COUNCIL MEMBERS
ADAM CHOWANIEC, Chair
On January 5, 2006, Dr. Adam Chowaniec officially began his job as chair of the Ontario Research and Innovation Council.
Dr. Chowaniec began his career as an assistant professor at Acadia University. He has held numerous positions with a broad list of organizations including Bell Northern Research, Nortel Networks, and Commodore International. In December 1995, he became founding CEO of Tundra Semiconductor Corporation, a company that designs, develops and markets advanced technology for communications infrastructure equipment.
H. DOUGLAS BARBER
Dr. Barber is one of the founders of Gennum Corporation, a Canadian company that manufactures high technology products for an international customer base.
He served as president and CEO of Gennum Corporation, from 1987 up to his retirement in April 2000. Dr. Barber is also a distinguished professor-in-residence in the faculty of engineering at McMaster University. He holds a master of science degree in electrical engineering, is an Athlone Fellow, a NATO Scholar and received his PhD from the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London, England.
DOMINIC D'ALESSANDRO
Mr. D'Alessandro is president and CEO of Manulife Financial, one of the top innovative financial companies in North America. Mr. D'Alessandro has led the company to its 12th consecutive year of record financial performance, resulting in Manulife being among the most profitable life insurance companies in North America. He was named Officer of the Order of Canada in 2003, and voted Canada's Most Respected CEO in 2004 and Canada's Outstanding CEO of the Year 2002 by his peers for his contributions to business and the community.
MIKE LAZARIDIS
Dr. Lazaridis is president and co-CEO of Research in Motion (RIM), a company he founded while he was a student at the University of Waterloo. RIM is the company that launched the popular BlackBerry, a device that has changed the face of wireless communication worldwide. Dr. Lazaridis also established the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, an independent resident-based research institute devoted to the study of physics. Through its world-class outreach programs, the institute tries to explain physics to teachers, students and the general public. He holds an honorary doctorate in engineering from the University of Waterloo.
TAK MAK
Dr. Mak is the director of the Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. In 1984, Dr. Mak isolated the gene that makes T-cell receptors (the T-cell receptor identifies normal cells as intruders and mistakenly begins attacking them). Dr. Mak’s T-cell receptor discovery has influenced the work of scientists around the world, who have been able to build upon this discovery to advance cancer and immunology research. He received his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Alberta.
JOHN MANN
Dr. Mann is the former director of engineering and regulatory affairs, responsible for all technical matters at DaimlerChrysler Canada. He is one of the founders of the University of Windsor, DaimlerChrysler Canada Automotive Research & Development Centre — an innovative world-class partnership between academia and industry. Dr. Mann holds a bachelor of applied science in mechanical engineering and a doctor of engineering from the University of Windsor.
ELSPETH MURRAY, Vice Chair
Dr. Murray is managing director for the Queen’s Centre for Business Venturing (QCBV) and associate professor of strategy and new ventures at the Queen’s School of Business. She is co-author of the book, Fast Forward: Organization Change in 100 Days, Oxford University Press, with Dr. Peter Richardson. She received her MBA from Queen’s University and her doctorate in strategy and management information systems was completed at the Richard Ivey School of Business in London, Ontario.
GILLES G. PATRY
Dr. Patry is the president and vice-chancellor of the University of Ottawa. Dr. Patry received his master of science in civil engineering at the University of Ottawa and his PhD in civil engineering from the University of California. In 1985, he founded Hydromantis Inc., an international consulting firm specializing in the modelling and simulation of water and wastewater treatment facilities. He is a member of a number of boards, including the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, the Ontario Centres of Excellence, the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation and the National Research Council of Canada.
JANET ROSSANT
Dr. Rossant is the chief of research at the Hospital for Sick Children and is a professor at the University of Toronto in both the departments of medical genetics/microbiology and obstetrics/gynaecology. Dr. Rossant is an internationally recognized expert in developmental biology and one of Canada’s top stem cell researchers. She has provided significant insights into how embryos develop, how genes control development and how embryonic and other stems cells develop. She trained at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford in the United Kingdom and is a fellow of both the Royal Societies of London and Canada.
MOLLY S. SHOICHET
Dr. Shoichet is a professor of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, chemistry and biomaterials and biomedical engineering at the University of Toronto. Dr. Shoichet is an expert in the study of polymers for regeneration — the materials that promote healing in the body — and has been named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40. She recently founded Matregen Corp., a spin-off based on a platform technology invented in her laboratory, and previously co-founded another biotechnology company, also a spin-off from her laboratory. She received her bachelor of science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in chemistry and her PhD from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in polymer science and engineering.
MAMDOUH SHOUKRI
Dr. Shoukri is the President and Vice-Chancellor of York University. He was formerly the vice-president of research and international affairs at McMaster University, where he was also a professor of mechanical engineering with primary interests in thermo-fluid sciences. Dr. Shoukri is a member of the board of directors of the Ontario Centres of Excellence , and is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineering. He received both his master’s degree in engineering and PhD in mechanical engineering from McMaster University.
ILSE TREURNICHT
Dr. Treurnicht is the CEO of the MaRS Discovery District. MaRS was named the Intelligent Community Forum’s (ICF) winner of its Intelligent Building of the Year at the annual Intelligent Community of the Year Awards in New York City in June 2006. Before joining MaRS, Dr. Treurnicht was the president and CEO of Primaxis Technology Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital fund. She has also been involved in the commercialization of a variety of technologies, ranging from materials to environmental products, medical devices and consumer products. She holds a doctorate in chemistry from Oxford University in the United Kingdom, where she attended as a Rhodes Scholar.
THOMAS VAIR
Mr. Vair is the executive director of the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre, a non-profit organization that serves as a catalyst for growth in the IT and knowledge-based sectors. Mr. Vair launched his career with Corel Corporation and has first-hand experience with technology start-ups and small businesses. He holds an MBA from McMaster University.
