Research chairs
Canada Research Chair in Ultrathin Structured Films
Chairholder: Antonella Badia
Professor Antonella Badia’s work is focused on tiny particles of matter. Applying her research to organic binding substances, she is able to assemble organic and inorganic materials and produce membranes serving to join different types of materials.
The membranes must also be shaped to meet assembly requirements. Specific techniques (molecular chemisorption, Langmuir-Blodgett and Langmuir-Schaeffer) are used to make ultrathin membranes. The leading-edge work of the research group finds many practical applications.
The Chair receives funding from NSERC.
Canada Research Chair in Stereoselective Synthesis of Bioactive Molecules
Chairholder: André B. Charette
The Chair’s research is directed toward the development of tools to speed up the synthesis of bioactive chiral molecules. One of its main themes is discovering new stereoselective transformations to generate molecules with valuable biological properties. Most drugs are made of chiral molecules, hence the importance of the themes of this program.
In addition, the methods developed can be applied not only in preparing many pharmaceutical products, but also in agrochemical science, biology, food science and materials science, where chirality is also important.
The Chair receives funding from NSERC.
Isis Pharmaceuticals Research Chair in Medicinal Chemistry
Chairholder: Stephen Hanessian
The interaction of synthetic organic molecules with various components of RNA-type macromolecules can have important implications in the design of new therapeutic compounds to combat diseases related to cancer, inflammation, and infection among others. Stephen Hanessian’s group will focus on the design and chemical modification of existing natural products such as nucleosides and saccharides in order to broaden their biological activities in cell cultures and eventually in animals through innovative drug delivery paradigms. A combination of targeted and exploratory research offers opportunities to develop new bioactive prototypes while providing excellent training for researchers.
Canada Research Chair in Organometallic Catalysis
Chairholder: Hélène Lebel
Hélène Lebel’s goal as chairholder is to develop organic transformations using organometallic catalysts to streamline the synthesis of biologically important and relevant molecules. By focusing on the discovery of new synthetic pathways and new reactions that are either challenging or impossible to achieve by standard methods, Professor Lebel plans to elaborate new tools for de novo synthesis of alkene and nitrogen functionalities.
Her research could have an impact on medicinal chemistry and pharmacology, and accelerate the development of new drugs.
The Chair receives funding from NSERC.
Canada Research Chair in Electrically Conductive Nanostructures and Interfaces
Chairholder: Richard Martel
Professor Martel studies the physical chemistry of electrically active nanostructures (e.g. nanotubes, graphene, nanowires, etc.) and the phenomena of charge transport and transfer at their interfaces and at nanojunctions. The research is also geared to the development of prototype devices for applications in electronics, optoelectronics, sensor technology and energy conversion.
Canada Research Chair in Proteomics and in Bioanalytical Spectrometry
Chairholder: Pierre Thibault
Professor Thibault’s research program focuses on the development and application of proteomics and bioanalytical mass spectrometry to the identification of trace-level proteins in complex cell extracts. His research efforts bring a multidisciplinary team approach using methods and techniques from bioanalytical chemistry, protein chemistry, biochemistry and cell biology.
This is a key chair in the cluster of Canada Research Chairs that forms the Université de Montréal’s Research Institute of Immunology and Cancer (IRIC). This chair is part of a multidisciplinary research program aimed at developing analytical tools to provide a better understanding of molecular mechanisms and post-translational modifications of proteins, which control the functions and translocation of proteins involved in immunity and signalling of cancer cells.
The group’s research helps accelerate the discovery of new therapeutic approaches through the following technological advances:
- Development of bioinformatics tools to profile protein abundance in healthy and neoplastic cells
- Development of new affinity chromatography methods to enrich post-translational modifications and the application of these methods for the discovery of new therapeutic targets
- Methods to profile the abundance of peptides bound to major histocompatibility complexes for immunotherapy
- Methods to increase the sensitivity of mass spectrometry analyses
The Chair receives funding from NSERC.
Canada Research Chair in Bioengineering and Bionanotechnology
Chairholder: Alexis Vallée-Bélisle
Professor Vallée-Bélisle's research team focuses on the development of new bionanotechnologies inspired by Nature to improve the detection of tumours and to deliver more effectively anti-cancer treatments. His laboratory also develops inexpensive and easy-to-use diagnostic tests that enable the rapid detection of multiple diseases including sexually transmitted infections.
The Chair receives funding from NSERC.
Canada Research Chair on Supramolecular Materials
Chairholder: James D. Wuest
Professor Wuest, who coined the term "molecular tectonics," specializes in supramolecular chemistry and materials science. He is an expert in using the chemistry of molecular self-assembly and self-organization to develop programmed and well-defined molecular architectures.
The Chair receives funding from NSERC.