognizes outstanding researchers at York. The Faculty of Science is home to 12 YRCs. See the list of YRCs at York University.
NSERC/SANOFI INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH CHAIR
In 2018, a $2.6-million NSERC/Sanofi Industrial Research Chair in Vaccine Mathematics, Modelling and Manufacturing was awarded to Distinguished Research Professor Jianhong Wu in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics. Sanofi Pasteur invested $1.5 million over five years; the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) provided $1 million through its Industrial Research Chair program; and the remainder was contributed by York University through various supports.
The focus of the research program is to develop mathematical techniques to identify populations most susceptible to infectious diseases and enable manufacturers to produce cost-effective vaccines that can be deployed quickly.
ENDOWED CHAIRS
The Faculty of Science is home to three endowed research chairs.
MCLAUGHLIN RESEARCH CHAIR
The McLaughlin Research Chair, funded by a $1 million donation from the McLaughlin Foundation, supports world-class life sciences research within the Faculty of Science at York University.
The Chair is held by Biology Professor John McDermott. McDermott focuses on the mechanisms that cause a simple cell to become more specialized. This work is primarily undertaken using cardiac, skeletal and smooth muscle cells and neurons as model systems, and it is aimed at understanding the role of specialized proteins that bind to DNA to orchestrate gene expression. Professor McDermott is particularly interested in studying the basic regulatory mechanisms involved in muscle cellular differentiation.
GUY WARWICK ROGERS CHAIR IN CHEMISTRY
The Rogers Chair was created as an endowment fund with a donation from Mrs. Mary Rogers in 1988, in memory of her late husband, Guy Warwick Rogers, to support faculty research in the Department of Chemistry.
The Chair is held by Professor Cora Young. Young conducts research on environmental chemistry, using state-of-the-science analytical techniques to characterize chemicals, their sources, and their fates in the environment. Her primary area of interest is in atmospheric analytical chemistry, particularly in understanding how the atmosphere interacts with the terrestrial and oceanic environment, how contaminants are transported through the atmosphere, and the mechanisms and chemical drivers of partitioning.
ALLAN I. CARSWELL CHAIR FOR THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF ASTRONOMY
The Allan I. Carswell Chair for the Public Understanding of Astronomy is funded by a $3-million investment made in partnership with the Carswell Family Foundation. The Chair is dedicated to science engagement and outreach, and it benefits students and the public through education and activities.
The Chair is held by Professor Sarah Rugheimer, who's research interests are in modelling the atmosphere and climate of extrasolar planets with a particular focus on atmospheric biosignatures in Earth-like planets, as well as modelling early Earth conditions. Her interests include many topics in the field of astrobiology, such as the origin of life on Earth and the pursuit of detecting life on other planets and moons in the universe.