Ottawa, June 20, 2013—The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry, Minister of State (Agriculture) and Minister responsible for the Canada Foundation for Innovation, today announced the appointment of Dr. Chad Gaffield to the Foundation's Board of Directors.
"Dr. Gaffield has been instrumental in helping to create a strong and innovative research community in Canada," said Minister Paradis. "I look forward to his continued contributions in research excellence with the Foundation."
Dr. Gaffield has been President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada since 2006. For over 20 years, he has had a distinguished academic career at the University of Ottawa, where he taught in the Department of History, held a University Research Chair for history and public policy debate, and was founding director of the Institute of Canadian Studies from 1997 to 2003. The University of Ottawa named him Researcher of the Year in 1995 and Professor of the Year in 2002, marking only the second time that a professor has been chosen for both awards. He is former president of both the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences and the Canadian Historical Association. Dr. Gaffield is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, where he chairs a working group to establish a plan for a College of New Scholars in the Arts and Sciences. He also played a pivotal role as Principal Investigator for the Canadian Century Research Infrastructure project.
Throughout his career, Dr. Gaffield has received several honours, such as the Prix de la francophonie, the J.B. Tyrrell Historical Medal and the Antonio Zampolli Prize from the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organisations. In 2007, the Canadian Association of University Teachers presented him with its Distinguished Academic Award in recognition of excellence in teaching, research and service to the community. Dr. Gaffield was also presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2003) and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), which honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.
He holds a doctorate from the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in History (Honours), both from McGill University.
Created by the Government of Canada in 1997, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) strives to build our nation's capacity to undertake world-class research and technology development to benefit Canadians. CFI investments in state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, allow universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions to attract and retain the world's top talent, train the next generation of researchers, support private-sector innovation and create high-quality jobs that strengthen Canada's position in today's knowledge economy. For more information, visit the CFI website.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Margaux Stastny
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Christian Paradis
Minister of Industry
613-995-9001
Yves Melanson
Coordinator, Media Relations
Canada Foundation for Innovation
613-996-3160
yves.melanson@innovation.ca
Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502
