April 14, 2008
No. 85
The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the appointment of Frieda Granot to the Board of Governors of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
"Frieda Granot's accomplishments have earned her international recognition," said Minister Bernier. "I am certain that her interdisciplinary approach to research will enable her to make a significant contribution to the continued success of IDRC."
The International Development Research Centre is a public corporation created by Parliament in 1970 to help developing countries use science and technology to find practical, long-term solutions to the social, economic and environmental problems they face. Support is directed toward developing an indigenous research capacity to sustain policies and technologies that developing countries need to build healthier, more equitable and more prosperous societies.
A Crown corporation, IDRC works collaboratively with many federal government departments, especially Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency. Guided by a 21-member international board of governors, IDRC reports to Parliament through the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
For more information on the IDRC, consult www.idrc.ca.
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A biographical note is attached.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
www.international.gc.ca/index.aspx
Chantal Schryer
Director of Communications
International Development Research Centre
613-236-6163 ext. 2598
cschryer@idrc.ca
Frieda Granot is currently Senior Associate Dean, Strategic Development and External Relations at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where she also holds the Advisory Council Chair in Management Science at the University's Sauder School of Business. She has held a wide range of administrative and academic appointments at UBC, including Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Prof. Granot received her B.Sc. in Mathematics and her M.Sc. in Computer Science from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Mathematics, Computer Science and Business Administration from the University of Texas.
She is the author or co-author of more than 50 publications in top peer-reviewed journals. Her research is interdisciplinary in nature, covering theoretical and applied aspects in areas such as discrete mathematics, mathematical programming, game theory and network flows. Prof. Granot won the 1998 Faculty of Commerce Academic Research Excellence Prize. In 2002, she received the Golden Jubilee Medal from the Government of Canada, and, in 2006, the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in the Education, Training and Development category.
