UBC Science Alumnus and Former Postdoctoral Fellow Named to Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 by Globe and Mail

Former UBC Science postdoctoral fellow Brian Coombes and UBC Science alumnus David Vocadlo were among five recipients with UBC connections named to Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 list in the Globe and Mail today.

Brian Coombes, associate chair in biochemistry and biomedical sciences at McMaster University, completed his postdoctoral work at UBC’s Michael Smith Laboratories in 2006, where he developed a research program investigating the role of type III secretion in bacterial pathogenesis.

His lab at McMaster’s Michael DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research studies pathogenic bacteria, their effect on human immune systems, and their impact on public health.

David Vocadlo, assistant professor at Simon Fraser University and Canada Research Chair in Chemical Biology, obtained his BSc in Biochemistry in 1994, and his PhD in Chemistry in 2002. He is the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Alectos Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative small-molecule therapeutics.

Vocadlo’s current research at Simon Fraser University focuses on the role of carbohydrates in health and disease, and how a greater understanding of these processes could help develop new treatments for serious diseases.

Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, established in 1995 and published annually by the Globe and Mail, recognizes 40 Canadians in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors who have reached a significant level of success before the age of 40.

Other 2010 UBC award winners include Karen Bakker, an associate professor of geography and director of the Program on Water Governance at UBC, and two alumni, Sean O’Reilly (BEd ’99) and Nolan Watson (BComm ’01).

Read the full report: Canada’s Top 40 Under 40