Person: Paul Davidson

Dr Philip Jessop has been selected as this year’s recipient of the John C Polanyi Award in recognition for his advances in natural sciences and engineering research. The Queen’s Univ chemistry professor has led a team that developed a new process to separate and re-use solvents used in industrial processes for oil refining and pharmaceutical…

Dr Ian Smith has been inducted into the Order of Canada in recognition of his research into magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and global contributions to health care. Smith is DG of the National Research Council’s Institute for Biodiagnostics (IBD) in Winnipeg. He was instrumental in the development of a mobile MRI system allowing surgeons to…

Dr John Church has been appointed the inaugural chairholder of the BC Regional Innovation Chair in Cattle Industry Sustainability. Church, who has a PhD in rangeland and wildlife resources will conduct research into improving profitability of cattle raising, protecting wetlands and endangered species and reducing greenhouse gases. The $2.1-million chair will be situated at Thompson…

Robert Sawyer — a leading Canadian science fiction writer — has been appointed writer-in-residence at the Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon for a two-month term. The author of 20 novels will use the residency to explore the creative processes underpinning science and art and increase public discussion of science in Canada….

Paul Davidson has been named president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), succeeding Claire Morris effective May 11th once she completes her five-year term. Davidson comes to the AUCC from the World University Service Canada where he is executive director. While at WUSC, the organization doubled its revenues and the size…

Dr Kevin Hall has been appointed VP research at the Univ of Guelph, effective January 1st. Hall comes to Guelph from Queen’s Univ, which he joined in 1987, rising to the head of the civil engineering department in 2005. He is also director of Queen’s Centre for Water and the Environment and has been involved…