26 U of T researchers awarded new or renewed Canada Research Chairs

Twenty-six faculty members from the University of Toronto have been awarded Canada Research Chairs in support of their research.

Awarded by the Government of Canada, Canada Research Chair positions are designed to reinforce academic research and training excellence with a view to improving depth of knowledge and quality of life, strengthening Canada’s international competitiveness and helping to train the next generation of highly skilled people.

“I am delighted to congratulate the University of Toronto’s faculty members who have been appointed Canada Research Chairs or had their positions renewed in the spring 2025 cohort,” said Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “From RNA-targeted drug discovery and cardiorespiratory engineering to global migration and urban mining, these scholars are helping to shape the future of health, sustainability and society in profound ways.”

The latest cycle of Canada Research Chair appointees from U of T includes 10 new and 16 renewed positions:

New Canada Research Chairs

• Jaideep Bains at the University Health Network and the department of physiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 1 in Stress Neurobiology and Plasticity
• Melanie Barwick at the Hospital for Sick Children and the department of psychiatry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 1 in Implementation Science and Practice
• Hance Clarke at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the department of anesthesiology and pain medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Chronic Pain, Mental Health and Substance Use
• Naoto Hirano at the University Health Network and the department of immunology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 1 in Immunology to Immunotherapy
• Kâmil Uludağ at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 1 in High Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Amanda Hargrove in the department of chemical and physical sciences at U of T Mississauga – Tier 2 in RNA Targeted Drug Discovery
• Nicola Jones at the Hospital for Sick Children and the department of paediatrics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 1 in Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases
• Mohammad Mazhab-Jafari at the University Health Network and the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 1 in Structural Proteomics
• Catherine Sabiston in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education – Tier 1 in Physical Activity and Psychosocial Well-Being

Renewed Canada Research Chairs

• Gisele Azimi in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Tier 2 in Urban Mining Innovations
• Ann Burchell at St. Michael’s Hospital and the department of family and community medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention
• Katherine Duncan in the department of psychology in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Tier 2 in Memory Modulation
• Spencer Freeman at the Hospital for Sick Children and the department of biochemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Tier 2 in Immune Surveillance
• Benjamin Haibe-Kains at the University Health Network and the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Computational Pharmacogenomics
• Randall Hansen in the department of political science in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Tier 1 in Global Migration
• Björn Herrmann at Baycrest Health Sciences and the department of psychology in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Tier 2 in Auditory Aging
• Linda Hiraki at the Hospital for Sick Children and the department of paediatrics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Genetics of Rare Systemic Inflammatory Diseases
• Sonia Kang in the department of management at U of T Mississauga – Tier 2 in Identity, Diversity, and Inclusion
• Maryam Mehri Dehnavi in the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Tier 2 in Parallel and Distributed Computing
• Laurence Pelletier at Mount Sinai Hospital and the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Centrosome Biogenesis and Function
• Darrell Tan at St. Michael’s Hospital and the department of medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Biomedical HIV and STI Prevention
• Subodh Verma at St. Michael’s hospital and the department of surgery in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 1 in Cardiovascular Surgery
• Aaron Wheeler in the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Tier 1 in Microfluidic Bioanalysis
• Harindra Wijeysundera at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the department of medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Tier 2 in Structural Heart Disease Policy and Outcomes
• Azadeh Yadollahi at the University Health Network and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Tier 2 in Cardiorespiratory Engineering
• Iva Zovkic in the department of psychology at U of T Mississauga – Tier 2 in Behavioural Epigenetics

Read the Government of Canada announcement