Université de Montréal will welcome two renowned scientists through the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada program. Epidemiologist Sheryl Magzamen and physical chemist Patrick Charbonneau will strengthen research at UdeM in fields ranging from environmental health to artificial intelligence and complex materials.
Formerly known as the Canada Impact+ Research Chairs program, Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs are a federal initiative designed to attract scientists based abroad whose work addresses high-priority national and global issues. With a billion-dollar budget, the program provides long-term funding to build teams, forge partnerships and apply research findings.
“In a highly competitive international environment, this program creates a wonderful opportunity to recruit leading scientists in their respective fields and enrich our research and education ecosystem,” said Vincent Poitou, UdeM's vice-rector for research and innovation. “We are delighted to welcome two exceptional researchers from the first round of the competition.”
Understanding the links between environment and health
Until recently a professor of epidemiology at Colorado State University, Sheryl Magzamen studies the effects of the environment on health, particularly in populations highly exposed to environmental risks. Her work focuses on air pollution, wildfire smoke, chronic respiratory diseases, cumulative environmental exposures and children’s health.
Magzamen is also interested in environmental justice and ways to make schools healthier and more sustainable. Her approach is rooted in the One Health philosophy, which views human health, animal health and ecosystem health as interconnected.
Magzamen favours interdisciplinary research conducted in partnership with communities. Affected individuals, local organizations and public-health officials participate in identifying problems and developing solutions. She has collaborated on projects supported by NASA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
To learn more about her background and research, read UdeMNouvelles’ interview with Sheryl Magzamen.
Modelling complex behaviours
Patrick Charbonneau, a professor of physics and chemistry at Duke University, will join the Department of Physics at UdeM in 2027. His research focuses on complex systems in which a large number of simple components interact, generating emergent behaviours that are difficult to predict from the individual components.
Charbonneau is interested in disordered materials, glass, the jamming transition, soft matter and protein self-assembly. He combines theory, numerical simulations and machine-learning methods to understand systems with multiple interactions that complicate modelling.
Charbonneau’s work on protein crystallization contributed to the creation of MARCO (Machine Recognition of Crystallization Outcomes), a deep learning system developed in collaboration with Google and the pharmaceutical industry. MARCO automates analysis of images produced in crystallization experiments, a crucial step for studying protein structures and supporting biomedical research.
To learn more about his career and research, read UdeMNouvelles’ interview with Patrick Charbonneau.
Recruiting young talent
In the coming months, UdeM will also recruit early-career researchers under the Impact+ Canada Emerging Leaders program to lead independent, innovative research programs.
These researchers will contribute their expertise and leadership to help build the next generation of researchers, foster interdisciplinary collaborations and advance work likely to have tangible benefits for society.
