New funding for SFU Science researchers supports human and environmental health

March 21, 2025

New federal government funding, announced on March 13, 2025 will support research in human and environmental health at Simon Fraser University (SFU) Faculty of Science.

Two SFU Science faculty, mathematics professor Caroline Colijn and biomedical physiology and kinesiology professor Alex Wiesman, have been appointed as Canada Research Chairs. 

Additional funding of $150,000 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund will support biological sciences professor Tanya Brown in purchasing new scientific equipment for the Marine Mammal Ecotoxicology Lab.

New and renewed Canada Research Chairs

The Canada Research Chairs Program aims to advance research that leads to groundbreaking discoveries and innovations across health, engineering, sciences, social sciences and humanities.

Caroline Colijn, Department of Mathematics

TIER 1 CANADA RESEARCH CHAIR IN MATHEMATICS FOR INFECTION, EVOLUTION AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(FORMERLY CANADA 150 RESEARCH CHAIR)

Dr. Colijn's research program is distinguished by its interdisciplinary nature, bridging mathematics, statistics, infectious disease, and evolution. The program's core objective is to construct advanced forward-time models grounded in genomic data to elucidate the intricate dynamics of transmission, microbial interactions, and population structures. This program delves into how microbial populations evolve in response to interventions such as vaccination and antibiotics, as examples of the broader evolution of infectious diseases. By integrating mathematical, statistical, and genomic tools, Dr. Colijn's methodology aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how microbial populations evolve in response to interventions, ultimately helping to inform public health policies as well as the design of genomic surveillance programs.

Alex Wiesman, Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology

Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Neurophysiology of Aging and Neurodegeneration

The signaling of human brain cells changes substantially during healthy aging, and deviations from this healthy trajectory preface age-related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Wiesman’s proposed CRC research program will use an innovative combination of functional and structural brain imaging with non-invasive brain stimulation to improve our understanding of healthy age-related neurophysiological trajectories. Deviations from these trajectories will be related to clinical risk factors to develop new targets for prognostics, diagnostics, and non-invasive therapeutics. Relationships between brain activity and risk factors will be related to atlases of the brain’s chemical messenger systems to determine their mechanisms.

Canada Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund

CFI invests in research infrastructure at Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals and not-for-profit research institutions, equipping researchers with the tools they need to be global leaders. 

Tanya Brown, Department of Biological Sciences

$150,000 for Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer for the Marine Mammal Ecotoxicology Laboratory

Environmental contaminants and climate change represent major threats to aquatic biota, including marine mammals, for which nearly 40% of species are classified ad Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Dr. Brown’s research program is aimed at understanding how environmental change and contaminants are impacting the health of marine mammals and their food webs. Her research applies a combination of chemical tracers, satellite telemetry, and ‘omics’ technologies to characterize habitat use, feeding ecology, contaminant exposure and health of marine biota. Her research will benefit Canadians by contributing to the conservation and recovery of at-risk species, and guide source control and mitigation measures that will reduce the impact of contaminants on aquatic environments.

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