Three new CRCs appointed at UBC Science, seven renewed or advanced

Research in statistical ecology, probability and fisheries economics at UBC Science received a boost with the appointment of three new Canada Research Chairs, along with seven renewed and advanced chairs, within the faculty.

The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, announced an investment of over $275 million for 346 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at 52 institutions across Canada.

“Our government recognizes that when our institutions better reflect the diversity of Canada, science and research are stronger and their impacts on the lives of Canadians are more profound,” said Duncan in making the announcement.

“I’m encouraged to see improved equity, diversity and inclusion among our Canada Research Chairs and look forward to seeing how their unique perspectives will help shape a better future for us all. I would like to thank our universities for embracing research excellence and inclusion.” 

The announcement included 15 new chairs at UBC, with 16 renewed, and the one advancement.

New CRCs at UBC Science

Marie Auger-Méthé
Canada Research Chair in Statistical Ecology, Tier 2

Auger-Méthé work links ecology and statistics to help better understand animal behaviour, population dynamics, movement, and space use. Her lab’s work generally focus on aquatic ecosystems or animals living at the poles.

Mathav Murugan
Canada Research Chair in Probability, Tier 2

Statistician Mathav Murugan’s research focuses on the relationship between the long-term behavior of Markov processes and the geometry of the underlying state space, as well as sandpile models, potential theory, boundary theory, quasiconformal mappings, and metricgeometry.

Rashid Sumaila
Canada Research Chair in Interdisciplinary Ocean and Fisheries Economics, Tier 1

Sumaila’s work investigates the bioeconomics, marine ecosystem valuation and the analysis of global issues such as fisheries subsidies, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and the economics of high- and deep-seas fisheries.

Advanced CRCs at UBC Science

Laurel Schafer
Canada Research Chair in Catalyst Development, Tier 1

Renewed CRCs at UBC Science

Aaron Boley
Canada Research Chair in Planetary Astronomy, Tier 2

Sabin Cautis
Canada Research Chair in Algebraic Geometry, Tier 2

Sean Crowe
Canada Research Chair in Geomicrobiology, Tier 2

Gary Hinshaw
Canada Research Chair in Observational Cosmology, Tier 1

Abel Rosado 
Canada Research Chair in Plant Cellular Dynamics, Tier 2

Matthijs Smit 
Canada Research Chair in Applied Geochemistry of the Lithosphere, Tier 2

The new CRCs join more than 50 other chairs at UBC Science. The program invests $295 million per year to attract and retain some of the world's most accomplished and promising minds. There are now 1,836 CRCs at universities across Canada—205 at UBC.

The Canada Foundation for Innovation also made an important investment towards the chairs, providing more than $5.2 million in new funding for research infrastructure, supporting 30 CRCs at 18 institutions, including six at UBC.