Sylvain Charbonneau appointed President and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation
26 June 2024 - 1:00AM
Dr. Ingrid J. Pickering, Chair of the Board of the Canada
Foundation for Innovation (CFI), is pleased to announce the
appointment of Dr. Sylvain Charbonneau as the sixth President and
CEO of the CFI. Dr. Charbonneau succeeds Dr. Roseann O’Reilly
Runte, who has served as the CFI’s President and CEO since August
2017.
“Sylvain Charbonneau is highly regarded in the research
community both in Canada and abroad,” said Dr. Pickering. “With
extensive experience in many areas of Canada’s research and
innovation ecosystem, he is well positioned to champion the mandate
of the CFI.”
Dr. Charbonneau comes to the CFI from the University of Ottawa
where he has held the role of Vice-President, Research and
Innovation, since 2017. During his tenure at the university, Dr.
Charbonneau promoted interdisciplinary research across Canada and
helped create a dynamic environment that attracted outstanding
researchers and partners from the academic, public, hospital and
private sectors. Most recently, he led the academic team in
securing the largest capital investment in the university’s history
— the Advanced Medical Research Centre — which will catalyze
discoveries in health-care treatment and support their
commercialization.
“As a former researcher, entrepreneur and leader in research
administration, Dr. Charbonneau will facilitate collaboration among
various sectors to ensure our researchers continue to have access
to state-of-the-art research infrastructure,” added Dr.
Pickering.
Dr. Charbonneau holds an MSc in physics from the University of
Ottawa and a PhD in Photonics and Semiconductor Physics from Simon
Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C. Before joining the University of
Ottawa in 2013 as Associate Vice-President, Research, he worked at
the Institute for Microstructural Sciences at the National Research
Council (NRC) for more than 20 years.
During his time at NRC, he was an adjunct professor at six
Canadian universities, trained several graduate students, published
more than 180 papers and filed numerous patents. Along with three
colleagues, he also co-founded a spin-off company — Optenia Inc. —
that focused on novel optical communications technology.
The CFI Board made the appointment after an extensive search
assisted by an independent consulting firm. Dr. Charbonneau
will begin his new role at the CFI on October 1, 2024.
The CFI Board of Directors wishes to thank Dr. Runte for her
outstanding leadership over the past seven years.
“Dr. Runte brought curiosity, passion and ingenuity to work with
her every day,” said Dr. Pickering. “Under her leadership, the CFI
secured ongoing funding for research infrastructure, increased its
international profile and launched new funds that support Canada’s
biomanufacturing and life sciences strategy and research in and for
the North. She also spearheaded a new strategic plan that builds on
the country’s strengths, inspires the next generation of
innovators, and stresses the importance of conducting research that
benefits all Canadians.”
About the Canada Foundation for Innovation
With a bold, future-looking mandate, the Canada Foundation for
Innovation equips researchers to be global leaders in their field
and to respond to emerging challenges. Our investments in
state-of-the-art tools, instruments and facilities at universities,
colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions
underpin both curiosity- and mission-driven research that cuts
across disciplines and bridges all sectors. The research
infrastructure we fund mobilizes knowledge, spurs innovation and
commercialization, and empowers the talented minds of a new
generation.
Contacts
Sara FrizzellMedia Relations and Social Media SpecialistCanada
Foundation for Innovation613-943-2580
sara.frizzell@innovation.ca