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NSERC signs agreement with Toronto Metropolitan University to onboard a Scholar in Residence
News release
August 22, 2022
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) relies on expertise and insights from members of the research community to advance its mandate. To continue ensuring that NSERC’s program offerings, policies and strategic initiatives are internationally competitive and impactful, NSERC will be piloting a new initiative, the Scholar in Residence program. The role of the Scholar in Residence will be to contribute fresh and innovative perspectives from a researcher’s lens on NSERC’s programs, policies and processes to support NSERC’s mandate. The Scholar in Residence will likewise learn from NSERC administration on elements of program design and policy from a public service perspective.
NSERC is delighted to announce that it has signed an agreement with the Toronto Metropolitan University to onboard Dr. Imogen Coe as the inaugural Scholar in Residence.
Dr. Coe will provide expert input to NSERC’s Vice-President’s Office, Research Grants and Scholarships and work closely with NSERC senior management for a 12-month period to help guide NSERC’s key priorities. She will provide a researcher’s perspective on NSERC’s core programming and delivery, on equity, diversity and inclusion, and on how we can support the next generation of highly qualified personnel.
Dr. Coe came to Canada as an international graduate student and completed graduate degrees at the University of Victoria, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California San Francisco and the University of Alberta. From there, Dr. Coe obtained a faculty position at York University and assumed administrative roles such as Chair of the Department of Biology and then Associate Dean. Dr. Coe was subsequently recruited to be the founding Dean of the Faculty of Science at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Dr. Coe’s expertise lies in basic cell biology, focusing on the structure, function and regulation of nucleoside transport proteins. Dr. Coe has been continuously funded from NSERC via the Discovery Grants program since 1997, and she has served NSERC in many important roles: a member—and now Chair—of the Genes, Cells and Molecules Evaluation Group (1501) for the Discovery Grants program; and a reviewer for the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship Selection Committee.
In addition to her work as a research scientist, Dr. Coe is internationally recognized as a Canadian thought leader in the integration of principles of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA), particularly into science and medicine. She has also advised academia, government and industry on best practices and approaches towards inclusive excellence and has contributed to national dialogue about these issues through various platforms.
