U of L researchers combine to earn $1.8 million in NSERC funding

trevor.kenney — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 16:22:57 +0000

A total of 12 ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers will receive funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) this year, enabling future U of L discoveries in a variety of areas including neuroscience, biological sciences and chemistry and biochemistry.

Dr. Gerlinde Metz is receiving NSERC funding for her project, Experience-dependent Compensation and Brain Plasticity, one of 12 U of L researchers to receive an NSERC grant this year.

Canada’s Minister of State (Science and Technology), the Honourable Ed Holder, made the national funding announcement earlier today at Western ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in London, Ont.

U of L researchers receiving Discovery Grant funding include: Dr. Alice Hontela (biological sciences); Dr. Olga Kovalchuk (biological sciences); Dr. Locke Spencer (physics and astronomy); Dr. Theresa Burg (biological sciences); Dr. Lawrence Flanagan (biological sciences); Dr. Ute Kothe (chemistry and biochemistry); Dr. Paul Hazendonk (chemistry and biochemistry); Dr. Gongbing Shan (kinesiology and physical education); Dr. Daya Gaur (mathematics and computer science); Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk (neuroscience); Dr. Gerlinde Metz (neuroscience); and Dr. Adriana Predoi-Cross (physics and astronomy).

Iwaniuk will also receive funding through the Discovery Accelerator Supplement program.

Additionally, Dr. Hans Joachim Wieden (chemistry and biochemistry) is receiving funding under the Research Tools and Instruments Grants Program.

In total, U of L researchers will receive approximately $1.8 million in funding over the next five years.

“NSERC funding is an important support that will help these very worthy U of L researchers move their respective programs forward, which in turn will benefit our communities in terms of economic growth and quality of life,” says Acting Vice-President (Research), Dr. Lesley Brown. “Further, these funds over time have played a critical role in the U of L’s rapid transition from a primarily undergraduate institution to one of Canada’s leading research universities of its size.”

NSERC also announced recipients of its graduate scholarships and fellowship awards. Adela Gherga (mathematics and computer science) and Mark Hornsby (biological sciences) are receiving graduate scholarships while Jenni Karl (neuroscience) is receiving a post-doctoral fellowship award.

NSERC grants aim to develop, attract and retain the world’s most talented researchers at Canadian universities who are working in a multitude of scientific and engineering disciplines.

For details on the NSERC grants and associated projects, visit the NSERC website.

Wieden named Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures Bioengineering Chair

trevor.kenney — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 20:48:46 +0000

Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures (AITF) has named Dr. Hans Joachim Wieden as the Innovates Centre of Research Excellence (iCORE) Chair of Bioengineering.

AITF’s $2-million investment, over five years, further enables Wieden’s ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge research team to study how biological systems can be engineered to achieve breakthroughs in materials science, chemistry, biochemistry, health and nanoscience.

“We are proud that world-class research will be done in Lethbridge, and excited about the opportunities that it will create for Alberta students, companies and the economy,” says Deputy Premier and Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education Thomas Lukaszuk. “Support for this work is a great example of the government’s commitment to post-secondary research.”

The potential for discovery in the study of synthetic biology is virtually limitless.

Dr. HJ Wieden and his research team continue to push forward, advancing the study of biomolecular engineering and synthetic biology.

“The range of societal and commercial issues we can address through the advancement of biomolecular engineering and synthetic biology will only continue to expand as we go further,” says Wieden, the newly appointed Chair and current director of the Alberta RNA (Ribonucleic acid) Research and Training Institute (ARRTI) at the U of L.

Synthetic biologists focus on how biological systems can be engineered to achieve a new desired outcome.

“The U of L has identified RNA-based research as an emerging program of emphasis due to the work of several of our researchers,” says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Vice-President (Research), Dr. Dan Weeks.

Wieden’s team, for example, recently focused its research on the development of new antibiotics that may help to battle the growing resistance of disease-producing pathogens against currently used antibiotics.

The Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures funding is complemented by the recent introduction of research initiatives such as the Campus Alberta Innovation Program and the Alberta Innovates Health Solutions program, which have added to the breadth of research inquiry at the U of L.

“The ongoing potential of Dr. Wieden’s applied research supports our goal to grow the province’s research and innovation environment, and expand opportunities for economic diversification,” says Randy Goebel, Vice-President of iCORE and the Alberta Innovates Academy. “We look forward to continuing our support of Alberta’s leadership in bioengineering.”

Wieden's students have also benefitted from the support of geekStarter, another AITF-funded program. geekStarter helps student teams in nanotechnology, information and communications technology and omics (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics and regulomics) achieve breakthroughs in research and innovation.

With the support of geekStarter, some of Wieden’s student teams have participated in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition. They have since gone on to enter the workforce and, in at least one instance, become entrepreneurs in a related field.

“These students have developed a new way of detecting hormones and are patenting their technology for use in agricultural and medical research,” says Wieden. “The importance of creating teaching opportunities through basic and applied research programs cannot be overstated.”

About Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures (AITF)

Part of Alberta’s research and innovation system, Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures is helping build healthy, sustainable businesses in the province. Through a suite of programs and services for entrepreneurs, companies, researchers, post-secondary institutions and investors, Tech Futures provides technical services and funding support to facilitate the commercialization of technologies, to develop new knowledge-based industry clusters and help encourage an entrepreneurial culture in Alberta. Through the Innovates Centre of Research Excellence (iCORE), Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures attracts top talent to Alberta to create multi-disciplinary, collaborative teams building research capabilities.

UNews - Hans Joachim Wieden

U of L researchers combine to earn $1.8 million in NSERC funding

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Wieden named Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures Bioengineering Chair

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