Two CIC members — McGill University Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier, FCIC and University of Toronto Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry Professor Molly Shoichet — have been formally invested as Officers of the Order of Canada in a ceremony on November 20.
The event took place November 20th at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, where Governor General of Canada Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette presented 2 Companions, 15 Officers and 24 Members with the insignia associated with this honour.
Suzanne Fortier, McGill University Principal and Vice-Chancellor
Fortier has connected the worlds of chemistry, mathematics and artificial intelligence through her research work on the development of mathematical and artificial intelligence methodologies for protein structure determination. She has also contributed to the development of novel techniques in crystallographic database mining. She has previously been named as an officer of France’s National Order of Merit, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Specially Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Last year Fortier was appointed as Vice-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global University Leaders Forum. She also serves on the Canadian Business-Higher Education Roundtable, the Board of Directors of Montreal International, the Conference Board of Canada, the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, and the Catalyst Canada Advisory Board.
Molly Shoichet, University of Toronto Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry Professor
Shoichet’s work in biomedical engineering has been similarly wide-ranging, with the aim of making specific advances in the use of innovative materials and regenerative medicine, along with a specific focus on techniques that could repair damage to nerve tissue. Her research has explored the use of hydrogels that could store stem cells in their undifferentiated state and allow them to be injected directly to an injured site, such as a broken spinal cord or a retina suffering from macular degeneration. Once there, these cells could treat these problems by forming healthy replacement tissue.
Shoichet has also championed the role of women in science and the promotion of science literacy across Canadian society. She is also a founding partner of Research2Reality, an enterprise that showcases the work of the country’s most innovative researchers.