CANADA RESEARCH CHAIRS

The Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program stands at the centre of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world’s top countries in research and development. The Faculty of Science is home to 10 CRCs. See the full list of CRCs at York University.

YORK RESEARCH CHAIRS

The York Research Chairs program is envisioned as York University’s internal counterpart for the national Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program and recognizes outstanding researchers at York. The Faculty of Science is home to 10 YRCs. See the list of YRCs at York University.

ENDOWED CHAIRS

The Faculty of Science is home to three endowed research chairs.

MCLAUGHLIN RESEARCH CHAIR

The McLaughlin Research Chair, funded by a $1 million donation from the McLaughlin Foundation, supports world-class life sciences research within the Faculty of Science at York University.

The Chair is held by Biology Professor John McDermott. McDermott focuses on the mechanisms that cause a simple cell to become more specialized. This work is primarily undertaken using cardiac, skeletal and smooth muscle cells and neurons as model systems, and it is aimed at understanding the role of specialized proteins that bind to DNA to orchestrate gene expression. Professor McDermott is particularly interested in studying the basic regulatory mechanisms involved in muscle cellular differentiation.

GUY WARWICK ROGERS CHAIR IN CHEMISTRY

The Rogers Chair was created as an endowment fund with a donation from Mrs. Mary Rogers in 1988, in memory of her late husband, Guy Warwick Rogers, to support faculty research in the Department of Chemistry.

The Chair is held by Professor Cora Young. Young conducts research on environmental chemistry, using state-of-the-science analytical techniques to characterize chemicals, their sources, and their fates in the environment. Her primary area of interest is in atmospheric analytical chemistry, particularly in understanding how the atmosphere interacts with the terrestrial and oceanic environment, how contaminants are transported through the atmosphere, and the mechanisms and chemical drivers of partitioning.

Allan I. Carswell Chair for the Public Understanding of Astronomy

The Allan I. Carswell Chair for the Public Understanding of Astronomy is funded by a $3-million investment made in partnership with York University Professor Emeritus Allan Carswell and the Carswell Family Foundation. The Chair is dedicated to science engagement and outreach, and it benefits students and the public through education and activities, involving telescopes at the Allan I. Carswell Observatory, as well as novel technologies such as virtual reality.

The chair is currently held by Professor Paul Delaney in the Department of Physics & Astronomy. As the coordinator of the York University Observatory, Delaney promotes the use of its telescopes for research, education, and outreach, which include tours and on-line public viewing. He is regularly called upon by the media for interviews regarding current topics in space and astronomy.