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NSERC welcomes new Vice-President, Research Partnerships

General news

October 12, 2017

We are pleased to announce the official appointment of NSERC’s new Vice-President, Research Partnerships Directorate, Dr. Marc Fortin, effective October 17, 2017.

Dr. Fortin brings a vast amount of experience to this position, having led research organizations in both academia and government. For 16 years he held senior leadership positions at McGill University including Department Chair and Associate Dean (Research). For the past 11 years he led the science and technology branches as Assistant Deputy Minister at the Department of National Defence and previously at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

He is passionate about creating innovative collaborations and partnerships in the discovery and innovation ecosystem. He engages with partners to imagine new futures and to innovate in ways to connect people, disciplines and organizations. He is known for leading organizations to position themselves in the broader knowledge system and has worked with leaders of science all over the world to create opportunities for Canadian scientists.

Dr. Fortin was trained as a molecular geneticist, with a B.Sc. in Plant Science and M.Sc. in Plant Virology from Université Laval and a PhD in Plant Molecular Biology from McGill University. He also underwent Post-doctoral training in Molecular Genetics at the University of California and University of Chicago.

We are confident that the breadth of knowledge and experience Dr. Fortin brings to this position will benefit our community and help to realize NSERC’s 2020 vision of building partnerships that support the discovery—innovation dynamic in Canada.