Media Releases

HALIFAX, N.S. (April 9, 2015) – Today, at University of Toronto Mississauga Campus the Honourable Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology), announced the new Canada Research Chairs (CRC). Each year the Canada Research Chairs Program invests approximately $265 million to attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds. Dalhousie, home to 50 CRCs, is pleased to welcome Dr. John Frampton, School of Biomedical Engineering and Dr. Erin Bertrand, Department of Biology.

About Dr. Frampton

Dr. Frampton is the Tier 2 CRC in Biomaterial and Matrix Interaction. His research seeks to develop improved methods for growing replacement tissues in the laboratory. “Many approaches have been proposed for repairing and replacing damaged or diseased tissues in the human body,” explains Dr. Frampton. “However, the benefits that patients receive from these medical approaches are limited by the design features and the ability of these materials to establish connections with the patient’s own tissues once they are implanted.”

Dr. Frampton will develop improved methods for designing and engineering replacement tissues and investigate the factors that influence the ability of these laboratory-grown tissues to establish functional connections with host tissue after implantation.

About Dr. Bertrand

Dr. Erin Bertrand joins Dal as the Tier 2 CRC in Marine Microbial Proteomics. She comes to the university from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego and the J. Craig Venter Institute in La Jolla, California.

Dr. Bertrand has been researching microbial oceanography for 12 years. The earth depends on the many functions oceanic microbes conduct to maintain life, including producing more than half the oxygen in our atmosphere and forming the base of the marine food web. Just like humans, microbes require micronutrients such as iron, zinc and vitamins for survival. However, in the oceans these micronutrients are often extremely scarce.

“My research will focus on making novel protein measurements,” says Dr. Bertrand. “These measurements will help us understand when and where key oceanic micronutrients are scarce, and what the results of this scarcity are for ocean productivity. My work will also help us understand how marine microbes cooperate or compete to make the most of these scant resources.

View the government's CRC announcement here.

Media Contacts

Alana Milner
Senior Communications Advisor, Dalhousie Research Services
Dalhousie University
(902) 494-4148 / (902) 430-8772 (m)
alana.milner@dal.ca

Nikki Comeau
Communications Officer, Communications and Marketing
Dalhousie University
(902) 494-4189 / (902) 222-8810 (m)
nikki.comeau@dal.ca