Two University of Windsor professors have been awarded Canada Research Chairs, bringing $1 million in new funding to the institution.
Jennifer Willet, a researcher in the School of Creative Arts, has been awarded a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Art, Science and Ecology. Oliver Love, a researcher in the Faculty of Science’s biology department and the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, has had his Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Integrative Ecology renewed for another five years.
For each of the chairs, UWindsor receives $100,000 annually for five years.
In Dr. Love’s lab, students conduct research related to birds and fish. Dr. Willet is the director of Incubator, a laboratory in the former Windsor Armouries building that uses biological materials in art, marrying art with science and technology.
In being awarded Canada Research Chairs, Love and Willet have been identified as exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field.
K. W. Michael Siu, UWindsor’s vice-president, research and innovation, said he was “absolutely delighted” that Willet and Love were awarded Canada Research Chairs.
“Both are recognized leaders in their respective fields and are very deserving of these prestigious chairships,” said Dr. Siu.
Love, pictured above, said his Canada Research Chair award highlights one of the true strengths of the University — excellence in integrative, environmental research.
“I am proud to be part of an internationally recognized set of researchers in biology and GLIER who are striving to solve real-world problems affecting fragile ecosystems in Canada.”
Willet called the award “a major lifetime achievement.”
“It will allow me to do my research at a higher level. It will allow me to focus on research rather than finding funding.”
The University of Windsor is home to eight Canada Research Chairs. Five are Tier 1 awards for which the institution receives $200,000 annually for seven years.
Tier 1 Canada Research Chairs are held by Aaron Fisk and Hugh MacIsaac at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, Stephen Loeb in the Faculty of Science, Charlene Senn in the Department of Psychology, and Jonathan Wu in the Faculty of Engineering. Tier 1 awards go to outstanding researchers acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields.
Shijing Xu in the Faculty of Education also holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair.
The Canada Research Chairs program is a national strategy to propel Canada to the forefront of research and development around the globe. It invests about $265 million per year to attract and retain world-class researchers in diverse fields of expertise.
—Sarah Sacheli
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