CSMB New Investigator Award

(Formerly GE Healthcare New Investigator Award 2011 – 2015)

Next awarded in 2022

This award is offered annually.

The Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences (CSMB) New Investigator Award was established by the Society to recognize and support the next generation of scientists in Canada. The award is given on the basis of (i) excellence in research and (ii) demonstration of leadership.

(1) Evaluation criteria

Evaluation criteria for CSMB are informed and updated according to best practices and in alignment with Canadian tri-council (NSERC, SSHRC & CIHR) standards.  CSMB also supports the following statement (https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/51732.html) and the DORA principles.

The quality and impact of research cannot be measured through journal publications alone. Research results and outcomes are multifaceted, can reflect multiple types of knowledge and ways of knowing and must be assessed on their own merit. High-quality research outcomes are achieved in many ways, including but not limited to: publishing research articles; reporting new knowledge (such as presenting at conferences and other venues); developing new technologies, producing software and intellectual property; sharing data; contributing to policy decisions; producing highly trained personnel and working in partnership with various sectors of society. Increasingly, funding agencies, research institutions, First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, citizens and patients, and researchers themselves, agree on the importance of including a broader set of research outcomes and adopting assessment processes that recognize their value.

The DORA principles are reflected in CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC’s overall approaches to research assessment, and in their shared commitment to continuous improvement in assessment practices. A number of the Agencies’ initiatives and policies support research excellence and align with the recommendations in DORA, including research data management practices, open access publishing, responsible conduct of research, ethical conduct of research involving humans; and the commitment to re-examine research excellence through the Tri-Agency Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan.

Nominations will be assessed on the following criteria:

  1. Excellence in research – 5 points

Nominees will have evidence of significant contributions in the areas of Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology and/or Genetics and a strong record of research (as defined by – but not limited to – the typical tri-council metrics) in a field of molecular biosciences which demonstrates clearly independent thought and originality.

Significant contributions can include (but are not limited to) peer-reviewed publications, presentations, intellectual property, other knowledge translation activities, etc., Awards, degrees, credentials, etc., clinical practice, policy development, specialized training, strategic employment positions, etc.

  1. Demonstration of leadership – 5 points

Nominees must demonstrate their commitment to science leadership within the broader community, such as, but not limited to, mentorship, advocacy work, science communication and outreach.

Evidence for excellence in science leadership can include (but is not limited to) academic leadership in science concomitant with their career stage.  Examples of leadership activities include (but not be limited) to engagements as a trainee or early career researcher in communities of practice (e.g. science societies at the institutional, regional, national or international level), sustained engagement with policymakers (local, provincial, federal) and decision making bodies (e.g. serving and contributing to boards and councils in a capacity as a scientific leader, serving on advisory committees to government, industry, education, policy-makers in a capacity as an expert scientist, etc.)

(2) Eligibility

Nominees must have at least 4 but not greater than 7 years of independent research experience at the time of application. Time taken for leaves (parental, family, relocation, etc.) will not count towards the 7-year total and should be noted accordingly. The nominee must have lived in Canada and worked at a Canadian research institute for the last 4 to 7 years in an independent investigator position. CSMB acknowledges that the best research comes from a richly diverse community and, therefore, encourages applications from women and members of under-represented groups. The nominee and nominator do not need to be members of CSMB.

(3) Nomination process

It is preferred that the nominator is at a higher professional rank than the nominee. Self-nominations will also be considered.

Nominations shall consist of

  • a letter from a nominator familiar with the nominee’s work, which summarizes the originality and significance of the nominee’s research and leadership contributions, as well as pertinent biographic data, plus a copy of
  • the nominee’s curriculum vitae.

If the nominator puts forward more than one nominee, then the nominator needs to rank order the nominees.

The awardee will deliver a lecture at the CSMB Annual Conference and submit a manuscript or review of their related work/career path for publication in the journals Biochemistry and Cell Biology or Genome and in the CSMB Bulletin. Awardees are encouraged to become CSMB members.

Updated 2021-06-11

Previous winners of this award

1966 G.H. Dixon

1968 J.F. Henderson

1970 C.M. Kay

1971 B.G. Lane

1972 J.H. Spencer

1973 J. Himms-Hagen

1974 D.H. MacLennan

1975 W.W-C. Chan

1976 M.C. Ganoza

1977 K.J. Dorrington

1978 I.C.P. Smith

1979 M.N.G. James

1980 W.A. Bridger

1981 W.F. Doolittle

1982 B.D. Sykes

1983 J. Greenblatt

1984 R. Nazar

1985 T.W. Mack

1986 P.R. Cullis

1987 S. Grinstein

1988 R. MacGillivray

1989 K.B. Storey

1990 M.P. Walsh

1991 G. Chaconas

1992 A. Klip

1993 S. Pelech

1994 D.B. Williams, H.Vogel

1995 R.O. Ryan

1996 L. Kay

1997 M. Bouvier

1998 D. Clarke

1999 M. Tyers

2000 A. Veillette

2001 N. Strynadka

2002 J. Wrana

2003 C. Boone

2004 R. Wozniak

2005 M. Glover, E. Brown

2006 J. Casey

2007 M. Marra

2008 F. Sicheri

2009 M. Bhatia

2010  S. Muthuswamy

2011 G. Ferbeyre

2012 J. Brumell

2013  P. Roux

2014 John Rubinstein

 2018 Katey Rayner
2019 Jonathan Schertzer 2020 Greg Fairn
 2021 Jean-Philippe Julien


Previous winners of this award

The GSC Young Scientist Award was first given in 1987

 

1987 Hilliker, A.J.

1988 None Given

1989 Golding, G.B.

1990 Bonen, L.

1991 Haughn, G.W.

1992 Brock, H.W.

1993 Sokolowski, M.M.

1994 Ritland, K.

1995 Evans, D.H.

1996 Rosenberg, Susan M.

1997McDermid, Heather

1998 Lasko, Paul

1999 Rancourt, Derrick E.

2000 Boulianne, Gabrielle

2001 Hudson, Thomas

2002 Scherer, S.

 

 

 

In 2003 the award was renamed the Robert Haynes Young Scientist Award

2003 Chippindale, Adam

2004 Bulman, Dennis E.

2005 Xu, J.P.

2006 Steward, Bryan

2007 Agrawal, Aneil

2008 Kassen, Rees

2009  none given

2010 Gregory, Ryan

2013  Masse, Eric

2014 Bachand, Francois

 2015  Luigi Bouchard