CIFAR ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT2010 - 2011

OUR MISSION:To lead the world in framing and answering complex

questions at the frontiers of human knowledge.

OUR VISION:To create knowledge that enriches human life,

improves understanding of the world, and advances the research community in Canada.

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2 Executive Summary

15 Chapter One: Introduction

19 Chapter Two: Programs and Research

89 Chapter Three: Advancement

94 Chapter Four: Communications

96 Chapter Five: Finance, Governance and Administration

99 Chapter Six: Annual Corporate Plan for 2011/2012

113 Appendix A: CIFAR Program Members

125 Appendix B: External Peer Review Process and Criteria

130 Appendix C: Advisory Committee Members by Region

132 Appendix D: Research Council Members

133 Appendix E: CIFAR Program Member Appointments

137 Appendix F: CIFAR Junior Fellows Appointed in 2010/2011

142 Appendix G: Descriptions of Major Awards Received by CIFAR Program Members in 2010 and 2011

148 Appendix H: Fact Sheet for all CIFAR Programs in Combination, 2010/2011

160 Appendix I: CIFAR Board of Directors

CIFAR Annual Performance Report 10-11

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report summarizes CIFAR’s activities and

accomplishments from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011

(the 2010/2011 fiscal year). Its intended audiences

are the CIFAR Board of Directors, Research Council,

program members and staff, as well as external

stakeholders such as private sector donors, the

Canadian federal and provincial governments and the

Canadian research community.

The report highlights the year’s progress toward

meeting the five major goals and related five-year

objectives set in the Institute’s Strategic Plan for 2007-

2012, in relation to a specific implementation program

laid out for 2010/2011 within the Plan. The report also

reviews the outcomes and results from the Institute’s

Annual Corporate Plan for the period.

The goals of the CIFAR Strategic Plan guided many

of CIFAR’s initiatives in 2010/2011. This executive

summary begins by highlighting the progress made

toward these goals. Then, as CIFAR’s core business is

its advanced research portfolio, key research activities

are summarized with a focus on the core of this

portfolio, twelve long-term programs of research.

The summary concludes with a review of the Institute’s

activities related to advancement, communications,

financial performance, administration and governance.

I. Introduction

The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) is a private, non-profit organization

committed to the creation of knowledge at the frontiers of our understanding of the world,

advancing Canada’s research community, and fuelling innovation. The Institute enables

the best Canadian researchers to work on international research teams uniquely designed

to transform their fields of study.

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TABLE 1:

CIFAR Strategic Goals and 2010/2011 Objectives

II. Priorities and Strategic Objectives for 2010/2011

CIFAR’s Strategic Plan for 2007-2012 comprises five goals, and the Corporate Plan

for 2010/2011 identified numerous specific objectives in support of each strategic

goal. These goals and objectives are summarized in the following table.

GOALS OBJECTIVES

RESEARCHExpand and enhance

CIFAR research:

build programs,

extend and expand global reach,

develop the model

• Conductprogramreviews:C&G, IMB, GN, SIIWB.

• RefineandbroadlyimplementKnowledgeTransferstrategy.

• Conductongoingsearches(2-3).

• Expandinternationalparticipation.

• ConductareviewofCIFAR’sbodyofresearchinquantumphysics,

using it to understand how best to support CIFAR’s engagement in this

important area, and develop insight into how to conduct a broader review

of CIFAR’s body of research.

YOUNG RESEARCHERSSupport, celebrate and build capacity in

gifted young researchers, particularly in

Canada

• Promotewidelywithinthenationalandinternationalresearch

community.

• Maintain“steadystate”of24YoungResearchers(JuniorFellows)ineach

of ’10/11 and ’11/12.

• Implementnewcompensationandapplicationsystemasapprovedby

Board in February 2010.

POSITIONINGPosition CIFAR to benefit Canada within

the global research community

• Trackresultsofpositioningactivitiesandrespond.

• ConsolidatetheresultsoftheinvestigationsperformedinIndia,China

and Europe, with the focus on strengthening developing relationships

with key institutions.

ORGANIZATIONDevelop the 2012 CIFAR organization:

capabilities, capacity, international reach

• Ensuresuccessionplansareinplace:’10/11.

• Implementplanfororganizationrenewalandmanageplannedturnover:

’11/12.

• Commencedevelopmentofthestrategicplanfor2012-2017.

• OngoingsearchforinternationalBoard/ResearchCouncilmembers.

FINANCIALEstablish stable and balanced funding

capable of sustaining growth

• Developafive-yearfinancialplanfor2012-2017basedonlevelofprivate

funding success and status of public support.

• OntarioRenewal–$2M

• QuebecProposal–$500K

• CapitalCampaign–$6.65Mof$90M

• Project2012-2017operatingexpensesof$16Mto$20M.

• Expandsupport.Actonassessmentofinternationalfundingpotential.

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(a) Research Objectives

CIFAR’s primary mechanism for ensuring excellence

of its programs is the peer-review assessment of each

program and its membership every five years by a

team of outstanding international researchers. In

2010/2011, CIFAR conducted peer reviews of three

programs: Genetic Networks, Social Interactions, Identity

and Well-Being and Integrated Microbial Biodiversity.

The reviews of Genetic Networks and Social Interactions,

Identity and Well-Being found these programs to be

placing Canada at the forefront of research in their

respective areas of focus. They have been subsequently

renewed by the CIFAR Board of Directors, based

on the recommendation of the Institute’s Research

Council. The findings and outcomes of the Integrated

Microbial Biodiversity review, held in late June 2011,

will be reported next year. CIFAR also organized two

reviews to take place in the fall of 2011: Cosmology and

Gravity and Successful Societies.

Planning is underway for a foresight planning exercise

with respect to CIFAR’s quantum physics research

portfolio, comprised of the programs in Quantum

Materials, Quantum Information Processing and

Nanoelectronics. A quantum physics winter institute

was held in 2010/2011, in which members of all three

programs and invited guests explored several areas of

overlapping research interest. In the spring of 2012,

each of the three quantum physics programs will be

peer-reviewed by separate review panels, according

to CIFAR’s normal rigorous method and criteria. A

fourth distinguished international review team with

representation from all the major areas of quantum

physics will then be asked to provide a higher-level

perspective and an overview survey of ongoing activity

across the entire field, identifying the main unsolved

fundamental problems for the next decade. At the end

of this process, CIFAR will have in hand independent

assessments that address both the quality of its

existing quantum physics programs and a broader

assessment of the potential impact of this effort over

the next five to ten years.

CIFAR is developing a strategic plan for a more

coherentKnowledgeMobilization(KMb)effort.Over

theyear,theInstituteconductedseveralKMbactivities

andcompletedaKMbframeworkandimplementation

strategy, with roll out expected in 2011/2012.

The Institute continued its Explorations effort,

organizing one workshop in Astrobiology, two

workshops in Human-Environment Interactions

and several workshop planning meetings for its

Humanities Initiative, Belonging Differently.

CIFAR continued to strengthen its international

engagement. The fraction of researchers involved

in CIFAR programs from international institutions

remains in excess of 40 per cent, and the Institute held

programmeetingsintheUnitedKingdom,Italyand

the United States. Senior staff engaged with research

institutions in Israel, Japan and Singapore, identifying

a number of possible mechanisms for strengthening

CIFAR’s engagement with the best researchers in

these countries.

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(b)YoungResearcherObjectives

The highest CIFAR priority in support of early-career

researchers is the development of the Junior Fellow

Academy. The Academy neared its full complement

of approximately two dozen outstanding early career

researchers, and launched a new web-based application

system that streamlined the selection and interview

process for the final candidates.

(c) Positioning Objectives

The Institute followed up on several of its international

initiatives in 2010/2011. Members of the Chinese

Academy of Sciences Institute of Physics attended

CIFAR meetings in fall 2010, and a group of Japanese

researchers in advanced material development

collaborated with the Quantum Materials program to

host a workshop in Vancouver in spring 2011.

(d) Organization Objectives

The Institute reorganized its Advancement and

Communications effort, by creating separate

Departments of Advancement and Communications,

with a vice-president in charge of each. This allowed

for significant improvements in the quality and

effectiveness of CIFAR’s communications and

advancement efforts. The reorganization enabled the

Advancement team to focus on the annual and capital

campaigns, and enabled a revitalized communications

effort. Specific outcomes include a completely

redesigned web site featuring more content of relevance

to the Institute’s key stakeholders, as well as a Next Big

Question event in May 2011 that brought together three

ofCIFAR’skeyresearcherson“identity”toengagewith

an audience of close to 200 people.

(e) Financial Objectives

The Institute developed a new Strategic Plan for the

2012-2017 period, encompassing four strategic goals

and an associated five-year financial plan. The Institute

was successful in meeting its 2010/2011 annual

fundraising targets, with renewal of support from the

Province of Ontario and private sector donors. Overall,

fundraising results were up 15 per cent from the

previousyear,withtotaldonationsof$3,078,746from

the private sector.

The Capital/Endowment Campaign was very active in

2010/2011. Many new prospects were qualified and

approached, with positive responses in many cases.

The initial results of this campaign will be available in

the 2011/2012 Annual Performance Report.

With a large number of multi-year pledges to renew,

the annual campaign was focused on stewardship and

renewal of long-time supporters.

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(a) Research Highlights

The primary goal of CIFAR’s activities is to support

the creation of knowledge at the frontiers of human

understanding. The Institute’s twelve programs

have resulted in several dozen significant research

achievements–asidentifiedbytheresearchprogram

directors–inthe2010/2011year.Althoughitisa

difficulttask,ifnotinvidious,toselecta“shortlist”

of the most important research outcomes, a sample

offourcompelling“researchhighlights”illustratethe

short-term results of CIFAR’s body of research. A fuller

selection of highlights is provided in Chapter Two of

the report.

A team of researchers in the Experience-based Brain

and Biological Development (EBBD) program, led

by Marla Sokolowski (University of Toronto) and

Michael Meaney (McGill University), along with other

collaborators, showed that adverse experiences either

early in a mother’s life or during pregnancy coupled

with variations in specific genes can affect how she

responds to her infant. The team found that mothers

with a history of child abuse who had a specific form

of a serotonin transporter gene felt a lower degree of

attachment to their infants compared with mothers

with the same form of the gene and no history of

child abuse or mothers with the more protective

form of the gene. A similar finding was also found

with rat mothers. This study points to the important

work EBBD members are doing in helping us to

better understand how genes and environment work

together to impact development. It also points out

how childhood experiences shape mental and physical

health in adulthood.

Two members of the Institutions, Organizations and

Growth program, Timothy Besley (London School

of Economics) and Torsten Persson (Stockholm

University), completed a book entitled Pillars of

Prosperity: The Political Economics of Development

Clusters, published by Princeton University

Press in 2011. The work provides a unified way of

understanding what makes an effective state. In

particular, by using the tools of modern political

economics, and by combining economic theory with

an overview of relevant data, the researchers are able

toexplaintheexistenceof“developmentclusters”–

places that tend to combine effective state institutions,

the absence of political violence, and high per-capita

incomes. They relate their ideas to the pillars of

prosperity identified by Adam Smith a quarter of a

millennium ago. Drs. Besley and Persson show that

countries tend to enjoy all three pillars of prosperity

when they have evolved cohesive political institutions

that promote common interests, guaranteeing the

provision of public goods. They also show, in line with

much historical research, how international conflict

may serve as an important force behind effective

states by fostering common interests. The absence of

common interests and/or cohesive political institutions

can explain the existence of fragile states that are

plagued by poverty, violence, and weak state capacity.

III. Programs and Research

CIFAR’s research portfolio centres around twelve research programs, each of

them five years in duration and involving an average of 25 to 30 researchers.

We present some of the research highlights and summarize the other activities

in support of the research portfolio.

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A team of Quantum Materials program members

continued to shed light on how copper oxide materials,

or cuprates, become superconductors when cooled to a

certain critical temperature. Louis Taillefer (University

of Sherbrooke), Doug Bonn, Walter Hardy and Ruixing

Liang (all University of British Columbia) and Cyril

Proust (Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques

Intenses–Toulouse)madeamajorbreakthroughin

2007 when they discovered that electrons in a specific

cuprate superconductor, yttrium barium copper oxide

(YBCO),undergoaprofoundtransformationoftheir

metallic state as they enter the superconducting state.

This year, this team found that this phenomenon

results from the electrons forming a wave-like pattern

ofelectroncharges,orwhatisknownas“stripeorder”.

The implication is that stripe order likely plays a key

role in controlling the critical temperature at which

superconductivity occurs. The work was published in

Nature Communications in 2011.

Fellow Alex Haslam (University of Exeter) of the Social

Interactions, Identity and Well-Being (SIIWB) program,

with collaborators Catherine Haslam (University of

Exeter) and Jolanda Jetten (UniversityofQueensland),

completed an edited research monograph entitled The

Social Cure: Identity, Health and Well-Being. The book

grew out of earlier work that suggested that being part of

social networks enhances people’s resilience in the face

of difficult life changes. The Social Cure contains chapters

by five SIIWB program members, bringing together

the latest research showing how group memberships,

and the associated social identities, determine

people’s health and well-being. It provides a variety

of perspectives from clinical, social, organizational,

and applied fields that offer theoretical and empirical

insights into these processes and their consequences,

an approach that reflects the strongly interdisciplinary

nature of this research. The contributions present

an analysis of core theoretical issues that explain

how social identities and related factors (such as

social support and a sense of community) bolster an

individual’s sense of self and contribute to his or her

physical and mental health. The book also outlines

practical strategies that can maintain and enhance

well-being, particularly among vulnerable populations.

A more complete overview of the results arising from

CIFAR’s research programs is provided in Chapter

Two of the report. These four examples, however,

highlight the effectiveness of the CIFAR research

model, which fosters deep collaborations between

outstanding researchers in Canada and other parts of

the world.

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(b)ExploringNewResearchQuestions

CIFAR maintains an active search and exploration

processfornew“bigquestions,”usingvariousforms

of input from its stakeholders. The Institute hosted

efforts in four areas during 2010/2011: Astrobiology–

the understanding of how life may have evolved on

other planets both in our solar system and around

other stars; Human-Environment Interactions–the

role that environment and climate played in human

migrations over the last 10,000 years (the Holocene);

Cellular Decision-Making–themechanismsusedby

cells to determine how energies are directed toward

specific functions; and Humanities–thenatureof

advanced research in the humanities and how CIFAR

identifies and supports it.

CIFAR held a second Astrobiology workshop in October

2010, which brought together leading researchers in

Canada and abroad to focus on a key question: if life

does exist elsewhere, how would we discover it? The

Institute also held two workshops focused on the topic

of Human-Environment Interactions, bringing together

an outstanding group of 20 researchers to address

the core questions surrounding how human hunter-

gatherer societies developed across the globe as a

result of biophysical and climate changes.

Both the Cellular Decision-Making and Humanities

efforts were focused on planning for events to be

held in the upcoming year. Two specific projects are

being developed in the latter case, known as Belonging

Differently and Beyond Human, each led by a team of

outstanding humanists. The former effort is further

along, and is actively developing a unique week-long

workshop in August 2012. Bringing together 20

humanities scholars from Canada and around the

world, it will focus on the historic configurations in

literature, in law, in religion, and in performance

art that illumine how plural communities can live

together.

(c)KnowledgeMobilizationandInternational Engagement

TheInstituteheldtwoKnowledgeMobilization(KMb)

efforts in 2010/2011, both co-sponsored with other

organizations. The first event featured a CIFAR

economist, Daniel Diermeier from Northwestern

University and CIFAR’s Institutions, Organizations

and Growth program, the senior deputy governor

of the Bank of Canada, and the former clerk of the

Privy Council discussing how organizations respond

to and manage crisis. Drawing on recent events,

such as the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the 2008

economic crisis, they illustrated the challenges faced

by organizations trying to respond to such dynamic

events.IncollaborationwiththeYorkUniversity

Hennick Centre for Law and Society and the Bank

of Montreal, an afternoon event with a large public

audience was followed by a meeting with a select group

of senior business leaders.

CIFARalsoheldaKMbeventinOttawa,partnering

with the Royal Society of Canada, which brought

epidemiologist Clyde Hertzman into an intimate

discussion with decision-makers from health and

social services organizations. A member of the

Experience-based Brain and Biological Development

and Successful Societies programs, Dr. Hertzman

summarized the most recent research on the impact

of early childhood support on longer-term health and

prosperity outcomes.

The Institute continued to strengthen its international

engagement through numerous initiatives, such

as co-sponsoring a May 2011 workshop in advanced

material development between leading Japanese

researchers and Quantum Materials program members

in Vancouver. Visits to leading research institutions

in Japan and Singapore were made to identify other

opportunities for extended international collaboration.

Over 80 international researchers were invited to

attend CIFAR program meetings over the year. 44 per

cent of CIFAR program members and advisors are

from outside of Canada.

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(d) Membership and Appointments into Programs

In addition to the above initiatives, CIFAR continued

its work in catalyzing and nurturing collaboration and

creating new knowledge in its core innovative research

programs. During the past year, 323 researchers from

across Canada and around the world participated in

CIFAR’s programs, and 61 eminent scholars contributed

as advisory committee members.

In 2010/2011, CIFAR continued to focus on its

overarching goals of adhering to the highest standards of

research excellence, building interdisciplinary research

strengths in Canada, and enhancing opportunities for

interaction and collaboration among researchers. Below

are some highlights:

• New and Departing Program Members: CIFAR

appointed 16 new members in diverse areas of

expertise to six research programs, and seven Junior

Fellows to the Junior Fellow Academy, bringing the

overall total of new member appointments to 23. Of

these, 52 per cent were based in Canada, and 48 per

cent internationally. With funding contributions and

offers of program membership, CIFAR also helped

Canadian universities recruit to their faculties two

new researchers from the United States and to retain

one other in Canada. Finally, 25 researchers were not

renewed as CIFAR program members during the

year, including eight Junior Fellows who completed

their funded terms of appointment.

• New and Departing Program Advisors: CIFAR

appointed two distinguished researchers as new

program advisory committee members. No existing

advisors stepped down from their roles. These

advisory bodies help to monitor and maintain

the excellence of the intellectual directions and

membership of each program.

• Program Member Promotions: Two members

were promoted from Associate or Junior Fellow

status to Scholar status. Scholars are highly

promising young researchers, generally in their

first tenure track faculty appointment as assistant

professors, who are seen to have the potential

to be outstanding researchers, whose work is

deemed relevant to a CIFAR program and whose

intellectual development could benefit from a

close association with the program.

• Program Meetings and Co-sponsored Workshops:

CIFAR organized 24 program meetings, including

one meeting of the Junior Fellow Academy; and

co-sponsored three special topic workshops, which

provided additional opportunities for researchers

to interact in mainly interdisciplinary groups.

• Program Student Schools: CIFAR fully funded

three student-organized summer schools. Two

focused on Quantum Materials and Neural

Computation and Adaptive Perception, respectively;

the third was a joint school bringing together

students from Nanoelectronics, Quantum

Information Processing and Quantum Materials. The

Institute also co-sponsored five additional summer

schools in Astrobiology and Quantum Information

Processing. Summer schools continue to be one of

the mechanisms by which CIFAR provides direct

support for early-career researchers.

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(a) Fundraising Results

Againstanannualcampaigngoalof$2.7million,

CIFARraisedatotalof$2,591,746.45(notincluding

Capital Campaign gifts) from 216 private sector donors

in 2010/2011. This represents a decrease of 2.9 per

cent in revenue and a decrease of 9.6 per cent in the

number of donors compared to the previous year.

Including Capital Campaign gifts, CIFAR raised a total

of$3,078,746.45from218donorsin2010/2011.This

represents an increase of 15 per cent in revenue and

a decrease of 8.8 per cent in the number of donors

compared to the previous year. Public sector support

from the Government of Canada and three provinces,

including Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia,

totaled$9,600,000.

CIFAR continued to solicit event attendees for

first-time gifts. Fundraising messaging focused

on the value CIFAR adds to the Canadian research

community, as well as the country’s knowledge

economy. Stewardship activities in 2010/2011 included:

twice annual researcher thank you letters, sending

copies of books by program members/directors to

select donors, providing research updates on relevant

programs, events featuring world-class researchers, and

one-on-one meetings.

(b) Capital/Endowment Campaign

A campaign strategy and plan were developed and

refined and a financial model also was developed

to support our fundraising strategy. Work with the

Campaign Chair and campaign cabinet continued.

Initial cultivation and solicitation meetings were held

with potential new donors. Cultivation continued with

membersofthe“CIFARfamily”totestthecampaign

strategy and continue the prospect review process

to qualify our top prospects and gather additional

information.

This work resulted in pledge commitments totaling

$4,045,000.Ofthesecommitments,$487,000was

received.

Four campaign priorities also were identified and

tested in ongoing meetings. These are:

• TheInstituteLeadershipFundtosupportCIFAR’s

Board of Directors as they advance big questions of

global significance.

• TheResearchLeadershipFundtosustainandgrow

the global powerhouse of intellectual visionaries

leading the Institute’s research programs.

• TheJuniorFellowAcademyFundtosecurethe

Institute’s capacity to identify, foster and promote

Canada’s future research leaders.

• TheExplorationsFundtoadvancetheInstitute’s

focus on searching out new, important research

areas that will transform their fields of study.

IV. Advancement

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In September 2010, the Advancement and

Communications department was divided into two

departments to focus the Institute’s resources in

support of its mission.

Working with the Advancement and Communications

Committee of the Board, a project was initiated to

develop a communications strategy that identified

CIFAR’s priority target audiences. This work helped us

to understand what motivates different communities

to engage with CIFAR. The Institute also developed

outreach plans to raise the awareness of the Institute

and to drive long-term engagement with and support

for the Institute’s mission and vision. Some highlights

of outreach in 2010/2011 are presented in this section.

(a) www.cifar.ca

The Institute renewed its digital media presence with

an interactive new website that exemplifies CIFAR’s

values of excellence, openness, accountability, and being

proudly Canadian with global reach.

Launched in June 2011, the new website has improved

navigation, greater functionality and more dynamic

content. In order to create a friendlier and richer on-line

experience for CIFAR’s supporters and researchers,

there are new CIFAR research stories, ‘fast facts’ about

each of our research programs and interactive photos

and graphics.

(b)NextBigQuestion2011:Whoareyou?

CIFAR also engaged Canadians through a

comprehensive communications project that explored

the nature of identity and its importance to society.

Profiling the work of three CIFAR researchers in two

different programs, this initiative created a dialogue

between the researchers and CIFAR’s community

through the Institute’s print materials (the 2011 spring

edition of Reach magazine and donor letters), in social

media (e-blasts, Twitter, Facebook) and at a Toronto

event in May 2011.

(c) Institute News

This year brought numerous opportunities to

profile the Institute’s leadership, donors and

accomplishments.

In December 2010, the Institute’s annual report,

titled the Generations edition, was distributed. The

Institute also announced President and CEO Chaviva

Hošek’s decision to retire in June 2012, after more

than ten years at the helm, as well as David Dodge’s

appointment as Chair of the Board.

CIFAR researchers’ accomplishments were widely

profiled in international and Canadian media. The

Institute highlighted these achievements on our

website and in messages on Twitter and Facebook.

The Institute gratefully acknowledged its support from

exceptional individuals, foundations, corporations,

the Government of Canada and the provincial

governments of Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario

on all of the Institute’s print and on-line publications,

its website and in signage and speakers’ remarks at

events throughout the year.

V. Communications

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(a) Overview of Financial Results

Revenue

CIFAR’srevenuetotaled$13.5Mfortheyear,made

upof$2.6Mfromtheprivatesector(19%),$9.6M

fromfourgovernments(71%),$0.5Mfromthecapital

campaign(4%)and$0.8Mininvestmentincome(6%).

The government income was generated as a result of

three previously negotiated funding agreements, and

with the Province of Ontario renewing its funding

agreement during the year on terms similar to

previous arrangements.

Incomedroppednominallyfrom$13.6Min

2009/2010, due mainly to anticipated changes in

provincial funding agreements. Private sector funding

for the annual campaign decreased due to changes in

payment patterns of major donors, while the capital

campaigngeneratedincomeof$.5M.

VI. Finance, Administration and Governance

REVENUE ($000’S): 2010/2011 2009/2010

actual budget actual

Private Sector 2,592 2,650 2,670

Government 9,600 9,600 11,555

Sponsorship - - 206

Capital Campaign 487 - -

Investment and Other 799 875 (782)

13,478 13,125 13,649

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Expenses

CIFARexpensestotaled$16.6M,upfrom$15.7Minthe

prior year, with the bulk of the increase occurring in the

Programs and Research department. Direct program

spendingtotaled$10.7MforCIFAR’stwelveresearch

programs and the Junior Fellow Academy. Other

program initiatives, including knowledge mobilization

and international reach, as well as indirect program

expenses,broughttotalprogramspendingto$13.4M,

or81%ofCIFAR’sactualexpenditures.Thiswas$.9M

higher than the prior year, due mainly to growth in

program activity, including the Junior Fellow Academy.

Non-programspendingof$3.1M,or19%ofactual,was

down nominally over the prior year. While recurring

expenditures on advancement, communications, and

governanceandadministrationwereup$0.3Mfrom

prior year due to a greater scope of activity, this was

offset set by a reduction in non-recurring expenditures

ontheindependentevaluation($.16M)andtheNext

Big Question($.26M)incurredin2009/2010.

EXPENSES ($000’S) 2010/2011 2009/2010

actual budget actual

Program - active 10,741 10,970 9,938

Program - support 2,690 2,870 2,604

13,431 13,840 12,542

Non-program 3,129 3,485 2,780

Independent Evaluation 1 - 158

NextBigQuestion 1 - 258

16,562 17,325 15,738

Balance Sheet

CIFAR concluded the year with a strong balance sheet.

Cashandinvestmentstotaledapproximately$27M,

representedbycash($4.1M),bondportfolios($15.2M)

andanequityportfolio($7.4M).

Thenetassetpositionof$24.3milliondeclinedover

the prior year-end due to a planned operating deficit

of$3.1M.

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(b) Governance

CIFAR had 21 Directors in 2010/2011. The renewal

of CIFAR’s Board of Directors continued this year

with the appointment of two new members. At June

30, 2011, CIFAR’s Board includes five women, four

members from Western Canada, and two members

based internationally (in the United States and United

Kingdom).TheothermembersarefromCentral

Canada. Board members each serve on one of four

Board committees: Governance; Audit and Finance;

Investment; and Advancement and Communications.

A list of the Board of Directors during 2010/2011 is

provided in Appendix I.

(c) Management: Hiring, Staffing and Information Technology

At the beginning of the year, the staff count was 25,

with six positions open. During the year, five of those

positions were filled, and four additional hires occurred

due to retirement and turnover. At June 30, 2011, the

staff count was 33 (30.8 FTE’s), up from 31 (29.2 FTE’s)

a year earlier.

During 2010/2011, CIFAR undertook an organizational

effectiveness exercise in order to clarify roles and

responsibilities across the organization. Terms of

reference for all committees were reviewed and

membership was revised to reflect the updated

organizational structure.

During the year, a review of requirements for users

of all accounting reports was conducted, resulting

in an upgrade to the accounting software. A review

of the requirements for the public website also was

conducted, resulting in a change in management of

the website from an external provider to a site that is

managed in-house.

(d) Compliance Audit

During the year, CIFAR was subject to a compliance

audit by the firm Marcil Lavallee. The overall findings

related to the 2009/2010 fiscal year were positive, and

it confirmed that the Canadian Institute for Advanced

Research was in compliance with all material aspects of

the funding agreement between CIFAR and Industry

Canada. The auditor made four recommendations. A

management response to these recommendations was

complete and actions on those recommendations were

underway by June 2011.

15

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR)

is a private, non-profit organization committed to

the creation of knowledge at the frontiers of our

understanding of the world, increasing Canadian

research capacity in areas of importance to Canada and

strengthening the Canadian research environment

through the promotion of excellence and engagement

with the international research community.

Founded in 1982 on a groundbreaking research model,

CIFAR has established a prestigious reputation for

creating international, interdisciplinary research teams

that transform their fields of study by searching out

and studying globally important research questions.

The Institute’s track record of creating knowledge

breakthroughs, advancing Canada’s research leaders, and

fuelling innovation accelerates Canada’s competitiveness

andcomplementsthe“bricksandmortar”ofCanada’s

research institutions and infrastructure.

I. Introduction to CIFAR

This report summarizes CIFAR’s activities and

accomplishments during the 2010/2011 fiscal year, from

July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. We highlight progress

made toward meeting the five major goals and related

five-year objectives set in the Institute’s Strategic Plan

for 2007-2012, in relation to a specific implementation

program laid out for 2010/2011 within the Plan. The

report also reviews the outcomes and results from the

Institute’s Annual Corporate Plan for the period.

We present the year’s achievements in chapters

representing CIFAR’s major operational activities:

Programs and Research, Advancement, Communications,

and Finance, Governance and Administration. An

additional chapter provides CIFAR’s 2011/2012 Annual

Corporate Plan, together with a summary of the

organization’s five key goals, associated objectives and

implementation plan for the same period. The final

chapter provides the appendices referenced within

the report.

II. Organization of Annual Performance Report

16

(a) Research Objectives

CIFAR’s primary mechanism for ensuring excellence

of its programs is the peer-review assessment of each

program and its membership every five years by a team

of outstanding international researchers. In 2010/2011,

CIFAR conducted peer reviews of three programs:

Genetic Networks, Social Interactions, Identity and Well-

Being and Integrated Microbial Biodiversity. The reviews of

Genetic Networks and Social Interactions, Identity and Well-

Being found these programs to be placing Canada at the

forefront of research in their respective areas of focus.

They have been subsequently renewed by the CIFAR

Board of Directors, based on the recommendation of the

Institute’s Research Council. The findings and outcomes

of the Integrated Microbial Biodiversity review, held in

late June 2011, will be reported next year. CIFAR also

organized two reviews to take place in the fall of 2011:

Cosmology and Gravity and Successful Societies.

Planning is underway for a foresight planning exercise

with respect to CIFAR’s quantum physics research

portfolio, comprised of the programs in Quantum

Materials, Quantum Information Processing and

Nanoelectronics. A quantum physics winter institute

was held in 2010/2011, in which members of all three

programs and invited guests explored several areas of

overlapping research interest. In the spring of 2012,

each of the three quantum physics programs will be

peer-reviewed by separate review panels, according

to CIFAR’s normal rigorous method and criteria. A

fourth distinguished international review team with

representation from all the major areas of quantum

physics will then be asked to provide a higher-level

perspective and an overview survey of ongoing activity

across the entire field, identifying the main unsolved

fundamental problems for the next decade. At the end

of this process, CIFAR will have in hand independent

assessments that address both the quality of its

existing quantum physics programs and a broader

assessment of the potential impact of this effort over

the next five to ten years.

CIFAR is developing a strategic plan for a more

coherentKnowledgeMobilization(KMb)effort.Over

theyear,theInstituteconductedseveralKMbactivities

andcompletedaKMbframeworkandimplementation

strategy, with roll out expected in 2011/2012.

The Institute continued its Explorations effort,

organizing one workshop in Astrobiology, two

workshops in Human-Environment Interactions

and several workshop planning meetings for its

Humanities Initiative, Belonging Differently.

CIFAR continued to strengthen its international

engagement. The fraction of researchers involved

in CIFAR programs from international institutions

remains in excess of 40 per cent, and the Institute

heldprogrammeetingsintheUnitedKingdom,Italy

and the United States. Senior staff engaged with

research institutions in Israel, Japan and Singapore,

identifying a number of possible mechanisms for

strengthening CIFAR’s engagement with the best

researchers in these countries.

III. Priorities and Strategic Objectives for 2010/2011

The table on the next page summarizes CIFAR’s strategic goals and objectives for 2007-2012

and the implementation plan for the 2010/2011 fiscal year.

In this section, we bring together the key results that marked the fulfillment of our objectives

for the year. All of these results and more are elaborated in the chapters of this report.

17

2007-2012 GOALS

2007-2012 OBJECTIVES 2010/2011 OBJECTIVES

RESEARCHExpand and enhance

CIFAR research: build

programs, extend and

expand global reach,

develop the model

• 2-3newProgramsby’11/12,targetsocialsciences/

humanities (ongoing search process)

• ExternalPeerReviewofPrograms:3in’07/08;2in

’08/09; 2 in ’09/10; 3 in ’10/11

• Expandparticipationofinternationalresearchersby

5%by’08/09,and5%by’10/11

• Enhance/extendmodel’10

• IntroduceKnowledgeTransfer(KT)’07/08.Expand

’08-’10. Deliver 3 to 5 important outcomes ’09-’12

• ExternalreviewofCIFARbodyofresearch’11

• Conductprogramreviews:C&G, IMB, GN,

SIIWB.

• RefineandbroadlyimplementKnowledge

Transfer strategy.

• Conductongoingsearches(2-3).

• Expandinternationalparticipation.

• ConductareviewofCIFAR’sbodyof

research in quantum physics, using it to

understand how best to support CIFAR’s

engagement in this important area, and

develop insight into how to conduct a

broader review of CIFAR’s body of research.

YOUNG RESEARCHERS

Support, celebrate and

build capacity in gifted

young researchers,

particularly in Canada

• LaunchCIFARYoungResearchers(YR)program’08;

achievesteadystateof30YRsby2010

• Launchinternational/nationalYoungResearcher

Virtual Academy ’09/10

• TrackYoungResearchersVirtualAcademymembers

(careers, data base, etc.) ’09/10 ongoing

• Promotewidelywithinthenationaland

international research community.

• Maintain“steadystate”of24Young

Researchers (Junior Fellows) in each of ’10/11

and ’11/12.

• Implementnewcompensationand

application system as approved by Board in

February 2010.

POSITIONINGPosition CIFAR to

benefit Canada within

the global research

community

• Determinebaseyearpositioning’08;trackbiannually

and respond ’10, ’12

• Delivermajorannualoutreach’08through’12

• Exploreconceptofsignatureproject/document’08

• Expandnationalandinternationalrelationships;+5

institutions’08/09,+5’09/10

• Achieve10significantmentionsinimportantscientific

press, government papers, public media per year

• Trackresultsofpositioningactivitiesand

respond.

• Consolidatetheresultsoftheinvestigations

performed in India, China and Europe,

with the focus on strengthening developing

relationships with key institutions.

ORGANIZATIONDevelop the 2012

CIFAR organization:

capabilities, capacity,

international reach

• Developorganizationalplan’07/08tosupportCIFAR

strategy. Conduct external evaluation ’10

• Hirekeymanagement’08/09,target30FTE’08-12

• Buildcapacitygovernmentrelationsandbroader

public sector ’08/09

• Developsuccessionplan’10/11

• Strengtheninternationalperspective/reach:Boardand

Research Council

• Ensuresuccessionplansareinplace:’10/11.

• Implementplanfororganizationrenewal

and manage planned turnover: ’11/12.

• Commencedevelopmentofthestrategic

plan for 2012-2017.

• OngoingsearchforinternationalBoard/

Research Council members.

FINANCIALEstablish stable

and balanced

funding capable of

sustaining growth

• Shiftpublic:privaterevenue80:20’07/08to70:30

’11/12

• Planforgovernmentfundingrenewalsin’09,’10,’11,

’12

• DeliverCapitalFunding$15M’09/10;$40-$50M’11/12

• Capitalfundingtodeliver10%ofannualrevenueby

2012

• Investigateinternationalrevenueopportunitiesby’11

• Developafive-yearfinancialplanfor

2012-2017 based on level of private funding

success and status of public support.

• OntarioRenewal–$2M

• QuebecProposal–$500K

• CapitalCampaign–$6.65Mof$90M

• Project2012-2017operatingexpensesof

$16Mto$20M.

• Expandsupport.Actonassessmentof

international funding potential.

CIFAR Strategic Plan and 2010/2011 Objectives

18

(b)YoungResearcherObjectives

The highest CIFAR priority in support of early-career

researchers is the development of the Junior Fellow

Academy. The Academy neared its full complement

of approximately two dozen outstanding early career

researchers, and launched a new web-based application

system that streamlined the selection and interview

process for the final candidates.

(c) Positioning Objectives

The Institute followed up on several of its international

initiatives in 2010/2011. Members of the Chinese Academy

of Sciences Institute of Physics attended CIFAR meetings

in fall 2010, and a group of Japanese researchers in

advanced material development collaborated with the

Quantum Materials program to host a workshop in

Vancouver in spring 2011.

(d) Organization Objectives

The Institute reorganized its Advancement and

Communications effort, by creating separate Departments

of Advancement and Communications, with a vice-

president in charge of each. This allowed for significant

improvements in the quality and effectiveness of

CIFAR’s communications and advancement efforts.

The reorganization enabled the Advancement team to

focus on the annual and capital campaigns, and enabled

a revitalized communications effort. Specific outcomes

include a completely redesigned web site featuring more

content of relevance to the Institute’s key stakeholders, as

well as a Next Big Question event in May 2011 that brought

togetherthreeofCIFAR’skeyresearcherson“identity”to

engage with an audience of close to 200 people.

(e) Financial Objectives

The Institute developed a new Strategic Plan for the

2012-2017 period, encompassing four strategic goals and

an associated five-year financial plan. The Institute was

successful in meeting its 2010/2011 annual fundraising

targets, with renewal of support from the Province of

Ontario and private sector donors. Overall, fundraising

results were up 15 per cent from the previous year, with

totaldonationsof$3,078,746fromtheprivatesector.

The Capital/Endowment Campaign was very active

in 2010/2011. Many new prospects were qualified and

approached, with positive responses in many cases.

The initial results of this campaign will be available in

the 2011/2012 Annual Performance Report.

With a large number of multi-year pledges to renew,

the annual campaign was focused on stewardship and

renewal of long-time supporters.

19

CIFAR’s research portfolio is currently focused on twelve

research programs. Each one brings together unusual

and unexpected combinations of researchers from

different fields. The long-term nature of the programs

(five years) provides these diverse groups of experts with

the necessary time to learn each other’s disciplinary

“language”andtodiscoverwaysofintegratingtheir

research methods and focus areas to bridge gaps in

knowledge about broad and complex issues.

The twelve programs, their objectives and the range

of expertise that they embody are presented in this

section. Any new fields and additional representation

in existing fields that were brought into the programs

in 2010/2011 are highlighted.

CHAPTER TWO: PROGRAMS AND RESEARCH

I. Introduction

The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) is a private, non-profit

organization committed to the creation of knowledge at the frontiers of our

understanding of the world, increasing Canadian research capacity in areas of

importance to Canada and strengthening the Canadian research environment

through the promotion of excellence and engagement with the international

research community.

20

CO SMO LOG Y A ND G R AV I T Y

Attempts to tell a comprehensive story of

the structure and evolution of the entire

Universe, from its first moment of existence

to its ultimate fate.

Fields represented include: physical cosmology

(theoretical, experimental and observational), high

energy astrophysics (theoretical and observational),

numerical relativity, particle astrophysics, string theory

E A R TH S Y S T EM E VO LU T I ON

At a time when global warming weighs

heavily on the public consciousness, the

program provides the larger context of how

our world has evolved over hundreds of

millions of years.

Fields represented include: geochemistry,

biogeochemistry, geochronology, geodynamics,

geophysics, glaciology, oceanography, paleobiology,

paleoclimatology, paleogeography, paleoceanography,

planetary science

E X P E R I E N C E - B A S E D B R A I N A N D B I O L O G I C A L D E V E L O P M E N T

Explores the core question of how social

experiences affect developmental biology

and help set early trajectories of lifelong

development and health.

Fields represented include: biological anthropology,

developmental pediatrics, developmental psychobiology,

developmental psychology, behavioural, developmental

and molecular neuroscience, epidemiology, epigenetics,

neurogenetics, primatology, statistics

• AnewAssociateappointmentin2010/2011

provides complementary expertise in

developmental neurogenetics.

G EN E T I C N E TWORK S

Devoted to discovering how genes interact

with one another, research that could identify

the root causes of many complex genetic

diseases, and lead to new treatments and

preventive measures.

Fields represented include: functional genomics,

genetics, computational biophysics, bioinformatics,

systems biology; focusing on yeast, roundworm, mouse

and human genes

21

I N S T I T U T I O N S , O R G A N I Z A T I O N S A N D G R O W T H

Takes an integrated approach to the question

of what makes some countries rich and

others poor, examining the effect of many

types of institutions and organizations on

economic growth.

Fields represented include: economics, history,

political science

• Threenewappointmentsin2010/2011bring

new expertise in behavioural economics and

psychology, as well as additional strength in

political economics.

I N T E G R A T E D M I C R O B I A L B I OD I V E R S I T Y

Explores the diverse microbial world that

surrounds and permeates human life.

Program members are transforming

human understanding of biodiversity, and

changing approaches to medicine and

health, environmental sustainability, and

evolutionary biology itself.

Fields represented include: bioinformatics, microbial

comparative genomics, micropaleontology, molecular

evolution, protistology, virology

N A N O E L E C T R O N I C S

Aims to understand and harness the power of

materials at the nanometre (one billionth of a

metre) scale. This work holds the potential to

create computer circuits orders of magnitude

smaller than those found on today’s

microchips.

Fields represented include: biochemistry, physical

chemistry, biophysics, condensed matter physics

(theoretical and experimental), theoretical mesoscopic

physics, photonics, spintronics, molecular electronics,

bionanoelectronics

• Twonewappointmentsin2010/2011addtothe

program’s range of expertise in experimental

condensed matter physics.

N E U R A L C O M P U T A T I O N A N D A D A P T I V E P E R C E P T I O N

Aims to unlock the mystery of how our brains

convert sensory stimuli into information

and to recreate human-style learning in

computers.

Fields represented include: biology, computer science,

electrical engineering, neuroscience, ophthalmology,

physics, physiology, psychology, statistics

• Theprogramenricheditsrangeofexpertisein

neuroscience, computer science and statistics

through seven new appointments in 2010/2011.

22

QUAN TUM I N F O RMAT I ONP R O C E S S I N G

Unites computer scientists and physicists

in an effort to harness the strange and

fascinating properties of the quantum

world, where the mere act of observing an

object changes its nature, with the aim of

building quantum computers.

Fields represented include: computer science,

mathematics, quantum physics (theoretical and

experimental)

• Theprogramgainednewexpertisein

quantum engineering and increased its

strength in mathematics through two new

appointments this year.

QUAN TUM MAT E R I A L S

Invents and explores materials whose

novel and unusual electronic properties,

like superconductivity, could revolutionize

technology.

Fields represented include: condensed matter

physics (theoretical and experimental), materials

synthesis

• AnewAssociateappointmentin2010/2011

complements the program’s strength in

materials synthesis.

S O C I A L I N T E R A C T I ON S , I D E N T I T YA N D W E L L - B E I N G

Stands on three eponymous pillars of

research. Historically, identity research has

been largely theoretical, and well-being largely

empirical. Social interactions bridges the two,

influencing both identity and well-being.

Fields represented include: economics, public policy,

social psychology, sociology

S U C C E S S F U L S O C I E T I E S

Explores the roots of social inequalities and

asks the question: What makes a society

successful?

Fields represented include: cultural studies,

developmental and organizational psychology,

epidemiology, history, philosophy, political science,

political economics, sociology, social geography

23

CIFAR continues to align annual activities with its five-year strategic plan for

2007-2012. We highlight the Programs and Research-related progress made on a

number of the plan’s key goals in 2010/2011.

• AKnowledgeMobilization(KMb)frameworkand

implementation strategy were completed by year-

end and will be implemented in 2011/2012. CIFAR

alsohostedorco-hostedtwotargetedKMbevents,

which disseminated CIFAR research to leaders in

government, business and industry, NGOs, and

practitioners.

• TheInstitutecontinueditsExplorationseffort,

organizing one workshop in Astrobiology, two

in Human-Environment Interactions and several

planning meetings for its Humanities Initiative,

Belonging Differently.

• CIFARcontinuedtostrengthenitsinternational

engagement. The proportion of researchers

involved in CIFAR programs from international

institutions remains in excess of 40 per cent, and

the Institute held program meetings in the United

Kingdom,ItalyandtheUnitedStates.Senior

staff engaged with research institutions in Israel,

Japan and Singapore, identifying a number of

possible mechanisms for strengthening CIFAR’s

engagement with the best researchers in these

countries.

• TheInstituteconductedpeerreviewsofthree

programs, Genetic Networks, Social Interactions,

Identity and Well-Being and Integrated Microbial

Biodiversity. The first two programs have been

renewed for another five-year term; the results

of the third review, held in June 2011, will be

reported next year.

• CIFAR’sJuniorFellowAcademycontinuedto

grow, concluding the year with 20 Junior Fellows

and ten Alumni. To ensure the Academy’s

competitiveness with other elite international

fellowships, attracting the very best candidates

in any given field, CIFAR raised the Junior

Fellowship value for postdoctoral fellows from

$50,000/yearto$70,000/yearforsalaryand

benefits,plus$5,000/yearforresearchsupport.

Junior Fellows who are junior faculty members

continuetoreceivefundingof$50,000/yearfor

research support. A new web-based application

system also was implemented, and a centralized

interview process was introduced.

H I G H L I G H T S O F P R O G R E S S T O W A R D S T R A T E G I C G O A L S

I N P R O G R A M S A N D R E S E A R C H I N 2 0 1 0 / 2 0 1 1

24

II. Research Progress and Breakthroughs

The primary goal of CIFAR’s activities is to support the creation of knowledge at the frontiers of

human understanding. The efforts of the researchers in CIFAR’s twelve research programs have

resulted in several dozen significant research achievements in 2010/2011, as identified by our

program directors. It is difficult to select the most important of these achievements, given that

the impact of some of this work will only be fully appreciated over the long term. Nevertheless,

the following section highlights some of the most compelling results from the past year.

This chapter elaborates on these highlights, as well as the Programs

and Research-related activities and results related to the Institute’s

Annual Corporate Plan for the year.

Cosmology and Gravity

Attempts to tell a comprehensive story of the structure and evolution of the

entire Universe, from its first moment of existence to its ultimate fate.

Efforts of an international team of researchers,

including R. Howard Webster Foundation Fellow

Victoria Kaspi and Junior Fellow Slavko Bogdanov

(both McGill University) facilitated the first discovery

of a new pulsar through a global volunteer computing

initiative.Withintheteam,Dr.Kaspihelpsleadagroup

conducting a large-scale survey of pulsars in the Milky

Way galaxy using the world’s largest radio telescope

at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Pulsars

are the spinning, collapsed remnants of exploded

stars. As they rotate, they also emit radio-wave beams,

creatinga“lighthouseeffect”thatmakesthemappear

to pulsate. Pulsars are rather precise clocks and can be

used to detect gravitational waves, a yet-to-be observed

prediction of Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

Gravitational waves are thought to subtly squeeze and

stretch the space that they pass through, and pulsars

are so reliable that even the tiny distortion of a passing

gravitational wave should be visible as an interruption

in that regularity. As more pulsars are discovered and

monitored, the chance of detecting gravitational waves

increases. Discerning pulsar signals from other radio

waves picked up by the Arecibo telescope involves

running complex algorithms that require a great deal

ofcomputingresources.Dr.Kaspi’sgrouppartnered

with the Einstein@Home initiative, which uses donated

time from the home and office computers of 250,000

volunteers from 192 countries. The first detection of a

pulsar through this program highlights the power of

computing and the potential of this survey for future

discoveries. This work was published in Science in 2010.

25

of space from which nothing can escape, but a naked

singularity, by contrast, exists without such a region.

The significance of the researchers’ finding is that it

violatesthe“cosmiccensorshipconjecture,”which

asserts that naked singularities should never form.

This hypothesis fits within understandings of space-

timeproposedbythegeneraltheoryofrelativity–our

moderntheoryofgravity.Yet,atextremeregimeslike

those around a singularity, this theory conflicts with

the physics described by quantum mechanics. Thus, a

naked singularity can expose a deep inconsistency in

our understanding of the world. The new results show

that the mysteries of quantum gravity must be taken

into account, at least in higher dimensions. This work

was published in Physical Review Letters in 2010.

Fellow Luis Lehner (University of Guelph) and Scholar

Frans Pretorius (Princeton University) developed a

new supercomputer simulation that increases our

understanding of how unstable black holes in higher

dimensions behave, and in so doing, disproved a

long-standing conjecture. In the more familiar four

dimensions of space-time, black holes are stable and

long-lasting, but in five or more dimensions this steady

behaviour breaks down. Drs. Lehner and Pretorius’

simulation shows that a class of cylindrical black holes

in higher dimensions cascades into an infinite sequence

of increasingly smaller spherical black holes connected

by ever-thinning cylindrical black holes. The researchers

calculate that this pattern eventually leads to the

development of a naked singularity when the cylindrical

segmentsreachzeroradius.Asingularityisa“point”at

the core of a black hole, where gravity becomes infinitely

strong. A singularity normally is surrounded by a region

This sequence of images

illustrates the developing

cascade of instability in high-

dimensional black holes.

26

Earth System Evolution

At a time when global warming weighs heavily on the public consciousness,

the program provides the larger context of how our world has evolved over

hundreds of millions of years.

By studying the pattern of seismic shaking that

frequently happens for hours or weeks before a volcanic

eruption, Fellow Mark Jellinek (University of British

Columbia)andco-investigatorDavidBercovici(Yale

University) have discovered both the cause of the

tremors and a way to improve predictions of the potential

deadliness of the explosion. Using a new theoretical

model together with various constraints from laboratory

experiments, field measurements and numerical

models of explosive volcanoes, they determined that the

erupting magma, or molten rock, forms a stiff, viscous

plug, which is surrounded by a ring of gas bubbles

within the volcanic conduit. Variations in the pressure

of the rising gas cause the magma plug to knock back

and forth against the walls of the volcano, much like a

stopper wobbling in the neck of a poorly sealed bottle of

champagne. This process, which the collaborators call

“magmawagging,”producesthevolcanictremorsthat

precede the eruption. Drs. Jellinek and Bercovici further

found that while the frequency or rate of the shaking

remains relatively consistent before smaller eruptions,

it tends to increase shortly before more powerful and

dangerous ones. This new knowledge offers the potential

to provide a framework for developing a new generation

of volcanic warning strategies. The work, published in

Nature in 2011, also represents a fundamental advance in

scientists’ understanding of explosive volcanoes.

Explosive volcanoes feature a viscous column of magma

surrounded by a compressible and permeable sheath of

magma, composed mostly of stretched gas bubbles, which

canbepreservedin“tubepumice”.AttheSantiaguitovolcano

in Guatemala, for example, the permeability of the sheath

is indicated by the ring of gas. Drs. Jellinek and Bercovici

showed that as the center ‘plug’ of dense magma rises,

it simply oscillates, or ‘wags,’ against the cushion of gas

bubbles, generating tremors at the observed frequencies.

27

In 2010, Scholar Peter Reiners (University of Arizona)

co-authored a landmark study dealing with the

interaction between glaciers and mountain ranges.

Geomorphologists, who study the processes shaping the

Earth’s surface, have long assumed that a glacier’s effect

on a mountain range is simply to wear down its surface,

even as the range is pushed up from below by tectonic

forces. However, new research by Dr. Reiners and

collaborators, including lead author Stuart Thomson

(University of Arizona), shows that sometimes glaciers

can actually protect the surface of mountain ranges,

causing them to rise higher. The team measured

erosion rates in different parts of the southern

PatagonianAndesusingthermochronology–a

technique that uses the thermal history of rocks to date

events. They then compared these measurements with

the height of mountain peaks in the range. Their results

revealed that regions covered by glaciers in the southern

Andes have much lower erosion rates and much taller

mountains than regions without glaciers further north

in the same range. The work shows that glaciers can act

as armor for the landscape, protecting it from the effects

of erosion. The study, published as a cover feature in

Nature, is expected to motivate a complete reassessment

of the processes that guide the evolution of the Earth’s

great mountain ranges.

The work shows that glaciers can act as

armor for the landscape, protecting it

from the effects of erosion.

28

Fellow Bryan Kolb (University of Lethbridge) and

colleagues have found that stress experienced by a

pregnant rat can alter the brain development and

behaviour of her offspring. The researchers subjected

pregnant rats to mild or high degrees of stress. Not

only did exposure to high stress environments produce

changes in their offspring’s brain development, but

even mild forms of stress were sufficient to produce

anatomical changes to the brain, as well as epigenetic

changes–changesthat

affect the way genes are

expressed(turned“on”

or“off”).Furthermore,

the team found that

exposure to prenatal

stress also changes

how the brain responds

to psychoactive drugs

and other experiences

in adulthood. These

findings show

that adverse early

experiences in life

can have significant

consequences on brain development and may even

impact health and behavioural outcomes later in life.

It further points to the growing idea that if we want to

change developmental trajectories of children, early

intervention can make a huge difference. The findings

from these various studies were published in multiple

journals, including Neuroscience and Brain Research.

Weston Fellow and Program Co-Director Marla

Sokolowski (University of Toronto) and Fellow

Michael Meaney (McGill University), with

collaborators Alison Fleming (University of

Toronto), postdoctoral fellow Viara Mileva-Seitz and

PhD student Hiwote Belay, showed that adverse

experiences either early in a mother’s life or during

pregnancy, along with variations in specific genes,

can affect how she responds to her infant. In

particular, the team examined differences in the

serotonintransportergene–agenelinkedwith

mental illnesses such as depression and psychiatric

disorders–inmotherswithahistoryofabuseintheir

own childhoods. They found that such mothers who

had a specific form of the serotonin transporter gene

felt a lower degree of attachment to their infants and

looked away from their babies more often than did

mothers who had the same form of the gene, but no

history of child abuse, and mothers with the more

protective form of the gene. A similar finding was also

observed in rats. When mothers had a particular form

of the rat version of the serotonin transporter gene,

together with a history of stress during pregnancy, this

combination affected their offspring’s behaviour and

response to stress. It even caused changes at the DNA

level. This study, published in Behavioural Neuroscience

in 2011, points to how genes and environment work

together to impact development, a focus of the EBBD

program. It also illustrates clearly how parental

experiences can shape their child’s behaviour and

mental and physical health in adulthood.

Experience-based Brain and Biological Development

Explores the core question of how social experiences affect developmental

biology and help set early trajectories of lifelong development and health.

29

The sequencing of the human genome has provided

scientists with a wealth of information on which

genes are present, but what each of those genes

specifically does is a largely unanswered question.

Such an understanding is needed to know how

genes contribute to human health and disease.

Fellows Frederick Roth and Timothy Hughes (both

University of Toronto) have developed a database

and web-based software that allows users to browse

predictions of gene function for multiple organisms,

including humans. Released in 2010, the tool compiles

information from multiple sources and ranks it on the

level of confidence in the data. This ability will provide

scientists with a more efficient and targeted way to

sift through the large amount of gene data available,

guiding them to the most likely hypotheses about

what our genes are doing. Drs. Roth and Hughes’

computational tools have already been put into

practice and are generating exciting results. Most

recently, Dr. Roth, in collaboration with several other

investigators, has been using these methods to

implicate new genes in dilated cardiomyopathy,

a specific form of heart disease. With this tool now

in the hands of researchers around the world, it

will save them time in the laboratory and maximize

new discoveries.

Genetic Networks

Devoted to discovering how genes interact with one another, research that

could identify the root causes of many complex genetic diseases, and lead

to new treatments and preventive measures.

30

Fellow Philip Hieter (University of British Columbia)

has identified a number of genes that may play an

important role in tumor formation. Tumors are

characterized by changes in the normal functions of

cells, such as uncontrolled cell growth or the inability to

repair DNA damage or mutations. Many human tumors

are also characterized by chromosomal instability,

in which whole chromosomes or large segments of

chromosomes are gained or lost when a cell divides.

This feature is thought to be an early event in the

development of cancer because it results in an increase

in the frequency of gene mutations, such as those

responsible for cell growth or death. Identifying which

genetic mutations lead to chromosomal instability is

therefore an important question and one that Dr. Hieter

Human colorectal cancer cells grown in the lab were examined for changes in chromosome

structure after turning down the expression of a human gene known to be mutated in some

cancers. This human gene corresponds to one of the chromosome instability genes previously

identified in yeast. A significant increase in the number of chromosome breaks was observed

(examples labeled i and ii), suggesting a possible role in tumor development.

and his team have begun to solve. Screening a catalogue

of over 1,000 yeast genes that he constructed together

with Fellows Brenda Andrews and Charlie Boone (both

University of Toronto), and cross-referencing the list

with human tumor mutation data, Dr. Hieter and his

team were able to identify key genes that may be driving

chromosomal instability in human tumors. By further

examining the function of selected genes in both yeast

and human cells, Dr. Hieter has been further able to

clarify their relationship to chromosomal instability.

Fundamental studies such as this will help us to better

understand the role of chromosomal instability in

human cancers and may one day be used to develop

anti-tumor therapies. This work was published in PLoS

Genetics in 2011.

31

Scholars Matilde Bombardini and Francesco Trebbi

(both University of British Columbia), with co-author

Marianne Bertrand (University of Chicago), completed a

study that sheds new light on the role and behaviour of

U.S. federal lobbyists. The researchers sought to assess

what is the main driving force in the careers of lobbyists:

is it their accumulated expertise about an issue, or the

number and strength of their connections to specific

politicians? They created a data set by assembling

information about the topics individual lobbyists work

on, how much they are paid, and which politicians they

are connected to. Analyzing the data, they found results

that contrast with some of the previous research, as well

as statements by the American League of Lobbyists,

which emphasize expertise as the most important factor

in lobbying. More specifically, the researchers examined

data on congressmen and senators who have switched

from one legislative committee (and issue) to another.

They found that lobbyists with close connections

to certain politicians tended to follow them as they

changed committees, suggesting that connections

are more important than expertise in determining

lobbyists’ topics of focus. The importance of lobbyists’

connections to politicians is underscored by the

researchers’ discovery that a lobbyist’s income is linked

to his or her affiliation with the party in power, such

that Republican lobbyists earned more when both the

White House and Congress were in Republican hands.

This research, published as a working paper of the U.S.

National Bureau of Economics Research, adds to our

understanding of how the lobbying industry contributes

to the law-making process.

Fellows Timothy Besley (London School of Economics)

and Torsten Persson (Stockholm University) completed a

book entitled Pillars of Prosperity: The Political Economics

of Development Clusters, published by Princeton

University Press in 2011. The work provides a unified

way of understanding what makes an effective state.

In particular, by using the tools of modern political

economics, and by combining economic theory with

an overview of relevant data, the researchers are able

toexplaintheexistenceof“developmentclusters”–

places that tend to combine effective state institutions,

the absence of political violence, and high per-capita

incomes. They relate their ideas to the pillars of

prosperity identified by Adam Smith a quarter of a

millennium ago. Drs. Besley and Persson show that

countries tend to enjoy all three pillars of prosperity

when they have evolved cohesive political institutions

that promote common interests, guaranteeing the

provision of public goods. They also show, in line with

much historical research, how international conflict may

serve as an important force behind effective states by

fostering common interests. The absence of common

interests and/or cohesive political institutions can

explain the existence of fragile states that are plagued

by poverty, violence, and weak state capacity. Drs. Besley

and Persson presented a preliminary draft of their

book at a meeting of the Institutions, Organizations and

Growth program in 2010. In the book’s preface, they

credit discussions over the years with program members

about institutions and development as indispensable to

developing the ideas for this work.

Institutions, Organizations and Growth

Takes an integrated approach to the question of what makes some countries

rich and others poor, examining the effect of many types of institutions and

organizations on economic growth.

32

Program Director Patrick Keeling (University of British

Columbia) and Scholar Claudio Slamovits (Dalhousie

University) discovered a unique survival mechanism in

a predatory marine microbe known as Oxyrrhis marina.

Common in coastal and sheltered areas around the

world, including along the coast of British Columbia,

Oxyrrhis marina is part of a family of marine plankton

that includes the organisms responsible for red

tides. An impressive predator, it is known to feed on

cells almost as big as itself, and has adopted extreme

survival mechanisms over time, such as displaying

cannibalism when no prey is available. In 2011, in Nature

Communications,Drs.KeelingandSlamovitsuncovered

another extreme survival mechanism in Oxyrrhis marina

by showing that it has acquired a bacterial gene from

one of its prey that enables it to capture sunlight and

turnitintoenergy–theprocessofphotosynthesis.The

researchers think that by adopting this new function,

Integrated Microbial Biodiversity

Explores the diverse microbial world that surrounds and permeates human life. Program

members are transforming human understanding of biodiversity, and changing approaches

to medicine and health, environmental sustainability, and evolutionary biology itself.

Colourized scanning electron micrograph

of Oxyrrhis marina.

Image credit: S. Breglia, UBC.

An impressive predator, it is known to feed on cells

almost as big as itself, and has adopted extreme

survival mechanisms over time, such as displaying

cannibalism when no prey is available.

Oxyrrhis marina may be able to generate energy when

preyisrareorevenhelpdigestitsprey–eventhesame

bacteria that once supplied it with the gene! This is an

important finding as it describes a unique mechanism

for a microbe to power biological functions and gives

truemeaningtothephrase“youarewhatyoueat”.

33

“living”entities.ThisworkappearedintheProceedings

of the National Academy of Sciences in 2010. In a related

study, published in Science in 2011, the team made a

finding that helps shed light on the evolution of the

eukaryotic (plant, animal and fungi) genome. They

discovered that a small virus, known as Mavirus, uses

Cafeteria roenbergensis–avirus100timesitssize–to

replicate its own DNA. Even more significantly, Mavirus

genetically resembles certain DNA transposons or

“jumpinggenes”–mobilegeneticelementsfoundin

eukaryotes. This finding suggests that over evolutionary

time, eukaryotes have integrated the DNA from

ancient relatives of Mavirus into their own genomes,

presumably so that they could gain a competitive

advantage through acquiring immunity against other

giant viruses.

Fellow Curtis Suttle (University of British Columbia)

and PhD student Matthias Fischer recently made two

important discoveries: they discovered the world’s

largest ocean virus (and the second largest virus ever

characterized) and identified a smaller virus that

may provide insights into the evolutionary history of

the genomes of higher organisms. Viruses are small

infectious agents that can replicate only inside living

cells–afeatureoftenusedtodifferentiatebetween“non-

living”and“living”organisms.Avirusreplicatesbyfirst

infecting its host and then hijacking its DNA replication

machinery in order to copy its own genome. It was

a surprise then that Dr. Suttle’s team found an ocean

virus, known as Cafeteria roenbergensis, with a large and

complex genome that contains genes to enable its own

replication–afindingthathassincecausedscientiststo

questionandchallengethedefinitionof“non-living”and

The giant Cafeteria roenbergensis virus (left)

is shown next to the smaller Mavirus

(indicated with an arrow).

34

Associate Philip Stamp (University of British Columbia)

and collaborators at the University of California at

Santa Barbara showed that it is possible to predict and

dramaticallyslowdown“decoherence”–aquantum

phenomenon that has persistently defied scientists’ goal

of building a quantum computer. In the infinitesimally

small-scale world of atoms and sub-atomic particles,

matter can be in more than one physical state at the

same time. The goal of quantum computing is to

harness the power that would come from the ability to

make calculations using switches that could be not only

“on”or“off,”asinconventionalcomputertechnology,

butalsosimultaneously“on”and“off.”Thiscapacity

would result in exponentially faster and more powerful

computers:problemsthatwouldtakea“classical”

computer thousands of years to figure out could be

solved in just seconds by a quantum computer. A great

challenge for researchers has been the fact that in larger

and more complex physical systems, particles lose their

capacity to be in more than one state at once, because

they interact with other objects in their environment.

Thisprocessof“decay”intowhatisaclassicalstateis

knownas“decoherence.”Dr.Stampandhisgroupat

UBC developed a theory that predicted a way to slow

down decoherence to very low values, easily enough to

allow quantum information processing to be performed.

The team in California, led by Susumu Takahashi,

proved the theory’s accuracy by conducting an

experiment in which they applied high magnetic fields

to an array of iron molecules. In using this technique,

they found that they could control and suppress the

rate of decoherence in these complex molecules exactly

as predicted. This work, published in Nature in 2011, is

expected to open an important new area of investigation,

with considerable potential both for applications and

further fundamental research.

Nanoelectronics

Aims to understand and harness the power of materials at the nanometer (one

billionth of a metre) scale. This work holds the potential to create computer

circuits orders of magnitude smaller than those found on today’s microchips.

The top two figures show an iron (Fe8) molecule (right)

and how multiple molecules array themselves in a crystal

(left). The bottom figure shows how the decoherence

“Q-factor”varieswithtemperatureandfield;thesewerethe

predictions verified in the experiment. The results show

how it is possible to design decoherence rates for a real

macroscopic quantum information processing system.

35

A DNA nanotube encapsulates

a line of gold nanoparticles.

releasing them at specific sites where a particular

molecule is present. To turn the potential into reality,

many challenges must still be overcome, such as

improving the stability and safety of the DNA structures.

For example, bonds in DNA are readily broken down

by enzymes called nucleases, and Dr. Sleiman has

been working to improve the composition of her DNA

nanostructures to make them nuclease resistant.

She has also developed a method for building DNA

structures using commercially obtainable DNA strands,

opening the possibility for any laboratory to construct

them, with no need for prior experience in DNA

synthesis. Papers describing this work were published

in 2010 and 2011 in Nature Chemistry and Chemical

Communications.

A team of researchers led by Fellow Hanadi Sleiman

(McGill University) made a significant advance in the

development of DNA nanotubes. This area of research

involves taking DNA out of its biological context as the

genetic code of life, and using it instead as a building

block to construct three-dimensional, cage-like nanoscale

structures. Dr. Sleiman and her collaborators recently

built the first DNA nanotubes that can encapsulate a

“cargo”ofmoleculesandthenreleasethemrapidlyand

completely, on demand. The release is triggered when a

specific external DNA strand is added. This achievement

brings DNA nanotubes a step closer toward becoming a

possible mechanism for drug delivery in the treatment

of diseases like cancer. While Dr. Sleiman’s team used

nanoscale particles of gold as the payload in their study,

one day nanotubes may be able to carry drugs to cells,

This area of research involves taking DNA out of

its biological context as the genetic code of life, and

using it instead as a building block to construct

three-dimensional, cage-like nanoscale structures.

36

animations tend to violate the basic physical laws that

describe how different forces affect the movement

of an object. This year, Drs. Hertzmann and Fleet

published new methods that accurately simulate

aspects of motor control, resulting in animations that

are faithful to the principles of biomechanics and the

laws of motion, even when uncertain challenging

conditions are introduced. This achievement will allow

computer graphics programs to create realistic human

movement with greater autonomy. It may also inform

theories about the biological control of locomotion, a

full understanding of which remains elusive.

Until very recently, simulating a motion as basic as

walking–inanatural,human-likeway–wasunthinkably

difficult, but Fellows Aaron Hertzmann and David

Fleet (both University of Toronto) have made several

breakthroughs that allow for an unprecedented level of

realism. In walking and other forms of locomotion, a

person’s nervous system has to choose a coordinated

set of muscle activations at each instant. These muscle

activations must produce the desired motion, while also

coping with a wide range of unexpected conditions or

events, such as wind gusts, uneven terrain, or a slippery

surface. Depictions of human motion by computer

Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception

Aims to unlock the mystery of how our brains convert sensory stimuli into

information and to recreate human-style learning in computers.

The figures demonstrate the results of Drs. Hertzmann and Fleet’s new methods for realistically

simulating aspects of motor control even when uncertain challenging conditions are introduced:

Figure A shows a relaxed gait in a disturbance-free environment. In Figure B, under gusty conditions,

the gait is more aggressive, with a wider stance. In Figure C, on a slippery surface, the gait is cautious,

with arms extended for balance. In Figure D, walking on a narrow wall on a windy day produces a

narrower gait with small steps.

37

Associate Rob Fergus(NewYorkUniversity),working

with two former students of program members at

the University of Toronto, pioneered a new way for

computers to learn to recognize different human

poses, regardless of circumstantial conditions like

lighting or background. Developing the capacity

forcomputersto“see”isamajorfocusareainthe

NCAP program. Applications of computer vision

have already entered the mainstream; an example

isMicrosoft’sKinectgamingsystem,whichdetects

players’ poses so that game play is controlled using

only the body. For computer vision to truly mimic

human vision, though, it must be able to detect poses

reliably under variable conditions, including poor

lighting, cluttered backgrounds or unusual clothing.

Implementing an algorithm for a computer to do

this requires a vast database of examples of people

in many different poses and conditions. When

the computer detects a pose in its field of vision,

“recognition”isaccomplishedbythealgorithm

searching through the database of images to find a

match. The researchers overcame the problem of how

to compile such an image collection by drawing on a

videoprojectbyaDutchband,C-Mon&Kypski.The

“OneFrameofFame”projectinvitesfanstoreplace

oneframeoftheband’s“MoreorLess”musicvideo

withan“imagecapture”fromtheirwebcams.Visitors

to the band’s website are shown a single frame of the

video and are asked to perform an imitation in front

of the camera. New contributions are spliced into

the video hourly. This was the perfect data source for

Dr. Fergus’ team members, who were able to build

a highly effective system that outperforms other

approaches to matching people in similar poses

but under widely different settings. This work was

presented at the 24th IEEE Conference on Computer

Vision and Pattern Recognition in 2011.

Individual frames of a music video created by Dutch band,

C-Mon&Kypski,andtheirfansprovidedaninnovativesource

of images for Rob Fergus’ recent project to improve computers’

recognition of human poses under a host of different conditions.

VideoimagescourtesyofC-Mon&Kypski.

38

Fellow Gilles Brassard (University of Montreal) and

Scholar Peter Høyer (University of Calgary) have

achieved a goal that was thought to be impossible.

They discovered new cryptographic protocols that make

possible the secure exchange of private information

between two conventional computers, even if a would-be

eavesdropper has the powerful advantage of quantum

computing. Many of the mathematical encryption

techniques used today in classical cryptography will be

rendered insecure if ever a quantum computer can be

built and is accessed by a malicious party. This troubling

scenario has motivated a search for new protocols that

could be used by today’s purely classical computers and

remain secure against pernicious quantum attacks in

the future. Together with collaborators Sophie Laplante

(Université Paris-Sud) and Louis Salvail (University of

Montreal), Drs. Brassard and Høyer and their students

made a major breakthrough in this direction. A central

protocol in cryptography is key establishment. It allows

twolegitimateparties–dubbedAliceandBob–to

exchangeashared“key,”orstringofbits,thatonlythey

know about, with which they can privately send each

other information. Exchanging this secret key without

beinginterceptedbyaneavesdropper–Eve–iscriticalto

keeping messages secure. The research team discovered

and proved a novel key establishment protocol, according

to which Eve cannot determine the secret key without

spending more time and effort than Alice and Bob

used to obtain the key, even if Eve is using a quantum

computer. This groundbreaking work was presented at

the 31stInternationalCRYPTOConferencein2011.

QuantumInformationProcessing

Unites computer scientists and physicists in an effort to harness the strange and

fascinating properties of the quantum world, where the mere act of observing an

object changes its nature, with the aim of building quantum computers.

Many of the mathematical

encryption techniques used

today in classical cryptography

will be rendered insecure if

ever a quantum computer can

be built and is accessed by a

malicious party. This troubling

scenario has motivated a search

for new protocols that could be

used by today’s purely classical

computers and remain secure

against pernicious quantum

attacks in the future.

39

However, any attempt to directly observe what

happens to the photons on their journey to the screen,

including their trajectory through the slits, destroys the

interference pattern. Dr. Steinberg and his collaborators

gotaroundthislongstandingproblembyusing“weak

measurement,”atechniquethatobtainsonlyvery

little information about each particle passing through

the slits. Because the measurement is so weak, the

particles’ behaviour is not significantly altered. By

repeating the weak measurements many times on

different particles, the team was able to plot the average

path the particles travelled through the slits and to the

screen. While the mystery of how a particle interferes

with itself remains, these results demonstrate that a

quantum system can behave like a wave and a particle

at the same time. The technique’s success paves a

new way to continue probing foundational issues in

quantum mechanics.

Performinga“newtake”onaniconicphysicsexperiment,

Fellow Aephraim Steinberg (University of Toronto),

Junior Fellow Krister Shalm (University of Waterloo) and

other collaborators skirted a challenging fundamental

rule of quantum mechanics: that any attempt to

directly observe or measure a quantum system actually

alters it. In a paper published in Science in 2011, they

demonstrated for the first time a way to successfully trace

thepathwaystravelledbyphotons–quantumparticlesof

light–withoutdisruptingtheirbehaviour.Intheclassic

“double-slitexperiment,”abeamoflightpassesthrough

a pair of slits in a material and lands on a screen beyond,

where a pattern of interfering waves is observed, similar

to the interfering ripples that would result if two rocks

were thrown into a pond side by side. When photons

are individually sent through the slits, the same type of

pattern appears on the screen; somehow the individual

particles interfere with themselves.

This 3D plot shows where a quantum particle is most likely to be found as it passes

through a double-slit apparatus and exhibits wave-like behaviour. The lines overlaid

on top of the 3D surface are the experimentally reconstructed average paths that the

particles take through the experiment.

40

A team of Quantum Materials program members

continued to shed light on how copper oxide materials,

or cuprates, become superconductors when cooled to

a certain critical temperature. Researchers around the

world have been pursuing this question for more than

two decades because of the potential to manipulate

these materials into producing superconductivity at

room temperature. This capability would make possible

many practical applications, like vastly more efficient

delivery of electricity and portable MRI machines.

Program Director Louis Taillefer (University of

Sherbrooke), Fellows Doug Bonn, Walter Hardy and

Ruixing Liang (all University of British Columbia)

and Associate Cyril Proust (Laboratoire National des

ChampsMagnétiquesIntenses–Toulouse)madea

major breakthrough in 2007 when they discovered

that electrons in a specific cuprate superconductor,

yttriumbariumcopperoxide(YBCO),undergoa

profound transformation of their metallic state, besides

the appearance of superconductivity itself. This year,

they found that the transformation involves a state

ofmattercalled“stripeorder”–awave-likepattern

of electron charges. They reached this conclusion by

comparingthethermo-electricpropertiesofYBCOwith

those of another cuprate, Eu-LSCO, in collaboration

with Advisory Committee member Hidenori Takagi

(University of Tokyo). The implication is that stripe

order likely plays a key role in controlling the critical

temperature at which superconductivity occurs. This

information strikes near to the heart of whether it

will be possible to produce superconductivity at room

temperature. The work was published in Nature

Communications in 2011.

QuantumMaterials

Invents and explores materials whose novel and unusual electronic properties,

like superconductivity, could revolutionize technology.

Program Director Louis Taillefer (centre), Research Associate

Nicolas Doiron-Leyraud (left) and PhD student David

LeBoeuf (right), shown here in their low-temperature lab at

the University of Sherbrooke, are members of the CIFAR

team working to reveal what causes superconductivity in

cuprate materials.

41

Associates Kathryn Moler and Harold Hwang

(both Stanford University) and their students

discovered a unique co-existence of magnetism

andsuperconductivity–twoelectronicstatesthat

normally are highly antagonistic to one another. The

work leading up to this surprising result began with

Dr. Hwang’s team creating a new material sample

composed of two non-magnetic insulators sandwiched

together: lanthanum aluminate and strontium titanate.

Sometimes, the layer of atoms where two joined

materials meet displays properties that are radically

different from those found in the bulk of either

material. With this in mind, Dr. Moler’s group scanned

the new sample using a special kind of microscope

that can image traces of magnetism. The resulting

images revealed an intimate mix of superconducting

and magnetic regions at the interface between the

twoinsulators–aco-existencethathasnotbeenseen

before. The discovery, published in Nature Physics in

2011, creates an opportunity to further explore how

these normally incompatible states are interacting in

this material. Are they struggling against each other

or do they somehow help one another to exist? If the

latter is true, it could mark the discovery of an exotic

new form of superconductivity that actively interacts

with magnetism. Further research may also lead to the

ability to manipulate the electronic properties of these

materials for technological applications. Drs. Moler and

Hwang credit regular discussions with Fellow George

Sawatzky (University of British Columbia), an expert

in the theory of interfaces, with helping to clarify their

theoretical understanding of their experimental work.

Simultaneous magnetic imaging of Dr. Hwang’s material

sample, in two imaging modes, reveals landscapes of

magnetism and superconductivity. The top image shows

the magnetism: red is a north pole and blue a south

pole of a nanomagnetic patch. The lower image shows

the superconductivity: darker regions indicate more

superconductivity.

42

Fellows Shelley Phipps (Dalhousie University),

Nicole Fortin (University of British Columbia) and

Scholar Philip Oreopolous (University of Toronto)

are collaborating on a series of studies, collectively

knownasthe“BoysProject,”whichexamines

different aspects of the emerging gaps between male

and female performance before and during higher

education. Their aim is to understand why there has

been a documented shift in the relative educational

attainments of young Canadian men and women: for

example, among Canadians aged 25 to 29, women

with a university degree outnumber men by more

than 10 percentage points. This is a significant change

which has implications for labour markets, family

formation, and care-giving. One of the researchers’

joint projects seeks to understand how hyperactivity is

associated with lower educational attainments for boys.

Analyzing data from the National Longitudinal Survey

ofChildrenandYouth(NLSCY),theteamisexploring

a gender gap in academic motivation and achievement

among children as young as 6 to 11. The data shows

that gender differences are apparent even between

brothers and sisters. Building on recent research

showing that boys are found to be more hyperactive

than girls, and that hyperactivity is associated with

lower educational attainment, the team argues that

hyperactivity may help to explain currently observed

gender differences in academic success. Using a

statistical methodology to control for the differences

in hyperactivity between brothers and sisters, the

researchers found that brother/sister differences in

schooling outcomes were reduced by nearly half. This

study was presented as a working paper, with co-author

KellyChen(DalhousieUniversity),attheJune2011

meeting of the Canadian Economics Association.

Fellow Alex Haslam

(University of Exeter) and

collaborators Catherine

Haslam (University of

Exeter) and Jolanda Jetten

(UniversityofQueensland)

completed an edited

research monograph

entitled The Social Cure:

Identity, Health and Well-

Being, published by

Psychology Press in the

UnitedKingdomin2011,andforthcominginCanada.

The book grew out of earlier work that found that being

part of social networks enhances people’s resilience in

the face of difficult life changes. The Social Cure contains

chapters by Alex Haslam, SIIWB Program Co-Director

John Helliwell (University of British Columbia), Junior

Fellow Christopher Barrington-Leigh (University of

British Columbia), Fellow Nyla Branscombe (University

ofKansas)andAdvisoryCommitteememberKimberly

Matheson (Carleton University). It brings together the

latest research showing how group memberships, and

the associated social identities, affect people’s health

and well-being. It provides a variety of perspectives

from clinical, social, organizational, and applied fields

that offer theoretical and empirical insights into these

processes and their consequences, an approach that

reflects the strongly interdisciplinary nature of this

research. The contributions present an analysis of core

theoretical concepts that explain how social identities

and related factors (such as social support and a sense

of community) can bolster an individual’s sense of self

and contribute to his or her physical and mental health.

The book also outlines practical strategies that can

maintain and enhance well-being, particularly among

vulnerable populations.

Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being

Stands on three eponymous pillars of research. Historically, identity research

has been largely theoretical, and well-being largely empirical. Social interactions

bridges the two, influencing both identity and well-being.

43

Fellow and co-Director Peter A. Hall (Harvard

University), Fellow Clyde Hertzman (University

of British Columbia), Associate Arjumand Siddiqi

(University of Toronto), and Junior Fellow Christopher

McLeod (University of British Columbia) have

produced a collaborative paper to be published in the

April 2012 issue of the Annual Review of Public Health.

“InfluencesofSocialPolicyonHealthDisparities”

uses a ‘varieties of capitalism’ framework to show

that the arrangement of economic institutions and

social policies can have an impact on population

health. The framework, developed by Dr. Hall and

others, identifies systematic differences in how

coordinated market economies (CME) and liberal

market economies (LME) are organized in terms of

skill formation, modes of innovation, and distributions

of income. Using data from Dr. McLeod’s longitudinal

comparison of unemployment and health in an

LME (Germany) and a CME (the United States), the

researchers show that there are large differences

in the relationship between unemployment and

health, such that unemployed Americans with lower

levels of education and no unemployment benefits

suffer from the poorest health, compared to their

German counterparts. The publication of the paper

in a premier, peer-reviewed public health journal

represents a step forward in bridging the gap between

the disciplines of political science and epidemiology/

public health. Research in political economics does not

usually reflect on the impact that societal institutions

can have on people’s lives and health, and at the same

time, research in epidemiology has largely ignored the

broader institutional context in which an individual’s

experience of daily life unfolds. The paper also has

broad policy implications, as it demonstrates how

institutional arrangements and social policies can have

significant consequences for population health.

The members of the Successful Societies program

completed their second collective volume, entitled Social

Resilience in the Neo-Liberal Age. Building on their first

book, Successful Societies: How Institutions and Culture

Affect Health, published in 2009, they have developed

a framework for understanding how institutions and

culture can help social groups and communities cope

with the challenges of living in a neo-liberal era. Program

members conceive neo-liberalism as a set of economic,

cultural, and policy changes that emphasize a limited role

for government, strong and efficient private enterprise,

market fundamentalism, individualization, and the

privatization of risk. The book identifies a variety of

positive and negative effects that result from different

forms of neo-liberalism around the world. It also

introducestheconceptof“socialresilience,”extending

thenotionof“resilience”frompsychologytoencompass

the ability of some groups and communities to cope better

than others in the face of difficult circumstances. The

book seeks to understand the resources and strategies

that communities and societies collectively form to reach

favourable outcomes in a neo-liberal age. The group finds

that social resilience often springs from institutional

structures and cultural repertoires, including narratives,

symbols and mythologies. Program Directors Peter Hall

and Michèle Lamont (both Harvard University) note

that writing this book required a long-term intellectual

engagement and intense interdisciplinary exchange

among the program members. The group will seek to

have the book published in the coming year.

Successful Societies

Explores the roots of social inequalities and asks the question:

What makes a society successful?

Program Directors Michèle Lamont and Peter Hall

44

III.KnowledgeMobilization

CIFAR endeavors to share results from its research programs with

appropriate audiences whenever possible. As part of its Strategic Plan for

2007-2012, the Institute identified the development of a more systematic

knowledgemobilization(KMb)effortasapriority.

In 2010/2011, CIFAR made effective progress on this

front. The database developed in 2009/2010 to capture

the hundreds of examples of knowledge mobilization

activities reported by CIFAR researchers continues

to be a rich source of data for the organization. The

information reveals that a large percentage of CIFAR

researchers engage in such activity on a regular basis

and that they are reaching a wide range of audiences

whowillusethisknowledge–fromgovernmentand

non-profit agencies, to practitioners in law, education,

social work and public service, to industries and

business. A framework for how CIFAR will build on

the existing activities of our researchers, and a strategy

for taking advantage of the many opportunities for

knowledge mobilization over the coming years, were in

final draft form in June 2011 and will be implemented

in 2011/2012.

In addition, CIFAR hosted or co-hosted targeted

events involving two of its high-profile researchers

in 2010/2011. These events, highlighted below,

disseminated CIFAR research to leaders in government,

business and industry, NGOs, and practitioners.

45

KNOWLEDGE MOBILIZATION HIGHLIGHTS IN 2010/2011

Seminar on Building Resilience in an Age of CrisisInNovember2010,incollaborationwithYorkUniversity’sHennickCentreforBusinessandLaw,CIFAR

hosted a seminar addressing how organizations approach and attempt to manage crisis. The Hennick

Centre promotes and develops joint business and law scholarship and education, and undertakes initiatives

that deliver the competencies professionals need to analyze business and legal problems in a holistic way.

The event included a public seminar, drawing 150 participants from the legal, public, business, research,

and government sectors, and was followed by a private consultation and dinner for selected invitees,

featuring a keynote address by Daniel Diermeier, Fellow in the Institutions, Organizations and Growth

program. This small, intimate function gave several key public figures and a number of private and public

sector leaders direct access to conversations about the recent research undertaken by Dr. Diermeier in the

area of risk-management systems.

JointMeetingwiththeRoyalSocietyofCanadaon“HowEarlyExperienceAffectsLifetimeHealth”In March 2011, CIFAR Fellow Clyde Hertzman, a member of both the Experience-based Brain and Biological

Development program and the Successful Societies program, gave a private briefing to heads of public and private

organizations involved in the delivery of health care and social services in Ottawa, Canada. His key messages

were that data now show that the experiences of children prior to formal schooling already define the

developmental vulnerabilities they must overcome to be successful students, and to be productive members

of the workforce. Investments in early development have a return-on-investment of approximately 10-to-1,

but have to be deployed with the appropriate mix of coordinated interventions.

IV. Program Assessment: Assuring Impact

CIFAR focuses on areas of advanced research that pose the greatest intellectual challenges

and engage the curiosity of the world’s foremost scholars. The Institute employs a number

of strategies to ensure that the innovative and leading-edge quality of its programs and

participating researchers is maintained. These methods include five-year external peer

reviews and continuous internal monitoring by program advisory committees, the

Research Council, and senior CIFAR staff members.

46

(a) External Peer Reviews

All CIFAR research programs undergo an external peer

review in the fourth year of their current five-year term.

Reviews are conducted by international, arm’s-length

panels of highly distinguished researchers specializing

in the fields represented in the program. CIFAR does

not allow the participation of a reviewer with previous

connections to the Institute.

To ensure effective and meaningful review, CIFAR

setsa“highbar”intermsofitsevaluationstandards.

The Institute asks its international review panels to

evaluate not only the level of excellence achieved in

its programs, but also the extent to which CIFAR has

been successful in leveraging the intellectual capacity

ofoutstandinginvestigators–alreadyendowed

withsubstantialoperatingfunds–intoconceptually

innovative and leading-edge research.

CIFAR’s peer review criteria are fully described in

Appendix B, but are summarized in the following table:

Programs that fall short of world-class standards are not

renewed, and members who do not meet the standard

are not re-appointed.

SUMMARY OF CRITERIA AGAINST WHICH CIFAR PROGRAMS ARE EVALUATED

• Theprogram’squalityandimpactinrelation

to the field as a whole (did the group change

or lead the field), the effectiveness of its

members’ interactions, the quality of its

proposed future research directions, the value

added by CIFAR’s support, and other criteria;

• Thequalityofindividualprogrammembers

as measured by international standards, with

particular reference to the effectiveness of

their interactions and collaborations with

other members and their contributions to the

program’s intellectual focus and excellence.

47

The following table summarizes the results of the external

peer reviews that took place in 2010/2011:

GENETIC NETWORKS

Outcome: Renewed for a second five-year term (2011-2016). Brenda Andrews (University of Toronto) re-appointed

as Director.

Review Panelists:• JasperRine(Chair),UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley

• DanielBurke,UniversityofVirginia

• RobertNussbaum,UniversityofCalifornia,

San Francisco

• LiorPachter,UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley

• GaryRuvkun,HarvardMedicalSchool

• “Thereisnoothergroupintheworldthat

competes with the CIFAR Genetic Networks

program in the analysis of genetic interactions

at multiple levels. This is a defining challenge of

genetics in this century. Canada leads the world

in this area thanks to this team, and there is every

reason to believe that it will continue to do so if

properlysupported.”

• “Therearefewprogramsofthistypethat,toour

knowledge, have been more effective than this one

at accomplishing its goals. The program had as its

early focus the goal of collecting enough data on

genetic interactions to determine whether these

interactions could reveal the nature of coherent

networks in biology, and if so, what the rules

governing those networks are, and to what extent

theyapplyacrossspecies.”

• “Itisimportanttonotethatcomparativegenetic

network analysis is still in its infancy, and that

more sophisticated analytical approaches will

emerge with time. The Genetic Networks program

is to be congratulated on its attention to making

all of its data available to the public so that others

can benefit from the data of the program and

contribute to developing the tools needed for

networkanalyses.”

• “Thequalityofthisprogramisextremelyhigh

by any measure. Most of the members have

led projects involving multiple members of the

program, as well as an international team of

collaborators and that have resulted in papers of

very high impact. Moreover, the yeast researchers,

whose work has understandably developed the

furthest, have emerged as among the most

interactivecollaboratorsacrosstheentirefield.”

Selected highlights from the review panel’s findings:

48

GENETIC NETWORKS

• “InCanada,theimpactoftheGenetic Networks

program has been evident at many levels,

but perhaps most notably in two areas: the

recruitment of top talent from Harvard, the

Broad and the Sanger Institutes is a challenge for

any academic institution, but the CIFAR Genetic

Networks Program has been a critical component

to the successful recruiting of Fritz Roth, Andrew

Fraser, and Jason Moffat to Toronto, a real

coup. Second, the program has brought great

distinction to Canada, reflected rather obviously

in the international flavour of the graduate

students and postdoctoral fellows that have

been recruited to the labs of the CIFAR Genetic

Networksresearchers.”

• “OveralltheyeastgroupintheCIFARnetwork

is the world’s finest group of scientists

performing rigorous high-throughput genetics.

Their efforts are the template upon which

all other high throughput genetic efforts are

modeled. They are leading by example. They

continually develop innovative new technologies

that expand their ability to explore the

relationship between genotype and phenotype.

They are extremely well funded and publish

rigorous papers in high-profile journals. They

collaborate extensively across disciplines and

generatehighqualitydatasets.”

• “Thisteamischangingthefaceofsciencein

the area of genetic interactions and is bringing

great distinction to Canadian science and their

internationalcollaborators.”

Selected highlights from the review panel’s findings (continued):

49

SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, IDENTITY AND WELL-BEING (SIIWB)

Outcome: Renewed for a second five-year term (2011-2016). John Helliwell (University of British Columbia)

and George Akerlof (University of California, Berkeley) re-appointed as co-Directors.

Review Panelists:• RobertM.Solow(Chair),NobelLaureate,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• RobertH.Frank,CornellUniversity

• RobertJ.Sampson,HarvardUniversity

• DeborahTerry,UniversityofQueensland

• “Sofar,behaviouraleconomicshasbeenin

whatmightbecalledthe“naturalhistory”

phase: its practitioners have picked up particular

discrepancies between the standard model and

observed behaviour, documented the discrepancies,

and proposed alternative abstractions. There has

not been much generalization across such cases.

The SIIWB group has proposed such a unifying

principle built around the concept of social identity

and the resulting direction of social norms, as

analyzed in social psychology and sociology. So

their goal is to deflect the likely trajectory, in

economics especially, but also in other social

sciences, and drive it toward a richer model of

economicbehaviouranditsmotivation.”

• “Abodyofresearchbasedonsubjectivewell-being

(SWB) already existed before the SIIWB group was

formed. The SIIWB group has adopted this line

of research, with the hope of integrating it into

identity-based social science. Success in this dual

endeavour could provide a coherent alternative to

the current mainstream. […] Canadian research

is certainly part of the international mainstream,

subject to the same currents. The SIIWB group, if

successful, would put Canada, at least temporarily,

intheforefrontofthisalternativedevelopment.”

• “Thegrouphassucceededonseveralcounts.

One, it has brought together scholars of very high

calibre from a number of different disciplines

who are now working together and learning from

each other. For example, although some members

of the group were already moving in relevant

directions before the group started, we observed

twokindsof“SIIWBeffects”–onewhere

members are redirecting their research trajectory;

the other is a process of rethinking current

researchfromdifferentperspectives.”

• “TheSIIWB group comprises an impressive mix

of scholars at different stages of their careers.

They are working collectively and very productively

atalllevels–fromtheco-Directorsthroughtothe

Junior Fellows. The review panel was extremely

impressed by the obvious effectiveness of the

interactions among the members of the SIIWB

program. Indeed, the panel agreed that it was very

unusual to see a group of this size and calibre

working so enthusiastically and so well together.

Without exception, individual group members

are very positive about the group itself and there

is a very strong sense of collective purpose and

commitment to the goals of the program and the

opportunitiesitaffords.”

Selected highlights from the review panel’s findings:

50

CIFAR’s Integrated Microbial Biodiversity program

underwent its first external peer review on June 23-25,

2011. The findings and outcomes of this review will be

reported next year. In 2011/2012, five CIFAR programs

will be reviewed: Cosmology and Gravity; Successful

Societies; Nanoelectronics; Quantum Information

Processing; and Quantum Materials.

Planning for a Quantum Physics Review

CIFAR’s portfolio of research programs and other

activities extends across the natural sciences, social

sciences, and humanities. To assess the overall strength

of this portfolio and to gain advice about areas of

advanced research that CIFAR should consider as

future priorities, the Institute has been considering

how to perform such an assessment and foresight

exercise. As a first step, CIFAR will undertake an

external review of the quantum physics portion of its

portfolio in 2012.

CIFAR has explored major themes and questions in

quantum physics for twenty-four years, beginning

with the launch of the Quantum Materials program

(formerly Superconductivity) in 1987, followed by the

Nanoelectronics program in 1999 and the Quantum

Information Processing program in 2002. Each of

these programs focuses on distinct, but somewhat

overlapping, areas of interest.

Given this longstanding and significant dollar

investment in quantum physics research, CIFAR is

planning a broader external review of this effort. In

the spring of 2012, each of the three quantum physics

programs will be peer-reviewed by separate review

panels, according to CIFAR’s normal rigorous method

and criteria. A fourth distinguished international

review team with representation from all the major

areas of quantum physics then will be asked to

provide a higher-level perspective and an overview

survey of ongoing activity across the entire field,

identifying the main unsolved fundamental problems

for the next decade.

At the end of this process, CIFAR will have in hand

independent assessments that address both the quality

of its existing quantum physics programs and a broader

assessment of the potential impact of this effort over

the next five to ten years. Such an analysis will help

CIFAR’s leadership to calibrate the recommendations

of the individual five-year reviews and to integrate these

recommendations into the long-term planning of the

Institute’s advanced research portfolio.

In preparation for these reviews, members of the

Nanoelectronics, Quantum Information Processing

and Quantum Materials programs convened a joint

QuantumPhysicsDiscussionandWinterSchool

in April 2011 in Whistler, BC. Program members,

advisory committee members, selected students and

postdoctoral fellows from the three programs and

international guests met to discuss linkages across the

programs’ areas of research and foster increased cross-

program collaboration among members and students.

51

(b) Internal Monitoring of Program Excellence

Program Advisory Committees

Every CIFAR research program is guided by an

international advisory committee composed of highly

accomplished senior scientists with expertise in the

fields represented within the program. Advisory

committee members attend program meetings and

contribute to the scientific and business discussions.

CIFAR builds an international collaboration among

outstanding scholars in each of its programs to

maximize the interaction between the best researchers

in Canada and around the world on an ongoing basis,

and because of this the Institute has given priority

to the role of international advisors. International

participation in the program advisory committees is 77

per cent, reflecting CIFAR’s commitment to excellence

through international engagement. A full list of

advisory committee members by region is provided in

Appendix C.

The world-leading status of CIFAR’s program advisory

committee members is reflected by the fact that 56 per

cent rank among the top one per cent of researchers

in their field, based on the number of times their work

was cited in the research literature from 2001-2011. A

breakdown by program is illustrated in the bar chart

under Section V (c): Indicators of Achievement and

Influence – Citation Data.

In 2010/2011, two distinguished researchers joined

CIFAR advisory committees, and all existing advisors

remained in their roles.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES OF PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEES

• Monitortheprogressofaprogram’s

intellectual direction, and provide advice to

the Program Director(s) and members, as

appropriate.

• WorkwiththeProgramDirector(s)and

members to identify potential new program

members.

• Approveprogramappointmentsproposedby

the Program Director(s), whether as Fellows,

Associates or Scholars.

• Playakeyroleinassemblingthepanelof

experts to conduct the program’s next five-

year external peer review.

• Overseetheimplementationofthe

recommendations of external review panels.

NEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS IN 2010/2011

Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception:

• PietroPerona,Dept.ofElectricalEngineering,

California Institute of Technology

Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being:

• JohnW.Berry,Dept.ofPsychology,Queen’s

University

52

Research Council

The Research Council is composed of eminent senior

academics representing a wide range of fields of study

and possessing a strong understanding of the Canadian

research community. It serves as an advisory body to

CIFAR’s President and generally meets several times a

year. The Council is involved in program reviews and gives

advice on new program proposals and other initiatives.

The Research Council met twice in 2010/2011. Items of

business included:

• Discussionofthereportsoftheexternalreview

panels that evaluated the Social Interactions,

Identity and Well-Being program and the Genetic

Networks program, respectively, leading to a

recommendation to the Board of Directors that

both programs be renewed for another five-year

term.

• Reviewanddiscussionofthefinalresultsof

the CIFAR Performance Audit and Evaluation

conducted by Hickling Arthurs Low in 2009/2010.

• UpdatesbyCIFARVice-Presidentsanddiscussion

about: recent activity in each research program

and exploration and in the Junior Fellow Academy;

plansforaQuantumPhysicsReviewin2012;

and progress in the strategic priority areas of

knowledge mobilization, expanding CIFAR’s

international reach, and advancing the capital

campaign.

• PresentationanddiscussionaboutCIFAR’s

proposed strategic plan for 2012-2017.

Members of the Research Council are listed in

Appendix D. There were no changes in membership in

2010/2011.

Regular Meetings of Program Directors and

CIFAR Leadership

The Vice-Presidents and Directors of CIFAR’s

Programs and Research Department meet with the

Director(s) of each CIFAR program on a regular basis

throughout the year, in person and by telephone.

This close working relationship helps to ensure that

all aspects of each program are working optimally

and that CIFAR’s standards of excellence are being

met, in particular in the recruitment of potential new

members and in the participation of existing members

in the program.

PRINCIPAL FUNCTIONS OF THE RESEARCH COUNCIL

• Identifyhighpriorityareasofadvanced

intellectual inquiry for existing and potential

programs, taking into account CIFAR’s

objectives and resources.

• Identifyexisting,emerging,andlatentresearch

strengths in Canada.

• Identifyhighlyqualifiedindividualstoform

task committees to explore potential new

research areas for support by CIFAR.

• Evaluatefindingsoftaskforcesregardingthe

creation of new CIFAR programs.

• Evaluatefindingsofexternalprogramreviews

and make recommendations for Board

approval on the renewal/termination of CIFAR

programs.

• Actasonechannelofcommunicationbetween

CIFAR and the Canadian and international

research communities by:

• informingthePresidentandVice-Presidents

of opportunities, issues, and problems

related to research, and

• fosteringanunderstandingwithinthe

research community of CIFAR’s aims

and activities.

53

V. Program Membership

(a) Program Members

CIFAR defines its members in the following four

categories:

Fellows: Fellows are outstanding researchers in, or

entering, the most productive stage of their careers

(as associate or full professors) and who have achieved

international stature in their field of research. Fellows

devote significant time to a particular aspect of the

research that relates to the overall intellectual goals of

their CIFAR program. They are appointed for the term

oftheprogram–i.e.,adurationofuptofiveyears,

renewable. Financial support is approved on an annual

basis. Support ranges from teaching release, full or

partial salary support, general research support and/or

support of research trainees.

Scholars: Scholars are highly promising young

researchers, generally in their first tenure track faculty

appointment as assistant professors, who are seen to

have the potential to be outstanding researchers, whose

work is deemed relevant to a CIFAR program and whose

intellectual development could benefit from a close

association with the program’s Fellows and Associates.

The standard Scholar appointment is for five years,

although this can vary depending on timeline for tenure

approval. Renewals as Scholars or promotions to Fellow

must be approved by the program’s advisory committee.

Support ranges from teaching release, full or partial

salary support, general research support and/or support

of research trainees.

Associates: Associates are persons of Fellow calibre

in a discipline germane to the focus of the program,

whose membership is seen as short-term and is

linked to a particular aspect of the research; or, in

cognate disciplines, whose association with the

core program on a short-term or occasional basis is

deemed to be mutually interesting and significant to

the program. Associates are normally tenured full or

associate professors. In exceptional circumstances,

they may be individuals in a non-academic or

research-oriented field whose achievements are

deemed to be of comparable scientific merit. They are

appointed for a limited term and may be reviewed for

possible re-appointment or for appointment as Fellow

by the same panel of internationally-recognized

peers that evaluates each CIFAR program every five

years. Alternatively, they may be re-appointed by

the program advisory committee every five years.

Associates may receive support for research and

trainees or may be unpaid. They normally are not

eligible for teaching release or salary support.

54

Junior Fellows: Junior Fellows are outstanding young

researchers, appointed within three years of having

completed their PhD, who have shown exceptional

intellectual leadership and imagination in their

work. The typical form of university appointment

for Junior Fellows is that of a two-year postdoctoral

fellowship. However, in a number of disciplines, such

as economics and sociology, PhD graduates are often

recruited immediately into junior faculty positions.

In such cases, a Junior Fellow may hold a university

appointment as a full-time junior faculty member,

but with significant workload adjustments during the

term of the Junior Fellowship to allow them to engage

actively in the program. Junior Fellows participate as

members of a CIFAR program, as well as in a Junior

Fellow Academy, bringing together Junior Fellows

from all programs for separate events designed to

build leadership capacity and support peer networking.

More information about the Junior Fellow Academy is

provided under Section VI: Supervision and Training of

New Researchers.

Summary of Program Membership in 2010/2011

This section presents a number of key facts and

figures concerning CIFAR membership in 2010/2011.

Additional information may be found in the

comprehensive fact sheet provided as Appendix H.

One program member, Thomas Jennewein (University

of Waterloo) was promoted from Associate to Scholar in

the Quantum Information Processing program. William

Coish (McGill University), a Junior Fellow in the Quantum

Information Processing program, was promoted to Scholar

in both the Nanoelectronics and Quantum Information

Processing programs. Seventeen program members

resigned or were not renewed, and eight Junior Fellows

completed their funded terms of appointment.

In 2010/2011, CIFAR program members and advisory

committee members collectively were based in 16

countries (including Canada) and came from 30

institutions in Canada and 73 internationally.

The following bar chart illustrates the trend in the

combined number and distribution of program and

advisory committee members since 2003.

TOTAL NUMBER OF PROGRAM MEMBERS: 323

Male: 85%

Female: 15%

Senior: (Fellows and Associates) 75%

Junior: (Scholars and Junior Fellows) 25%

BasedinCanada: 62%

Basedinternationally: 38%

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20112010

Year Ending June 30

# of

Pro

gram

an

d A

dvis

ory

Com

mit

tee

Mem

bers 450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

International members

Canadian members

CIFAR PROGRAM AND ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS2003 to 2011

44%Int'l

46%Int'l

46%Int'l

43%Int'l

43%Int'l

44%Int'l

45%Int'l

44%Int'l

45%Int'l

55

(b) New Appointments

Throughout their five-year cycles, CIFAR programs

assess the blend of expertise within their membership

and appoint additional outstanding researchers as the

opportunity or need arises. New appointments may

enhance programs’ ability to pursue existing lines of

inquiry or may help build up new areas of expertise

in the program and strengthen the Canadian research

community in key fields.

Summary of New Appointments in 2010/2011

In 2010/2011, 23 new members were appointed to nine

CIFAR programs and the Junior Fellow Academy:

• 83%weremaleand17%werefemale

• 56.5%weresenior(FellowsandAssociates)and

43.5%werejunior(ScholarsandJuniorFellows)

• 52%werebasedinCanadianinstitutionsand48%

were based internationally

For two of these new members, CIFAR played an

influential role in their decision to relocate to Canada

from the United States. The promise of a Scholar

appointment in CIFAR’s Neural Computation and

Adaptive Perception program was critical in encouraging

Ruslan Salakhutdinov to choose an Assistant Professor

position at the University of Toronto over prestigious

offers in the United States after he completed a

postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology in 2011. Similarly, an offer of membership

in CIFAR’s Nanoelectronics program was a persuasive

factor in convincing Sarah Burke to accept an Assistant

Professorship at the University of British Columbia

on completion of a postdoctoral fellowship at the

University of California, Berkeley, in 2010.

Program Cdn Int’l Total

Cosmology and Gravity - - -

Earth System Evolution - - -

Experience-based Brain and Biological Development 1 - 1

Genetic Networks - - -

Institutions, Organizations and Growth 3 - 3

Integrated Microbial Biodiversity - - -

Nanoelectronics 2 - 2

Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception 1 6 7

QuantumInformationProcessing 1 1 2

QuantumMaterials - 1 1

Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being - - -

Successful Societies - - -

Junior Fellow Academy 4 3 7

TOTAL 12 11 23

NEW APPOINTMENTSNew Members

56

In conjunction with the prestigious new Canada

Excellence Research Chairs program, the Institute

also assisted in bringing two members of CIFAR’s

international research community to Canada. Frederick

Roth, a previously-appointed Fellow in Genetic Networks,

came from Harvard University to a new senior faculty

position at the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and

Biomolecular Research at the University of Toronto and

the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mount Sinai

Hospital. David Cory, a Quantum Information Processing

advisory committee member, left the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology for new positions at the Institute

forQuantumComputing,UniversityofWaterloo,and

the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.

CIFAR also seeks to strengthen the Canadian research

community in key fields by partnering with universities

to retain in Canada outstanding program members

who are being actively recruited by non-Canadian

universities. In 2010/2011, an offer of membership in

CIFAR’s Nanoelectronics program was an important part

of John Davis’ decision to accept an Assistant Professor

position at the University of Alberta after completing his

postdoctoral fellowship there in 2010.

Appendix E provides short biographical profiles of all

the new members appointed in 2010/2011. New Junior

Fellows are featured in Appendix F.

(c) Indicators of Achievement and Influence

Every CIFAR program works to establish its own unique

culture of collaboration, international networking,

and mentoring of graduate students and postdoctoral

fellows. This culture, and the ideas, breakthroughs and

broadening of horizons that it incubates, represents

significant“value-added”inadvancingknowledgeand

answering the complex, fundamental questions posed

in the Institute’s programs. Although such intangibles

are difficult to measure, CIFAR does attempt to do so

through specific questions put to program members

and review panelists during external peer reviews.

CIFAR also undertakes to continuously monitor the

performance of its programs and researchers with the

help of a number of traditional performance indicators,

including:

• thefrequencywithwhichprogrammembers’work

is cited in the research literature, and

• thenumberofprestigiousawardsreceived.

CIFAR collects this information through resources

compiled by Thomson Reuters and annual reports from

program members.

Citation Data

The frequency with which a researcher’s papers are

cited in the research literature helps to indicate the

impact of his or her work on the field and can be used

as a measure of stature and influence.

The Essential Science Indicators (ESI) is a product

provided by Thomson Reuters that continuously

compiles data on publications and citations in key

journals world-wide. From this data, the ESI identifies

the top one per cent of scientists and the top 50 per cent

of institutions and nations worldwide in 22 discipline

categories, based on the number of times their work

has been cited over a ten-year period. At the time of

writing this report, the ESI included information from

January 2001 to June 2011. Given that the database’s ten-

year time span favours researchers whose careers are

well-established, CIFAR has chosen to focus its analysis

on senior program members (Fellows and Associates)

and advisory committee members, i.e. researchers

who have achieved tenure in their universities. This

approach has significant biases by discipline, with

the approach having greatest relevance in the natural

sciences and the least relevance in the social sciences

and humanities.

57

Based on the ESI data, in 2010/2011 the following

percentages of CIFAR researchers were in the top one

per cent in their field worldwide:

CIFAR RESEARCHERS IN TOP 1%

Seniorprogrammembers: 43%

Canada-basedseniorprogrammembers: 21%

Advisorycommitteemembers: 56%

Note: The Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicators database provides citation data based on journal articles only

and focuses mainly on disciplines in the natural sciences. The social sciences (and thus the programs in Institutions,

Organizations and Growth, Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being and Successful Societies) are not well represented in

this database, given that researchers in these disciplines publish more often in books than in journals and that the social

sciences are grouped and analyzed as one broad category, with the exceptions of Economics and Business and Psychology,

which is grouped with Psychiatry. The database does not include disciplines in the humanities. There is currently no

alternative source of more robust citation data for the social sciences and the humanities.

The following bar chart further breaks down this

information by program.

CIFAR MEMBERS RANKED IN THE TOP 1%* IN THEIR FIELDS*data collected from Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicators (01/2001 to 06/2011)

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Per

cen

tage

Succes

sful S

ociet

ies

Cosm

ology

and G

ravit

y

Earth

Sys

tem E

volu

tion

Exper

ience

-bas

ed B

rain

and B

iolog

ical D

evelo

pmen

t

Geneti

c Netw

orks

Insti

tutio

ns, Org

aniza

tions a

nd Gro

wth

Integ

rated

Micr

obial

Biod

ivers

ity

Nanoe

lectro

nics

Neura

l Com

putation

and A

daptiv

e Per

ceptio

n

Quantu

m In

form

ation

Pro

cess

ing

Quantu

m M

ateria

ls

Social

Inter

actio

ns, Id

entit

y and W

ell-B

eing

Program

Senior Program Members

Senior Program Members (in Canada)

Advisory Committee Members

58

Awards and Honours

During the years 2010 and 2011, CIFAR program members and

advisory committee members received 69 major awards and honours

for which researchers from a broad range of disciplines are eligible,

as well as 27 important field-specific prizes, as summarized in the

following table. Descriptions of these awards appear in Appendix G.

AWARDS COVERING BROAD RANGE OF DISCIPLINES

International:

Alexander von Humboldt Research Award 1

• C.Petrovic,QM

Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship 3

• M.Dobbs,C&G

• R.Fergus,NCAP

• J.Folk,Nano and QM

Elected Corresponding Fellow of the 1

British Academy

• W.Kymlicka, SS

Elected Fellow of the American Academy 7

of Arts and Sciences

• B.Andrews,GN

• R.Benabou,IOG and SIIWB

• C.Boone,GN

• R.Fernald,EBBD (AC)

• A.Linde,C&G

• W.Freedman,C&G

• J.Zachos,ESE

Elected Fellow of the Royal Society (U.K.) 2

• I.Affleck,Nano and QM

• V.Kaspi,C&G

Elected Foreign Associate of the U.S. National 1

Academy of Sciences

• J.R.Bond,C&G

Elected Foreign Fellow of the Indian National 1

Science Academy

• J.Polanyi,Nano

Elected Foreign Honorary Member of the 1

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

• T.Besley,IOG

AWARDS IN SPECIFIC DISCIPLINES

International:

Aneesur Rahman Prize for Computational Physics 1

(American Physical Society)

• F.Pretorius,C&G

Barrer Award in Nanoporous Materials 1

(Royal Society of Chemistry)

• G.Ozin,Nano

Erwin Plein Nemmers Prize in Economics 1

(Northwestern University)

• E.Helpman,IOG

Faraday Lectureship Prize 1

(Royal Society of Chemistry)

• J.Polanyi,Nano

International Quantum Communication Award 1

• A.Lvovsky,QIP

Kavli Prize in Nanoscience 1

(Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters)

• D.Eigler,Nano (AC)

Koenderink Prize 1

(European Conference on Computer Vision)

Co-recipients:

• M.Black,NCAP

• D.Fleet,NCAP

Overton Prize 1

(International Society for Computational Biology)

• O.Troyanskaya,GN

Peter Gruber Cosmology Prize 1

Co-recipients:

• G.Efstathiou,C&G

• C.Frenk,C&G

• S.White,C&G (AC)

59

AWARDS COVERING BROAD RANGE OF DISCIPLINES

International:

Elected Member of the U.S. National 6

Academy of Sciences

• J.C.Davis,Nano (AC)

• G.Horowitz,C&G

• V.Kaspi,C&G

• S.Kivelson,QM

• A.MacDonald,QM (AC)

• T.Sejnowski,NCAP (AC)

Holberg International Memorial Prize 1

(Ludvig Holberg Memorial Fund, Norway)

• N.Davis, SS (AC)

Order of the British Empire, Commander 1

• T.Besley,IOG

Wolfson Research Merit Award (Royal Society, U.K.) 1

• A.Mackenzie,QM

AWARDS IN SPECIFIC DISCIPLINES

International:

Seymour H. Hutner Young Investigator Prize 1

(International Society of Protistologists)

• A.Roger,IMB

Shaw Prize in Astronomy (Shaw Prize Foundation) 1

• L.Page,C&G (AC)

Special Award for Services to mµSR 1

(International Society for mµSR Spectroscopy)

• J.Sonier,QM

Walter H. Bucher Medal 1

(American Geophysical Union)

• P.Hoffman, ESE

Canadian:

Canada Excellence Research Chair 2

• D.Cory,QIP (AC)

• F.Roth,GN

Canada Research Chair 2

• S.Burke,Nano

• A.Roger,IMB

Canada Research Chair – Renewal 19

• R.Barr,EBBD; G. Bouchard, SS; A. Clerk, Nano;

J. Dahn, Nano; M. Dobbs, C&G; E. Emberly, GN

and Nano; J. Folk, Nano and QM; M. Gingras, QM;

S. Hallam, IMB; P. Hayden, QIP; G. Holder, C&G;

C.Kallin,QM;W.Kymlicka,SS; D. Leung, QIP;

J. Levine, EBBD; A. Lvovsky, QIP;K.Murphy,

NCAP; L. Taillefer, QM; D. Trefler, IOG

Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 1

• M.Mosca,QIP

Early Researcher Award – Ontario 1

• T.Jennewein,QIP

Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada 3

• R.Cleve,QIP

• C.Eaton,IOG (AC)

• B.Gaulin,QM

Canadian:

A.G. Huntsman Award for Excellence in 1

Marine Science (Royal Society of Canada)

• C.Suttle,IMB

Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year (CIHR) 1

• C.Hertzman,EBBD and SS

CAP/DCMMP Brockhouse Medal for Outstanding 1

Contributions to Condensed Matter and

Materials Physics

• B.Gaulin,QM

Herzberg Medal (Canadian Association of Physicists) 1

• A.Blais,Nano, QIP and QM

Honorary Life Membership 1

(Canadian Public Health Association)

• C.Hertzman,EBBD and SS

Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Physics 1

(Canadian Assoc. of Physicists)

• J.R.Bond,C&G

Michael Smith Prize in Health Research (CIHR) 1

• C.Hertzman,EBBD and SS

60

AWARDS COVERING BROAD RANGE OF DISCIPLINES

AWARDS IN SPECIFIC DISCIPLINES

Canadian:

E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship 2

• A.Blais,Nano,QIP and QM

• A.Damascelli,QM

Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal 1

for Science and Engineering

• G.Hinton,NCAP

James McGill Professor Award – Renewal 2

• E.Shoubridge,GN

• M.Szyf, EBBD

John C. Polanyi Award (NSERC) 1

• V.Kaspi,C&G

Killam Prize for the Natural Sciences 2

(Canada Council for the Arts)

• G.Brassard,QIP

• A.McDonald,C&G

Killam Research Fellowship 1

(Canada Council for the Arts)

• V.Kaspi,C&G

NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement 2

• M.Berciu,Nano

• D.Leung, QIP

Order of Canada, Member 1

• L.Taillefer,QM

Order of Canada, Officer 1

• W.J.L.Buyers,QM

Premier’s Discovery Award – Ontario 1

• G.Ozin,Nano

Steacie Prize for Natural Sciences 1

• A.Hertzmann,NCAP

Canadian:

MITACS Young Researcher Award (MITACS) 1

• N.deFreitas,NCAP

National Child Day Award 1

(Canadian Institute of Child Health)

• C.Hertzman,EBBD and SS

Noni MacDonald Award 1

(Canadian Paediatric Society)

• D.Trefler,IOG

Outstanding Young Computer Science 1

Researcher Award

(Canadian Association for Computer Science)

• P.Hayden,QIP

Population and Public Health Research 1

Milestones Award (CIHR)

• C.Hertzman,EBBD and SS

Rio Tinto Alcan Award 1

(Canadian Society for Chemistry)

• J.Dahn,Nano

Timothy R. Parsons Medal for Excellence in 1

Multidisciplinary Ocean Sciences

(Fisheries and Oceans Canada)

• C.Suttle,IMB

Overall Total 69 Overall Total 27

61

The following bar chart tracks the trend in members’

winning of awards and honours since 2003. The increase

in 2011 is attributed in part to a large number of Canada

Research Chair renewals.

AWARDS AND HONOURS RECEIVED BY CIFAR PROGRAM MEMBERS2003 to 2011

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

# of

maj

or a

war

ds &

hon

ours

# of major field-specific awards

# of major non-field-specific awards

62

VI. Supervision and Training of New Researchers

CIFAR has understood that training outstanding new researchers is vital to building a

strong and vibrant research community. Development of the Scholar (junior faculty-level)

program member category, sponsorship of annual schools for advanced study, and the

inclusion of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at program meetings are just

some of the ways in which the Institute supports this important role.

In its Strategic Plan for 2007-2012, CIFAR renewed

and increased its commitment to developing capacity

in gifted early-career scholars, leading to the launch

of the Junior Fellow Academy in 2008/2009. Today,

about 20 per cent of CIFAR’s overall budget is devoted

to initiatives that support the training of new research

leaders. Highlights of the year’s key activities are

provided below.

(a) Junior Fellow Academy

Purpose and Goals

The Junior Fellow Academy is an elite fellowship

program attracting some of the world’s most exceptional

early-career researchers to CIFAR and the Canadian

research community. The program is targeted to

individuals who have completed their PhD within the

past three years and have shown exceptional intellectual

leadership and imagination in their work, as well as a

willingness to think broadly and collaborate deeply with

their colleagues.

The Academy is designed to build research and

leadership capacity in outstanding new scholars at a

critical early stage of their career development. CIFAR’s

aim is to build a closely connected and long-lasting

community of highly talented new leaders, representing

a broad spectrum of expertise, who will help lay a strong

foundation for the future of advanced research both

within and beyond Canada’s borders.

To achieve these goals, the Academy offers rare

opportunities that distinguish it from other prestigious

fellowship programs for recent PhD graduates:

• Participation in a CIFAR program: For two years,

JuniorFellowsare“embedded”inoneofCIFAR’s

twelve programs. They are supervised or mentored

by at least one program member and attend regular

program meetings during their term of appointment.

This early exposure to CIFAR’s collaborative,

multidisciplinary environment and the opportunity

to work closely with some of the top researchers in

their fields have the potential to impact profoundly

a Junior Fellow’s future career path.

• Interaction within the Junior Fellow Academy:

Junior Fellows from all programs meet as a peer

group approximately every eight months. Academy

meetings provide opportunities to network with

peers, explore a broad range of research areas

and methods, build leadership skills and receive

additional career mentorship. Junior Fellow Alumni

are invited to attend Academy meetings for an

additional three years after their funded terms of

appointment have ended.

At full capacity, the Academy is made up of 24

Junior Fellows, with two in each of CIFAR’s twelve

research programs.

63

Junior Fellow Appointments

In most programs, Junior Fellowships are held in

conjunction with a university postdoctoral research

appointment. However, in a number of social science

disciplines, PhD graduates are often recruited

immediately into junior faculty positions. For this

reason, Junior Fellows in social science-oriented CIFAR

programs may hold an appointment as a full-time

junior university faculty member. Junior Fellowships

may be held at universities inside or outside of Canada.

The following graph illustrates the growth of the Junior

Fellow Academy over the past three years.

As of June 30, 2011:

• TwentyJuniorFellowsheldactiveappointments;

of these, seven formally began their fellowships in

2010/2011.

• ElevennewJuniorFellowswereapprovedbythe

Board of Directors to begin their fellowships in

2011/2012.

• TenindividualshavebecomeJuniorFellow

Alumni, having completed their funded terms of

appointment. Of these, five held one-year terms.

GROWTH OF JUNIOR FELLOW ACADEMY

25

20

15

10

5

0

Nu

mbe

r of

Ju

nio

r F

ello

ws

At June 30, 2009 At June 30, 2010 At June 30, 2011

JFs

in a

ctiv

eap

poin

tmen

ts

JFs

wai

tin

g to

star

t app

ts

JF A

lum

ni

JFs

in a

ctiv

eap

poin

tmen

ts

JFs

wai

tin

g to

star

t app

ts

JF A

lum

ni

JFs

in a

ctiv

eap

poin

tmen

ts

JFs

wai

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g to

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t app

ts

JF A

lum

ni

64

The following tables list the current Junior Fellows,

upcoming new appointments, and Junior Fellow

Alumni. Junior Fellows who began appointments in

2010/2011 are further profiled in Appendix F.

JUNIOR FELLOWS – CURRENT

PROGRAM RECRUITED FROM...

PH.D. FROM... LOCATION OF JF APPOINTMENT

Dorian Abbot ESE USA –HarvardU. Harvard U., USA (2008) U. of Chicago

Ryan Adams NCAP UK –U.ofCambridge U.ofCambridge,UK(2009) U. of Toronto

James Burns EBBD France–CNRS U. of Toronto, Canada (2007) U. of Toronto at Mississauga

Bill Coish QIP Canada –IQC,U.ofWaterloo U. of Basel, Switzerland (2006) U. of Waterloo; McGill U.

Dave Donaldson IOG UK –LondonSchoolof Economics

LondonSchoolofEconomics,UK(2009)

MIT

Ion Garate QM USA –U.ofTexasatAustin U. of Texas at Austin, USA (2009) UBC

Mohammad Hadi Izadi Nano Canada –U.ofWaterloo U. of Waterloo, Canada (2010) McGill U.

Shehre-Banoo Malik IMB USA–NewYorkU. U. of Iowa , USA (2007) Dalhousie U.

Chris McLeod SS* Canada–UBC U. of British Columbia, Canada (2009)

UBC

Shakir Mohamed NCAP UK–U.ofCambridge U.ofCambridge,UK(2010) UBC

Jelena Obradovic EBBD Canada –UBC U. of Minnesota, USA (2007) Stanford U.

Julien Renard Nano France–Grenoble U. Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France (2009)

UBC

Xavier Robert ESE France –Grenoble U. Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France (2008)

UQAM

L.KristerShalm QIP Canada –U.ofToronto U. of Toronto, Canada (2010) U. of Waterloo

Vera Tai IMB USA –UCSanDiego U. of California, San Diego, USA (2009)

UBC

KeithVanderlinde C&G Canada –McGillU. U. of Chicago, USA (2008) McGill U.

Eric Weese IOG USA –MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA (2009)

YaleU.

Matt Weirauch GN USA –UCSantaCruz U. of California, Santa Cruz, USA (2009)

U. of Toronto

Wendy Wong SS* Canada–U.ofToronto U.of California, San Diego, USA (2008)

U. of Toronto

RenateYsseldyk SIIWB Canada –CarletonU. Carleton U., Canada (2009) Carleton U./U. of Exeter

* Successful Societies Junior Fellowships are for one year, as per the decision of the program.

JUNIOR FELLOWS IN ACTIVE APPOINTMENTS AT JUNE 30, 2011

65

JUNIOR FELLOWS –UPCOMING

PROGRAM RECRUITED FROM...

PH.D. FROM... LOCATION OF JF APPOINTMENT

Jean-Sébastien Bernier QM France –ÉcolePolytechnique U. of Toronto, Canada (2008) UBC

Anne Broadbent QIP Canada –U.ofWaterloo U. of Montreal, Canada (2008) U. of Waterloo

Adrienne Erickcek C&G Canada –U.ofToronto;Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

California Institute of Technology, USA (2009)

U. of Toronto; Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Nathan Fosse SS* USA–HarvardU. Harvard U., USA (2011) Harvard U.

Tom Gleeson ESE Canada –UBC Queen’sU.,Canada(2009) McGill U.

Alex Graves NCAP Germany –TechnicalU.ofMunich

IDSIA, Switzerland and Technical U. of Munich, Germany (2008)

U. of Toronto

Elena Hassinger QM France –GrenobleU. Grenoble U., France (2010) U. of Sherbrooke

John Higgins ESE USA –PrincetonU. Harvard U., USA (2009) Harvard U.

Suresh Naidu IOG USA –ColumbiaU. U. of California, Berkeley, USA (2008)

Columbia U.

Else Starkenburg C&G The Netherlands –U.ofGroningen

U. of Groningen, The Netherlands (2011)

U. of Victoria

Anne Takesian EBBD USA –HarvardU. NewYorkU.,USA(2010) Harvard U.

JUNIOR FELLOW CANDIDATES APPROVED TO START IN 2011/2012

JUNIOR FELLOW ALUMNI

PROGRAM RECRUITED FROM...

PH.D. FROM... LOCATION OF JF APPOINTMENT

POST-JUNIOR FELLOWSHIP LOCATION

Marcos Ancelovici SS* Canada –McGillU. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA (2007)

U. of Montreal Faculty, McGill U.

Chris Barrington-Leigh SIIWB Canada–UBC Stanford U., USA (2001) and UBC, Canada (2009)

UBC Faculty, McGill U.

Slavko Bogdanov C&G Canada –McGillU. Harvard U., USA (2008) McGill U. Associate Research Scientist, Columbia U.

Latham Boyle C&G Canada –CITA,U.ofToronto

Princeton U., USA (2006) U. of Toronto; Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Faculty, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Joshua Evans SS* Canada–McMasterU. McMaster U., Canada (2009) McMaster U.; Athabasca U.

Faculty, Athabasca U.

Mark Ferguson SIIWB USA–U.ofSyracuse,NY U.ofKansas,USA(2008) U. of Calgary Faculty, U. of Wisconsin

Jay Gambetta QIP** Canada –IQC,U.ofWaterloo

Griffith U., Australia (2004) U. of Waterloo Scientist, IBM Research, YorktownHeights,NY

Donna Garcia SS* Canada –U.ofWesternOntario

U.ofKansas,USA(2006) U. of Guelph Faculty, California State U., San Bernardino

Arjumand Siddiqi SS* USA–U.ofNorthCarolina Harvard U., USA (Sc.D., 2005) U. of North Carolina

Faculty, U. of Toronto

Hiroki Wadati QM Canada–UBC U. of Tokyo, Japan (2007) UBC; U. of Tokyo Faculty, U. of Tokyo

JUNIOR FELLOW ALUMNI AT JUNE 30, 2011

* Successful Societies Junior Fellowships are for one year, as per the decision of the program.

* Successful Societies Junior Fellowships are for one year, as per the decision of the program.** A one-year appointment.

66

The following pie charts illustrate the range of countries

in which Junior Fellows have most recently undergone

doctoral and postdoctoral training (includes all Junior

Fellows appointed or approved as of June 30, 2011):

USA (49%)

Canada (25%)

The Netherlands (2%)

Germany (2%)

Switzerland (2%)

Australia (2%)

Japan (2%)

UK (8%)

France (8%)

COUNTRIES IN WHICH JUNIOR FELLOWS RECEIVED THEIR PH.D.

Canada (46%)

USA (30%)

The Netherlands (2%)

Germany (2%)

UK (7%)

France (13%)

JUNIOR FELLOWS' MOST RECENT COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE (prior to commencing Junior Fellowship)

67

Junior Fellow Academy Highlights

• Meetings: The Junior Fellow Academy met once in

2010/2011.

• April 11-12, 2011: New Junior Fellows gave short

talks on their research. Several Junior Fellows

presented current problems and data sets in the

hope of gaining new insights from peers in other

fields. Others gave introductory overviews of

generalizable research methods that might help

others see new approaches to problem solving.

The first ten Junior Fellow Alumni shared results

andwerecelebratedwitha“graduation”ceremony.

Guest speakers Ralph Pudritz, Jenn and Ken

Visocky-O’Grady and Will Kymlicka respectively

gave talks on interdisciplinary collaboration, best

practices for visually representing information,

and approaches to researching multiculturalism.

• Junior Fellow Successes: Junior Fellows celebrated

a number of accomplishments in the past year, a

selection of which are presented below:

• All ten of the first Junior Fellow Alumni have

secured positions as junior university faculty

members or full-time research scientists (see list

on page 65).

• Junior Fellows from CIFAR’s programs in

Nanoelectronics, Quantum Information Processing

and Quantum Materials contributed to a CIFAR

QuantumPhysicsWinterSchoolandplanning

discussion in preparation for a special external

review of CIFAR’s collective activity in this broad

field. (See Section IV (a): External Peer Reviews for

more information.)

• Several Junior Fellows were honoured with awards,

including:

• Ryan Adams: Best Paper, 2010 International

Conference on Artificial Intelligence and

Statistics.

• Dave Donaldson: World Trade Organization

EssayAwardforYoungEconomists,September

2010 (tied for first place).

• Krister Shalm: NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship.

• Matt Weirauch: CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship.

• Increase in value of Junior Fellowship: To ensure

that the Junior Fellow Academy is competitive with

other elite international fellowships, attracting

the very best candidates in any given field, CIFAR

raised the Junior Fellowship value for postdoctoral

fellowsfrom$50,000/yearto$70,000/yearfor

salaryandbenefits,plus$5,000/yearforresearch

support. Junior Fellows who are junior faculty

memberscontinuetoreceivefundingof$50,000/

year, given that they receive a salary from their

university. Junior faculty members are expected to

use the Junior Fellowship award to enhance their

capacity to do research.

Meeting of the Junior Fellow Academy, April 2011

68

• Extension of term of appointment: In April 2011,

the Junior Fellow Academy term of appointment

was extended to five years. Individuals normally will

receive full fellowship funding for the first two years;

during that time, they will hold the title of CIFAR

Junior Fellow and will be treated as members of their

respective CIFAR programs. For the remaining three

years of their appointment, they will be known as

Junior Fellow Alumni and will be invited to attend

meetings of the Junior Fellow Academy. Involving

Alumni in the Academy for an additional three years,

unfunded, is expected to yield several benefits:

• Lengthen the exposure of these elite early-

career researchers to CIFAR’s culture of cross-

disciplinary interaction and collaboration at a

time when they are transitioning to independent

research positions in academia or industry.

• Solidify the relationships that Junior Fellows

have established with each other and with

CIFAR to ensure the development of a lasting

community of peers.

• Strengthen opportunities for mentorship within

the Junior Fellow Academy. As Junior Fellow

Alumni progress through their early career,

they will be available as peer mentors to the

new Junior Fellows, while continuing to receive

mentorship themselves from CIFAR’s senior

researchers and management.

• ApplicationandReviewProcesses: CIFAR introduced

a secure website called the Junior Fellowship Online

Application System at http://jfa.cifar.ca. The new

system centralizes the submission of applications

and letters of reference and enables reviewers to

access all application documents online. The on-

site interviewing of top Junior Fellow candidates

at the CIFAR office in Toronto was added to the

application review process. Program-level selection

committees initially assess, rank and nominate a

shortlist of applicants based on outstanding quality

of scholarship/research and potential to contribute

to a particular research program. The top two

nominees for each available Junior Fellowship are

invited to an interview conducted by a committee

of three CIFAR Research Council members and the

Institute’s Vice-President, Research. The Interview

Committee evaluates nominees’ interest and aptitude

for interacting in the multidisciplinary Junior Fellow

Academy and their potential for developing leadership

and communication skills in the broader research

community. The committee’s recommendations are

brought forward to the CIFAR Board of Directors for

final approval.

Plans for 2011/2012

• Recruitment of new Junior Fellows: Competitions to

fill several existing or upcoming available Fellowships

will take place with application deadlines on

September 1, 2011 and January 20, 2012.

• Junior Fellow Alumni Tracking System: CIFAR will

develop a system to cumulatively track performance

indicators of individuals’ career and leadership

trajectory.

• Junior Fellow Academy Meeting: The next meeting

will take place at The Banff Centre in Banff, Alberta

on February 12-14, 2012. A volunteer organizing

committee of Junior Fellows is taking the lead on

planning the sessions.

69

(b)SupervisionofHighlyQualifiedPersonnel

Beyond the scope of the Junior Fellow Academy, program

members’ reputations as leaders in some of the most

innovative research areas continue to draw many of

Canada’s and the world’s brightest graduate students

and postdoctoral fellows to the members’ university

departments, boosting the overall strength of Canada’s

intellectual community.

The table below indicates the numbers of graduate

students and postdoctoral fellows supervised by CIFAR

program members in 2010/2011, as well as the numbers

of PhD students who graduated. The information

is collected from annual program member reports

submitted to CIFAR.

Cosmology and Gravity 64 52 4

Earth System Evolution 47 10 5

Experience-based Brain and

Biological Development 81 40 13

Genetic Networks 47 42 5

Institutions, Organizations and Growth 107 15 47

Integrated Microbial Biodiversity 60 40 5

Nanoelectronics 155.5 73 26

Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception 99 33 23

Quantum Information Processing 143 58 11

Quantum Materials 207 77.5 82

Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being 77 7 15

Successful Societies 110 13 15

TOTAL 1,198 461 251

PROGRAM GRAD STUDENTS SUPERVISED

POST-DOCS SUPERVISED

PH.D. STUDENTS GRADUATED

70

Cosmology and Gravity 3

Experience-based Brain and Biological Development (3 mtgs) 3; 1; 2

Earth System Evolution 6

Genetic Networks 0

Institutions, Organizations and Growth (3 mtgs) 1; 1; 0

Integrated Microbial Biodiversity 18

Nanoelectronics (2 mtgs) 24; 27

Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception 2

Quantum Information Processing (2 mtgs) 3; 2

Quantum Materials (2 mtgs) 1; 1

Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being (3 mtgs) 1; 1; 1

Successful Societies (3 mtgs) 1; 1; 1

CIFAR PROGRAMNUMBER OF STUDENTS/POST-DOCS ATTENDING

Summer/Winter Schools

Three CIFAR programs regularly host summer schools

for their members’ graduate students and postdoctoral

fellows: Nanoelectronics, Neural Computation and

Adaptive Perception and Quantum Materials. Student

organizers choose leading-edge themes that are unlikely

to be covered in regular course curricula and invite

program members and other guests to lecture on the

fundamentals of those topics. The schools are frequently

held just before a program meeting that will focus on

the same or related themes, so that the students are well

informed and able to follow the talks when they attend

the meeting.

(c) Training/Mentoring Programs

CIFAR supports the development and training of

Canada’s next generation of researchers and highly

skilled workers to help Canada stay competitive in the

global economy. The Institute implements a number

of strategies to help ensure that the innovative research

areas developed within its programs take root in

Canada’s universities and beyond.

Attendance of Students and Post-Docs at Program

Meetings

CIFAR strongly encourages Program Directors to

invite their members’ best graduate students and

postdoctoral fellows to program meetings, where they

can meet and interact with some of the internationally

leading researchers in their fields. At some meetings,

students and post-docs may have the chance to present

their own work to this distinguished audience, and often

they display their work in poster sessions, where all the

meeting participants mingle and discuss each others’

projects. It is rare for graduate students and postdoctoral

fellows to have this kind of opportunity to personally

interact with such top calibre researchers in a small and

informal setting.

In 2010/2011, the following CIFAR programs hosted

graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at their

meetings:

71

In April 2011, CIFAR also held a joint Winter School

involving the Nanoelectronics, Quantum Information

Processing and Quantum Materials programs in Whistler,

BC. The goals of the winter school were to explore new

developmentsin“QuantumMaterials,Nanostructures

andInformation,”educateyoungscientistsandform

bonds across the programs.

The Institute is also a regular co-sponsor of the annual

CanadianSummerSchoolonQuantumInformationand

QuantumInformationStudents’Conference.

As described under Section VIII (a): Exploration of New

Research Areas, CIFAR has supported an exploration in

the field of Astrobiology since 2009. In 2010/2011, in

partnership with the Canadian Astrobiology Training

Program, the Institute co-sponsored four graduate

students to attend an Astrobiology Summer School in

Santander, Spain in June 2011.

The following table summarizes the student schools

hosted or co-sponsored by CIFAR in 2010/2011:

PROGRAM STUDENT SCHOOL CO-SPONSORS(IN ADDITION TO CIFAR)

ATTENDANCE LOCATION DATES

Astrobiology 2011 Santander Summer School

NASA Astrobiology Institute; Spanish Centro de Astrobiología; European Space Agency; Harvard Origins of Life Initiative; Universidad Internacional Menendez Pelayo

24 Santander, Spain

June27–July1, 2011

Nanoelectronics, Quantum Information Processing and Quantum Materials

Joint Winter School n/a 23 Whistler, BC April 3-7, 2011

Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception

Annual Summer School

n/a 32 Toronto, ON August 4-8, 2010

Quantum Information Processing

2010 Canadian QuantumInformation Summer School

University of British Columbia; D-Wave Systems; MITACS; Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences; Pacific Institute of Theoretical Physics; QuantumWorks

90 Vancouver, BC

July 17-30, 2010

2010 Canadian QuantumInformation Student Conference

University of Calgary; QuantumWorks;MITACS;InstituteforQuantumInformationScienceat the University of Calgary

66 Calgary, AB July 12-16, 2010

2011 Canadian QuantumInformation Summer School

Université de Sherbrooke; QuantumWorks;MITACS;Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics;ÉquipedeRechercheen Physique de l’Information Quantique;InstituteforTransdisciplinary Research in QuantumComputing

90 Orford,QC June 6-15, 2011

2011 Canadian QuantumInformation Student Conference

As above 69 Orford,QC June 16-17, 2011

Quantum Materials Annual Summer School

n/a 53 Vancouver, BC

May 23-25, 2011

72

VII. Forging Strong National and International Collaborations and Interactions

CIFAR’s objective of building on Canada’s interdisciplinary research strength is supported by a

deep commitment to maximizing opportunities for Canada’s top junior and senior researchers

to meet and work with each other and the best of their international peers. The intellectual

stimulation that comes from belonging to a network of experts from across Canada, the United

States, and a host of other countries encourages many program members to remain in Canada,

rather than pursue opportunities elsewhere. Canadian universities in turn benefit from the

highcalibrestudentsandcolleagueswhoaredrawnbythepresenceofaresearch“star”.

CIFAR nurtures and enhances interaction and collaboration opportunities among Canadian

and international researchers in a variety of ways that are discussed in the following section.

(a) Program Meetings

Every CIFAR program holds one to three meetings per

year. They are attended by program members, invited

guest speakers, and often by graduate students and

postdoctoral fellows of program members.

Program meetings are usually much smaller than a typical

academic conference. They follow a format that provides

timebothforpresentations–whicharefrequently

interruptedbylivelydebate–andforinformalinteraction.

They are an excellent forum for researchers from different

disciplines to learn about the latest developments in each

others’ fields, which may inspire them to look at their

own work in a new light. This environment is also highly

conducive to sparking new and innovative collaborations.

Program members and external reviewers commonly

saythatmeetingregularly,“in-person,”withthe

same core participants over time is instrumental to

building a level of trust where researchers may freely

share their ideas, fully developed or not, without risk.

Naturally,disagreementdoesoccur–indeed,afully

open exchange of views is expected, and participants

return home with a wealth of new insights and ideas

as a result.

73

In 2010/2011, the following program meetings took place:

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS ATTENDANCE LOCATION DATES

Cosmology and Gravity

Discussion of the latest observational and other techniques for mapping the detailed pattern of density perturbations contained in the cosmos. Presentation of new models of inflation and other studies aimed at illuminating the nature of dark matter and dark energy. Exploration of new and interlocking ways to detect black holes, or the spacetime near black holes.

50 Whistler, BC March30–April 3,2011

Earth System Evolution

The meeting was divided into broad themes focusing on the dynamics and evolution of the Earth System: the global carbon cycle over geological time; isotopes in Earth System research; modeling the cryosphere and changes in sea level; hydrothermal flows; surface process dynamics; and paleo-ocean biogeochemistry.

40 Cambridge, MA September 24-26, 2010

Exploration of how brain processes which mediate perception are shaped by environmental cues during sensitive periods in early development; and how the development of perceptual and cognitive systems can be perturbed by hereditary and environmental factors.

37 Montreal,QC November 10-12, 2010

Experience-based Brain and Biological Development

Discussions on how early development takes place within an evolutionarily-defined framework integrating diverse biological and environmental factors, including genetic and epigenetic information, the maternal environment, experience and culture.

37 Vancouver, BC February 23-25, 2011

An emphasis on how adverse early experiences generate enduring impacts on brain structure, circuitry, physiology, activity, gene expression patterns and behavioural output.

38 Montreal,QC June 20-22, 2011

Genetic Networks

Major themes included: examining condition-specific and environmental influences on genetic networks; technology and resource development for genome analysis; and mapping interactions between naturally occurring genetic variants.

29 Toronto, ON November 13, 2010

Institutions, Organizations and Growth

Presentations explored cases where the written law is sometimes less effective than informal incentives in generating desired behaviour; historical examples where institutional features proved essential in taking advantage of growth opportunities; and a unified theoretical framework that helps to understand the links between state capacity, income and internal violence.

34 Toronto, ON October 22-24, 2010

Keytopicsincluded:originandconsequencesofconflicts; the relationship between politicians’ ideology and voters’ behaviour; the importance of social norms in determining economic outcomes.

36 Toronto, ON March 25-27, 2011

74

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS ATTENDANCE LOCATION DATES

Institutions, Organizations and Growth

Presentations explored themes of institutional design and its consequences; the benefits and costs of economic integration, immigration and offshoring; the importance of social norms in determining economic and social outcomes.

35 Milan, Italy June 10-12, 2011

Integrated Microbial Biodiversity

Presentations highlighted the rapid coming-of-age of metagenomic approaches in addressing research questions, and an increasing tendency for those questions to concern ecological interactions. Metagenomics is the assembly and analysis of sequences of DNA isolated from a particular environment.

54 Seattle, WA August 19-22, 2010

Nanoelectronics

Exploration of future directions of the field of nanoelectronics; topics included nanoelectronic switch devices and mechanisms, fundamental surface processes, solar/photovoltaics, nanobioelectronics, photonics and quantum computational devices.

64 Banff, AB November 16-18, 2010

Energy was the theme of this meeting. Topics included photovoltaics, lithium ion batteries, and low power electronics.

62 Mont Tremblant, QC

March 28-31, 2011

Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception

Deep learning is a family of techniques that has gained prominence due to its success on many hard perceptual problems, such as generic object categorization in vision and phoneme recognition in speech. The main focus of this meeting was on advancing the fundamentals of deep learning methods and refining their applications to vision tasks.

43 Vancouver, BC December 4-5, 2010

Quantum Information Processing

General themes of the meeting included finding ways to couple the quantum properties of distinct physical systems; and finding alternatives to quantum state tomography for characterizing error processes.

44 Toronto, ON November 19-21, 2010

Topics included: quantum repeaters; quantum computing on encrypted data; quantum public communication; and quantum money.

39 Mt.Tremblant,QC May 18-21, 2011

Quantum Materials

This meeting focused exclusively on high-temperature superconductivity. Participants, including numerous international guests, examined the current state of knowledge, identified the major outstanding questions, and discussed what might be the most promising routes to solve them.

63 Whistler, BC October 13-17, 2010

An emphasis was placed on identifying novel and promising avenues of research through “perspective”talksanddiscussionsontopicssuchas topological order and superconductivity. In addition, a focus session on frustrated magnetism was shared with guests from MEXT, a prestigious network funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education.

44 Vancouver, BC May 25-28, 2011

75

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS ATTENDANCE LOCATION DATES

Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being

Presentations included: empirical findings on the relationship between income inequality and subjective well-being; research on the definition and measurement of well-being; an examination of the evolutionary origins of social identity; research on cultural integration strategies and well-being for Canada’s urban Aboriginal population; findings on the way social identity influences people’s perceived need and willingness to pay for goods.

37 Toronto, ON September 30–October3,2010

The first day was held in conjunction with the Successful Societies program. Themes addressed included: multiculturalism and citizenship; identity and group formation; subjective well-being; social determinants of health; and discrimination. Presentations on the second day focused on the link between social identity and preferences for resource redistribution, and a study incorporating social identity into health interventions.

19 Toronto, ON April 29-30, 2011

Topics included: social capital and migration; the relationship between laws and social norms; a large-scale intervention to assist youth with post-secondary schooling applications; and new findings about factors that explain the gap in educational outcomes between boys and girls.

28 Ottawa, ON June 1-3, 2011

Successful Societies

Program members discussed the broad directions for their forthcoming book, Social Resilience in the Neo-Liberal Era, and gave targeted feedback on each draft chapter. See Section II: Research Progress and Breakthroughs of this report for details about this new volume.

27 Alton, ON October 15-17, 2010

Continued discussion of the book project. Distinguished scholars from outside the program were invited to comment on advanced drafts of the chapters. Their remarks provided the basis for a general discussion of the overarching issues and general themes of the volume.

32 Toronto, ON January 14-16, 2011

The first day was held in conjunction with the Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being program. On the second day, program members discussed the introduction to their collective volume, and explored ideas for the program’s future research directions.

27 Toronto, ON April 29-30, 2011

Junior Fellow Academy

New Junior Fellows gave short talks on their research. Some Junior Fellows presented current research problems and data sets, and others gave overviews of generalizable research methods that might help to illuminate new approaches to problem solving. The first ten Junior Fellow Alumni shared results and were celebrated with a ceremony. Guest speakers Ralph Pudritz, Jenn and Ken Visocky-O’Grady and Will Kymlicka respectively gave talks on interdisciplinary collaboration, best practices for visually representing information, and approaches to researching multiculturalism.

45 Toronto, ON April 11-12, 2011

76

(b) Cross-Program Interaction

Summary of Cross-Program Interaction in 2010/2011

CIFAR encourages interactive relationships across

programs, as well as within them. As of June 30, 2011

ten CIFAR program members held cross-appointments

to two or three programs, allowing them to share their

expertise more widely and to act as a conduit for the

passage of information between groups.

From time to time, as considered mutually interesting

and beneficial, programs may also hold joint meeting

sessions, and/or individual members of one program

might attend a meeting of another as an invited guest.

For instance, in April 2011, the Successful Societies and

Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being (SIIWB)

programs met for a full day of joint sessions and

interaction, designed to promote dialogue between the

two programs and seek out areas of both intellectual

overlap and divergence. Five themes were addressed

in joint sessions across the day: Social Cohesion,

Multiculturalism, and Immigration Compared; Moving

from the Micro to Macro; Social Determinants of Health;

Identity and Group Formation; and Determinants and

Implications of Subjective Well-Being. In each session,

the round-table audience was composed of equal

numbers of SIIWB and Successful Societies members

to maximize opportunities for intense discussion and

learning on both sides.

CROSS-APPOINTMENT PROGRAM MEMBERS

Experience-based Brain and Biological Development – Successful Societies

Clyde Hertzman (UBC)

Genetic Networks – Nanoelectronics Eldon Emberly (Simon Fraser)

Genetic Networks – Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception Brendan Frey (Toronto)

Institutions, Organizations and Growth – Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being

George Akerlof (UC Berkeley)Roland Benabou (Princeton)

Nanoelectronics – Quantum Materials IanAffleck(UBC)Joshua Folk (UBC)Guillaume Gervais (McGill)Philip Stamp (UBC)

Quantum Information Processing – Quantum Materials –Nanoelectronics

Alexandre Blais (Sherbrooke)

77

Also in April 2011, members of the Quantum Information

Processing, Quantum Materials and Nanoelectronics

programs met in Whistler, BC with international guests

andselectedstudentsandpostdocsforaQuantum

Physics Discussion and Winter School. The workshop

was convened to explore the intellectual linkages

between and among the three programs in advance

of their individual peer reviews and related quantum

physics foresight exercise to take place in Spring 2012

(see Section IV (a): External Peer Reviews for more

information).

In addition, Junior Fellows Dorian Abbot (Earth System

Evolution) and Latham Boyle (Cosmology and Gravity)

attended a CIFAR exploration workshop in Astrobiology,

whereDr.Boylepresentedonthe“MathematicalModels

for the Origin of Life.”Peter Hall, co-Director of the

Successful Societies program, attended and gave a talk at

a meeting of the Experience-based Brain and Biological

Development (EBBD) program. Andy Bush, a Fellow of

the Earth System Evolution program, also served along

with fellow task force members at CIFAR’s exploration

workshops in Human-Environment Interactions (see

Section VIII (a): Exploration of New Research Areas for

more information).

(c) Special Topic Workshops/Events

In 2010/2011, several CIFAR programs sponsored or

co-sponsored workshops or meetings that focused

on a specific topic of interest. These events brought

together small groups of program members and

other invited researchers with common interests, and

provided additional opportunities for interaction and

collaboration.

PROGRAM WORKSHOP/CONFERENCE THEME

CO-SPONSORS (IN ADDITION TO CIFAR)

ATTENDANCE LOCATION DATES

Integrated Microbial Biodiversity

The Future of DNA Barcoding in Canada

International Barcode of Life (iBOL) Canada; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

39 Vancouver, BC April29–May 1, 2011

Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception

Ways of Using GPU Boards for Learning

N/A 9 Toronto, ON May 6-8, 2011

Quantum Materials

Novel States of Matter Induced by Frustration

Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)

55 Vancouver, BC May 28-30, 2011

78

(d) International Participation

The countries in competition with Canada for

discoveries, innovations and people have been increasing

their investments in research and development broadly,

with many of these investments being informed by a

national strategy. Although the national commitments

to advanced research vary widely, depending on the

state of university research, economic conditions and

political priorities, the increase in research funding

more broadly in countries such as Brazil, India and

China is inexorable. Such countries will continue their

ascendance as future research leaders and potential

international research collaborators.

In 2007, CIFAR made it a strategic priority to

expand its global reach and extend its international

participation. The ability to engage Canada’s best

researchers with the best in the world is one of CIFAR’s

unique strengths. Furthermore, the CIFAR model of

focused fundamental research supported with five-year

commitments of resources continues to be an essential

mechanism to compete internationally for the best

people and ideas.

Highlights of CIFAR’s international efforts during

2010/2011 are summarized in the following table:

INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANT HIGHLIGHTS IN 2010/2011

New International Program Appointments

• 38%ofnewmembersappointedtoCIFAR’sprogramsin2010/2011werebasedoutsideofCanada(in

the United States).

• 77%ofCIFAR’sadvisorycommitteemembersarebasedoutsideofCanada,andthepastyearsawthe

appointment of new members in the United States.

International Program and Advisory Committee Members

• During2010/2011,thetotalnumberofinternationalresearchersinvolvedinCIFAR’sprograms,

includingbothprogrammembersandadvisors,was44%.

International Guests at Program Meetings

• 86internationalinvitedguestsfrom12countriesattendedCIFARprogrammeetingsin2010/2011:

Australia 1 Netherlands 2

France 4 Poland 1

Germany 5 Singapore 1

Hungary 1 Switzerland 5

Italy 4 UnitedKingdom 9

Japan 4 United States 49

79

INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH MEETINGS AND COLLABORATIONS IN 2010/2011

• CIFAR’sNanoelectronics and Quantum Materials programs continued to strengthen their relationships

with the Institute of Physics (IOP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences by inviting researchers as guests

to meetings in Canada and developing longer term plans for student exchanges. In 2010/2011, two

researchers from the IOP attended Nanoelectronics meetings.

• Pekka Sinervo, Senior Vice-President, Research, visited Japan and Singapore in the fall of 2010. After

attending the 7thAnnualScienceandTechnologyinSocietyForuminKyoto,hespenttwodaysinTokyo

visitingtheprimaryJapanesefundingagenciesandtheRIKENresearchinstituteandmeetingwith

CIFAR researchers based in Japan. Dr. Sinervo then spent one day in Singapore visiting the advanced

research funding agency A*STAR and the National University of Singapore (NUS). A plan is being

discussed within our research programs to build longer term relationship and collaborations with the

researchers and organizations visited.

• AjointmeetingbetweentheMEXTJapaneseNetworkon“NovelStatesofMatterInducedby

Frustration”andtheCIFARQuantum Materials program was held on May 28-31, 2011 in Vancouver.

Fifty-five participants attended, including 30 researchers from Japan, nine CIFAR program members, six

students or postdoctoral fellows and ten speakers and guests from Canada, USA and Europe. MEXT is

the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

• TheInstitutions, Organizations and Growth program met in Milan, Italy in June 2011. The meeting was

co-sponsored by the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei, which supports projects focused on responding

to new challenges to the traditional paradigms of economic and political analysis posed by the global

economy. The meeting was attended by 32 participants, including five guest speakers.

• InpartnershipwiththeCanadianAstrobiologyTrainingProgram,CIFARco-sponsoredfourgraduate

students to attend an Astrobiology summer school in Santander, Spain in June 2011. The week-long

event,focusingon“MarsExploration:UnveilingaHabitablePlanet,”wasalsosupportedbytheNASA

Astrobiology Institute, the Spanish Centro de Astrobiología, the European Space Agency, the Harvard

Origins of Life Initiative and Universidad Internacional Menendez Pelayo. See Section VI (c): Training/

Mentoring Programs – Summer/Winter Schools for more information.

80

INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION HIGHLIGHTS IN 2010/2011

Other International Connections

• CIFARPresidentandCEO,Chaviva Hošek, is a Member of the Governing Council of the Central

European University in Budapest, Hungary.

• CIFARSeniorVice-President,Research,Pekka Sinervo, attended the 7th Annual Science and Technology

inSocietyForumheldinKyoto,JapaninOctober2010.Theeventbringstogetherscienceleaders,senior

government officials and academic leadership from around the world.

• MembersoftheCIFARstaffattendedtheannualmeetingoftheAmericanAssociationforthe

Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, DC, in February 2011. To make most effective use of

CIFAR resources, the Institute has partnered with other Canadian science and technology organizations

toplanforandbepartoftheCanadianpresenceatthe2012AAASmeetinginVancouver–thefirsttime

the event will be held outside of the United States.

Program Members Collaborating with Scholars Around the World

• Inadditiontotheabove-mentionedCIFAR-initiatedefforts,programmembersreportedin2010/2011

that they are actively collaborating with scholars based in the following countries outside of their own

countries of residence:

COUNTRY OR REGION

NUMBER OF PROGRAM MEMBERS

COUNTRY OR REGION

NUMBER OF PROGRAM MEMBERS

Africa

Egypt Ethiopia Gambia Kenya Madagascar Malawi Mali Morocco Namibia Tanzania Uganda

13

21121111111

Oceania

Australia New Zealand

25

214

81

COUNTRY OR REGION

NUMBER OF PROGRAM MEMBERS

COUNTRY OR REGION

NUMBER OF PROGRAM MEMBERS

The Americas

Argentina Brazil Chile Costa Rica Colombia Dominican Republic Mexico Puerto Rico Uruguay USA

145

5113131

621

112

Asia

Bangladesh Bhutan China and Taiwan India Iran Israel Japan Nepal Pakistan Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore SouthKorea Turkey

97

11

211129311

412652

Europe

Austria Belgium Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Russia Serbia Slovakia Spain Sweden Switzerland UnitedKingdom

232

1437522

4046

1211

1411222411

143

1949

INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION HIGHLIGHTS IN 2010/2011

Program Members Collaborating with Scholars Around the World (continued)

82

(e) Participation in the Broader Canadian Research Community

Senior staff members of CIFAR hold voluntary

leadership roles in other organizations that are working

to strengthen the Canadian research environment:

In 2010/2011, Dr. Chaviva Hošek, President and CEO,

was an active participant in the following research-

related organizations:

• Trudeau Foundation–Member,BoardofDirectors

http://www.trudeaufoundation.ca/welcome

• Leading Edge Endowment Fund (LEEF) British

Columbia–Director

http://www.leefbc.ca/index.htm

• Mount Sinai Hospital–Member,BoardofDirectors

and Member, Research Committee

http://www.mountsinai.on.ca/

• Toronto Region Research Alliance (TRRA)–

Member, Board of Directors

http://www.trra.ca/en/index.asp

• Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI)–

Member, Advisory Council

http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/news/world-

science-gathering-in-waterloo-in-2011

Dr. Pekka Sinervo, CIFAR’s Senior Vice-President,

Research, was active in the following organizations:

• Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP)–Chair,

Vogt Medal Selection Committee

http://www.cap.ca/activities/medals-and-awards/

medals-research/vogt-subatomic-physics/

• National Research Council (NRC)–Member,

Steacie Prize Selection Committee

http://www.steacieprize.ca/

• SNOLAB –Chair,SNOLABInstituteBoardof

Management

http://www.snolab.ca

• Baycrest Academic Health Science Centre–Chair,

Academic Advisory Committee, and Member, Board

of Directors

http://www.baycrest.org/

Members of the CIFAR Staff are involved in the

following organizations and initiatives:

• Canadian Science Policy Conference, Sponsor

(October 2010)

http://sciencepolicy.ca/

• QuantumWorks, Member, Management Committee

http://www.quantumworks.ca/section/view/

• American Association for the Advancement of

Science (AAAS), Member, Canadian Partners

Committee

http://www.aaas.org/

83

VIII.ExplorationofNextBigQuestions

(a) Exploration of New Research Areas

CIFAR is continuously seeking out new fields in which

to break ground. In particular, the Institute looks

for topics of global significance that could benefit

from pioneering approaches developed through the

collaboration of experts from diverse disciplines. Such

topics should also have the potential for top-level

Canadian participation within a network of international

peers. Ideas for exploration are suggested by the

Institute’s community of researchers and by their

colleagues and peers around the world.

Once identified, CIFAR investigates new research areas

through a series of workshops. In some instances,

a task force of experts is appointed to probe a highly

complex theme from various angles in search of a well-

defined fundamental question that could potentially

become the focus of a future CIFAR program. An

evolving roster of top Canadian and international

researchers from different relevant disciplines is invited

to contribute to this process. If an overarching research

question emerges that could be feasibly tackled with an

innovative interdisciplinary approach, a core group of

participants is invited to develop a program proposal for

the Research Council’s and Board’s consideration.

84

Two explorations of this nature were active in 2010/2011:

CELLULAR DECISION-MAKING

Task Force Members:

• EldonEmberly,SimonFraserUniversity

• MelSilverman,CIFARVPResearch

• EdwardCox,CIFARResearchCouncilandPrincetonUniversity

Background:

• Lifecanbethoughtofasasystemthatcanindependentlyreplicatetheinformationitcontains.

Cells are the simplest living systems that can autonomously generate all of their own parts and replicate.

In carrying out this process, cells respond to external and internal conditions by making decisions

about how they should behave. These decision processes are implemented biochemically: networks of

biochemical components use cascades of chemical reactions to respond to input signals with appropriate

chemical outputs. Making correct decisions thus relies on a cell being able to measure, store and process a

milieu of chemical information.

• Agrowingnumberofresearchers,bothinCanadaandinternationally,arepursuingfundamental

questions about exactly how cells carry out the decisions that govern their fate. However, progress is

hindered in part because there is a poor framework for forming collaborative interactions. The field

requires the integration of techniques from scientific disciplines that have not interacted much in the past.

• AgroupofCanadianresearchersledbyEldonEmberly,aScholarinCIFAR’sGenetic Networks and

Nanoelectronics programs, submitted a brief proposal on this topic in 2007. A number of members of

CIFAR’s Integrated Microbial Biodiversity and Genetic Networks programs also share some interest in this

area of research.

• AninitialexploratoryworkshopwasheldinTorontoinJune2008.Twenty-sixCanadianand

international participants discussed state-of-the-art techniques for both the measurement and modeling

of cellular decision processes and the challenges that lie ahead. Progress in these areas could have

far reaching impacts, from basic biological research to the re-engineering of cells for medical and

environmental purposes.

• AsecondworkshopwasheldinApril2010inArlington,VirginiaincollaborationwiththeUnitedStates

National Science Foundation, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the

BiotechnologyandBiologicalSciencesResearchCouncil(BBSRC)intheUnitedKingdom,allofwhich

have an interest in promoting interdisciplinary research in this area. The workshop brought together

27 individuals from the three sponsoring nations. All participants reported meeting others with whom

they would not have traditionally crossed scientific paths, and some new collaborations have resulted.

The workshop expanded on themes introduced in the 2008 meeting, with further emphasis on cells as

information processing systems.

Activity:

• Planningisunderwayforathirdworkshoptobeheldinthefallof2012.

85

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS

Task Force Members:

• AndrewBush,UniversityofAlberta

• MarkCollard,SimonFraserUniversity

• SusanPfeiffer,CIFARResearchCouncil

and University of Toronto

Background:

• In2008/2009,CIFARbegandiscussionswithseveralCanadianresearchersaboutexploringtwo

potentially related areas of research: abrupt climate change since the last ice age and the effects of climate

or environmental change on human populations and human evolution.

• Sinceformingataskforcein2009,CIFARhasconvenedatotalofthreeworkshopsonthetopicof

Human-Environment Interactions.

• Thetaskforcehasapproachedtheirexplorationwiththeover-archingquestion:howwouldweidentify

what impact environmental change had on humans in the prehistoric past?

• Researchersinfieldssuchasearth,atmospheric,ocean,climate,andenvironmentalsciences,climate

modeling, anthropology, archaeology, and paleolimnology have participated in the series of workshops,

working together to refine the big question.

Activity:

• ThetaskforcewasexpandedtoincludeSusanPfeiffer,abiologicalanthropologistattheUniversityof

Toronto, and CIFAR Research Council member.

• TwoworkshopswereheldinVancouver,inOctober2010andMay2011.

• Twentyresearchersfromfivecountriesparticipatedineachofthetwoworkshops,mostrecentlyfocusing

on four main perspectives:

• What role did biophysical factors play in the dispersal of Homo sapiens throughout the Old World and

into the New World?

• What role did such factors play in major changes in human behavioural (including cultural)

complexity?

• How did the major rapid climate events, documented by environmental scientists, such as the

LastGlacialMaximum,theYoungerDryasandthe8.2kiloyearevent,impactprehistorichuman

populations?

• How can we improve the integration of anthropological work on the mechanisms, patterns, and tempo

of biological and cultural change with theory, method and data from the environmental sciences to

address these three questions?

• ThenextworkshopisplannedforDecember2011.Taskforcemembersarepreparingaproposalforthe

Research Council’s and Board of Directors’ consideration.

• PekkaSinervo,CIFARSeniorVPResearch

• AndrejzWeber,UniversityofAlberta

• AndrewWeaver,UniversityofVictoria

86

Over the last four years, CIFAR also has supported an

exploration focusing on questions surrounding the

nitrogen cycle in oceans. Four workshops were held

between February 2008 and May 2010, which created

significant engagements between researchers in Canada

and internationally. The last workshop involved 18

researchers from six countries. Although considerable

understanding of the key issues surrounding this question

was gained from the workshop series, the urgency of the

core question as a potential CIFAR initiative lessened

over the course of the last year, in part due to changes in

leadership and the publication of related research. This

exploration effort was formally closed in 2010/2011.

As CIFAR’s goal is to support and strengthen Canadian

talent in emerging, cutting-edge research areas of

importance to Canada, some workshops or workshop

series are designed to bring together Canadian and

international leaders to share and advance knowledge

across as many facets of an emerging area as are

deemed important by the participants. These workshops

are led by a CIFAR-appointed organizing committee of

outstanding Canadian researchers.

One such exploration was pursued in 2010/2011:

ASTROBIOLOGY

Organizing Committee Members:

• RalphE.Pudritz,McMasterUniversity

• BarbaraSherwoodLollar,University of Toronto

• GregF.Slater,McMasterUniversity

• LyleG.Whyte,McGillUniversity

Background:

• InresponsetoaninitiativepromotedbyseveralseniorCanadianscientistsinvolvedwiththeCanadian

Space Agency, as well as researchers in CIFAR’s Integrated Microbial Biodiversity and Earth System

Evolution programs, CIFAR hosted a workshop in April 2009 focused on Astrobiology.

• Astrobiologyseekstoansweroneofthemostfundamentalhumanquestions:“Arewealone?”Thatis,

did life arise more than once in the universe? Proposing that this question can best be addressed via

scientific inquiry into the evolution of planetary systems and of life, the workshop brought together

leading researchers in relevant subdisciplines of earth science, planetary science, and molecular biology

and biochemistry.

• Keythemesexploredattheworkshopwere:(1)EnvironmentsofLife–Whatistherangeofenvironments

inwhichlifemayhavearisen?(2)SignaturesofLife–Whatevidenceofactivitydoesbiologyleave

behind, and can we use information gleaned from analogue sites on Earth to search for life on other

planets?And(3)CapabilitiesofLife–Whatisconsideredtobeahabitableenvironment?Howdoeslife

respond to environmental changes and/or stress?

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ASTROBIOLOGY

Activity:

• AsecondAstrobiologyworkshopinTorontoinOctober2010assembledamultidisciplinarypanelto

continuedevelopingthemainthemeof,“Iflifeexistselsewhere,howdowelookforit?”Participants

focused on how this theme could be addressed through investigations in three complementary areas:

Environments of Life; Signatures of Life; and Capabilities of Life. The goal was to find a synergy between

these vastly different scientific perspectives and use it to develop specific questions that would best

advanceourknowledgetowardsanswering,“Arewealoneintheuniverse?”

• WorkshopparticipantsincludedscientistsfromtheCanadianSpaceAgency,NASA,andCIFAR’s

programs in Integrated Microbial Biodiversity, Earth System Evolution and Cosmology and Gravity.

• InpartnershipwiththeCanadianAstrobiologyTrainingProgram,CIFARalsoco-sponsoredfourgraduate

students to attend an Astrobiology summer school in Santander, Spain in June 2011. See Section VI (c):

Training/Mentoring Programs – Summer/Winter Schools for more information.

CIFAR’s exploration of Ultracold Matter, reported under

this section in previous years, has become integrated

into the Quantum Materials program.

Humanities Initiative

CIFAR has supported research programs in the social

and natural sciences, and its research model has been

very successful in pushing intellectual and knowledge

boundaries in these areas. However, despite explorations

that had significant humanities engagement, CIFAR has

nottodateidentifiedaresearchprograminthe“core”

of the humanities. In order to understand how CIFAR

would best support advanced research in these areas, a

member of CIFAR’s Research Council prepared a green

paper on the nature of advanced research in humanities.

Using this paper as a framework, CIFAR held a meeting

with senior humanities researchers drawn from

institutions across North America in May 2009. The

two-day meeting concluded that CIFAR could indeed

play a role in the humanities, though its approach would

need to accommodate the very different way in which

humanists understand and perform knowledge creation.

A Steering Committee was struck, and in December

2009, CIFAR followed its recommendations that the

Institute explore ways to support advanced humanities

research and identify a shortlist of specific themes

to pursue. A second two-day meeting allowed the

committee members to bring forward and fully discuss

a broad range of possible topics, two of which were

selected for further exploration.

Onetheme,“BelongingDifferently,”advanced

considerably in 2010/2011, under the leadership of

Jonathan Arac (Successful Societies Advisory Committee

Chair; and Department of English, University of

Pittsburgh) and Robert Gibbs (Director, Jackman Centre

for Humanities, University of Toronto). In February

2011, they convened a meeting of experts to explore how

it is that we seek to, and feel, we belong in a society,

place,ortime,andhow“belongingness”isunderstood,

represented, and challenged, both across time and

in our present world. The meeting, held in Toronto,

brought together researchers in Philosophy, English,

French, History, Comparative Literature, Law, and

Theatre Studies. Drs. Arac and Gibbs are now working

to expand their task force and to build on this theme

for full exploration at the first-ever week-long CIFAR

Humanities Summer Workshop in August 2012. To that

end, two more planning meetings will be held in August

2011 and February 2012.

88

(b) Implementation of New Research Programs

Much of today’s leading-edge research explores topics

at the intersections between disciplines. CIFAR has

unique strength in focusing entirely on complex research

questions that often require an interdisciplinary approach

to the discovery of answers.

Ideas for new research programs are conceived and

developed in an exploratory process that is described in

the preceding report section. If a complex, core question

emerges from the search process, the leading participants

are invited to present a proposal to the Research Council.

If the Council is in favour, then the proposal goes to the

Board of Directors for a final decision.

In 2010/2011, no new programs were initiated.

PRIMARY CONSIDERATIONS FOR ASSESSING A NEW PROGRAM PROPOSAL

• Thedegreetowhichthequestions

a program proposes to pursue are

intellectually important, fundamental, highly

developed, complex and ahead of the times.

• Theavailabilityofoutstandingresearchers

based in different Canadian universities and

research entities.

• Theavailabilityofone(ormore)individuals

with outstanding leadership skills to be

Director and possibly Associate Director of

the program.

• Thepriorityoffundingresearchareaswhere

CIFAR’s dollars would make a substantive

difference.

89

CHAPTER THREE: ADVANCEMENT

The Advancement office works closely with the Institute’s

President and CEO, Chairman and volunteers to

effectively broaden the Institute’s base of support and

disseminate information about CIFAR’s research to

as broad an audience as possible. The department

coordinates all of its activities to support the overall

strategic goals of the organization.

In2010/2011,CIFARraisedatotalof$3,078,746from

private sector donors. Through the annual campaign,

$2.59millioncamefrom216privatesectordonors,and

throughthecapitalcampaign,$487,000camefrom

eightdonors.Inaddition,$4.6millioncamefrom

fourprovincialdonors,and$5millioncamefromthe

federal government.

I. Introduction

The CIFAR Advancement Department oversees the fundraising activities of the Institute.

Activities include: cultivating, soliciting and stewarding private and public sector partners;

working with volunteers and various committees of the Institute; and providing research

on prospective and existing donors in preparation for meetings.

90

(a) Private Sector

In2010/2011,CIFARraised$2.59millionfortheannual

fundfromtheprivatesectoragainstabudgetof$2.7

million.

The shortfall was attributed to one long-term foundation

donor shifting its payment schedule, and to a shortfall in

the Individuals Campaign, as some large donors did not

renew before June 30, choosing instead to give later in

the summer.

As a result of these changes, the average gift among

Individualsdecreased(11%,orfrom$4,099to$3,650),

among Foundationsincreased(10%,orfrom$32,841

to$36,291),andamongCorporations increased

substantially(45%,orfrom$36,525to$53,064),

showing that CIFAR is ever more clearly a major gift

fundraising organization.

Asignificantamountofpledgedgiving($725,000)was

renewed in 2010/2011, leaving the 2011/2012 campaign in

a strong position to increase acquisition of new donors.

(b) Provinces

$4.6millionwasraisedagainstabudgetof$4.6

million. A renewed grant from the Province of

Ontario began in 2010/2011, and will continue in

2011/2012. The Governments of British Columbia

and Alberta also made continuing grants to CIFAR.

(c) Federal

Federalfundingisongoingat$5millionperyear

until 2011/2012.

II. Advancement Annual Campaign

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ANNUAL CAMPAIGN2010/2011

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN2010/2011

TOTAL CAMPAIGNS 2010/2011

Private Sector Donors 216 8 218

Corporations 18 0 18

Foundations 28 0 28

Individuals (including Board) 170 8* 172**

Board Donors 18 7 18

Board donations $242,151 $485,000 $727,151

Renewed Donors 165 N/A 165

Renewal Rate 69% N/A 69%

Same donation amount as previous year 37% N/A 37%

Increased amount 19% N/A 19%

Decreased amount 13% N/A 13%

New Donors 53 0 53

Federal Government $5,000,000 N/A $5,000,000

Provincial Donors 3 N/A 3

Alberta $600,000 N/A $600,000

British Columbia $2,000,000 N/A $2,000,000

Ontario $2,000,000 N/A $2,000,000

(d) Fundraising Highlights

* Capital Campaign gifts received in fiscal 2010/2011 came from a total of eight donors.

This does not include the number of donors who made pledges to the Capital Campaign.

** Due to an overlap of donors who gave to both the Annual and the Capital Campaigns,

the total number of individual donors in 2010/2011 was 172.

92

The following are a few selected highlights of this work

from 2010/2011:

• In2010/2011,weaddedasecond“researcher thank you

letter”tothestewardshipschedule.Donorsreceived

a letter in the fall from Marla Sokolowski, Weston

Fellow and Co-Director of the Experience-Based Brain

and Biological Development (EBBD) program, and in

the spring from Irene Bloemraad, Scholar in the Social

Interactions, Identity and Well-Being program, thanking

them for their support of CIFAR.

• CIFARheldover40face-to-face and phone meetings

with federal and provincial government officials.

• One-on-onestewardship meetings were held with

donorswhogave$50,000+,andcustomizedreports to

donors were created for foundations and corporations.

In the case of designated gifts, the reports detailed the

accomplishments of the program during the previous

fiscal year. Reports on undesignated gifts provided a

more general update on CIFAR’s accomplishments,

plus highlights from some of the programs.

• CIFARsentproposals to prospective donors and donors

whose pledges had expired.

• Severaldonorswerefeaturedinarticles in CIFAR’s

Reach magazine.

• InNovember2010,CIFARco-hostedaneventwith

the Hennick Centre for Business and Law in Toronto

featuring Daniel Diermeier, a renowned researcher

in the Institutions, Organizations and Growth program.

The discussion, which included Kevin Lynch, Vice

Chair of BMO Financial Group and Tiff Macklem,

Senior Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada,

was titled “Spills, Recalls, Collapses and Recoveries:

Institutional Resilience in an Age of Crisis.”

• Dr.DiermeierwasalsoinCalgary in December

2010 to make a presentation and lead a discussion

on the same topic with a group of Calgary capital

campaign prospects and long-time CIFAR

supporters.

• InJanuary2011,CIFARheldaverysuccessful

stewardship breakfast event for current foundation,

corporate and individual donors, where Marla

Sokolowski presented her recent research findings

and the collective work of the EBBD program.

• CIFARBoardmemberPeter Bentley hosted a lunch

event in Vancouver on May 31, 2011 where Tom

Boyce, Co-Director of the EBBD program, spoke

to his guests and guests of fellow Board member,

David Choi.

• Telus’TorontoGreenTeam,agroupofTelus

employees who volunteer their time to promote

sustainability, presented a talk on climate change

by Jerry Mitrovica, Program Director of the Earth

System Evolution program, on June 10, 2011.

III. Donor Relations

Donor relations activities make up a significant portion of the work of the

Advancement Department. These activities include outreach, cultivation,

solicitation, stewardship and recognition initiatives.

93

The main focus for the year was on cultivating and

soliciting major gifts to the campaign from internal

stakeholders including Board Members and Directors

Emeriti, as well as on cultivating relationships with brand

new prospects who have the capacity and the propensity to

make leadership gifts.

Over the course of the year, Richard W. Ivey (Chair of

the Campaign Cabinet), CIFAR’s President and CEO,

Campaign Cabinet members, select CIFAR researchers

and other volunteers conducted face-to-face cultivation

and solicitation meetings. Forty cultivation/solicitation

meetings were held with both internal stakeholders and

brand new prospects.

Throughoutthe2010/2011year,$4,045,000inpledge

commitments was confirmed, bringing the overall

campaignpledgetotalto$5,545,000atJune30,2011.

Revenuefromthesepledgesintheamountof$487,000

was received for the year, bringing the overall campaign

revenuetotalto$1,062,000atJune30,2011.

Seven prospect review sessions were held to gather

additional information on top prospects, as well as

additional names of prospective donors.

As part of the campaign strategy, members of CIFAR’s

Executive team explored the possibility of how the

Institute might approach partnership relationships

with other institutions/individuals. These partnerships

would be different from, but complementary to

CIFAR’s other funding arrangements with donors

who provide conventional donations. Possible

future partnerships could be driven primarily by an

associated revenue stream from the institution/donor

or by other benefits such as research advantages,

association, etc. Initial discussions with three possible

partnership prospects occurred over the year and will

continue into the following year.

The next steps include:

i. Finalizing the solicitation of prospects who were

cultivated in 2010/2011 (this includes partnership

prospects)

ii. Initiating discussions with other key leadership

prospects (this includes partnership prospects)

iii. Qualifyingprospectsalreadyidentified

iv. Continuing to fill the pipeline of prospective

donors for future review

v. Building a planned giving program

vi. Building a formal stewardship program

vii. Identifying and recruiting additional campaign

volunteers, as needed

viii. Developing and executing prospect strategies

(ongoing)

IV. Capital/Endowment Campaign

CIFAR’s Capital Campaign has been and will continue to be funded predominantly

by individual donors. In 2010/2011, the campaign strategy and plan that was developed

in 2009/2010 was acted upon through a series of meetings and follow-up activities.

94

CHAPTER FOUR: COMMUNICATIONS

The Communications Department provides

organizational leadership to the Institute’s outreach

strategies. This includes brand management and visual

identity, audience research, digital media, and media

relations. The department also supports the priorities

of the Institute’s departments of Advancement and

Programs and Research, the CEO and the Board of

Directors through project management, design, story

research, writing, editing, on-line and media outreach,

and event coordination.

Working with the Advancement and Communications

Committee of the Board, a project was initiated to

develop a communications strategy that identified

CIFAR’s priority target audiences. This work

helped us to understand what motivates different

communities to engage with CIFAR. The Institute also

developed outreach plans to raise the awareness of the

Institute and to drive long-term engagement with and

support for the Institute’s mission and vision. Some

highlights of outreach in this past year include:

I. Introduction

In September 2010, the Advancement and Communications department was divided into

two departments to focus the Institute’s resources in support of its mission.

Launched in June 2011, the new website has improved

navigation, greater functionality and more dynamic

content. In order to create a friendlier and richer

on-line experience for CIFAR’s supporters and

researchers, there are new CIFAR research stories,

‘fast facts’ about each of our research programs and

interactive photos and graphics.

By aligning our web technology platform with the

Institute’s overall IT environment, the new site has

also resulted in improved speed and the ability to

publish content more quickly and securely.

II. New Website

The Institute renewed its digital media presence with an interactive new website at

www.cifar.ca that exemplifies CIFAR’s values of excellence, openness, accountability,

and being proudly Canadian with global reach.

95

At the event, Irene Bloemraad of CIFAR’s Social

Interactions, Identity and Well-Being program presented

“Youareyourcitizenship,”Clyde Hertzman of CIFAR’s

Experience-based Brain and Biological Development program

presented“Youarewhatyourgenesexperience”andAlex

Haslam, also from CIFAR’s Social Interactions, Identity

and Well-Beingprogram,presented“Youarethegroups

youbelongto.”Allofthepresentationswerefilmed,as

wereseveralQ&A’sthatcamefromCIFAR’son-line

community for posting to our Next Big Question website

over the summer (www.cifarnbq.ca).

Culminating at this inspiring evening event with 200

members of CIFAR’s community in attendance, the

campaign generated fascinating print stories and high

levels of on-line engagement.

III.NextBigQuestion2011:Whoareyou?

CIFAR also engaged Canadians through a comprehensive communications project that

explored the nature of identity and its importance to society. Profiling the work of three

CIFAR researchers in two different programs, this initiative created a dialogue between the

researchers and CIFAR’s community through the Institute’s print materials (the 2011 spring

edition of Reach magazine and donor letters), in social media (e-blasts, Twitter, Facebook)

and at a Toronto event in May 2011.

In December 2010, the Institute’s annual report, titled

the Generations edition, was distributed. The Institute

also announced President and CEO Chaviva Hošek’s

decision to retire in June 2012, after more than ten years

at the helm, as well as David Dodge’s appointment as

Chair of the Board.

CIFAR researchers’ accomplishments were widely

profiled in international and Canadian media. The

Institute highlighted these achievements on our website

and in messages on Twitter and Facebook.

The Institute gratefully acknowledged its support from

exceptional individuals, foundations, corporations,

the Government of Canada and the provincial

governments of Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario

on all of the Institute’s print and on-line publications,

its website and in signage and speakers’ remarks at

events throughout the year.

IV. Institute News

This year brought numerous opportunities to profile the Institute’s leadership,

donors and accomplishments.

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CHAPTER FIVE: FINANCE, GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

Revenue

CIFAR’srevenuetotaled$13.5Mfortheyear,madeup

of$2.6Mfromtheprivatesector(19%),$9.6Mfromfour

governments(71%),$0.5Mfromthecapitalcampaign(4%)

and$0.8Mininvestmentincome(6%).Thegovernment

income was generated as a result of three previously

negotiated funding agreements, and with the Province

of Ontario renewing its funding agreement during the

year on terms similar to previous arrangements.

Incomedroppednominallyfrom$13.6Min

2009/2010, due mainly to anticipated changes in

provincial funding agreements. Private sector funding

for the annual campaign decreased due to changes in

payment patterns of major donors, while the capital

campaigngeneratedincomeof$0.5M.

I. Finance

REVENUE ($000’S): 2010/2011 2009/2010

actual budget actual

Private Sector 2,592 2,650 2,670

Government 9,600 9,600 11,555

Sponsorship - - 206

Capital Campaign 487 - -

Investment and Other 799 875 (782)

13,478 13,125 13,649

97

Expenses

CIFARexpensestotaled$16.6M,upfrom$15.7Minthe

prior year, with the bulk of the increase occurring in the

Programs and Research department. Direct program

spendingtotaled$10.7MforCIFAR’stwelveresearch

programs and the Junior Fellow Academy. Other program

initiatives, including knowledge mobilization and

international reach, as well as indirect program expenses,

broughttotalprogramspendingto$13.4M,or81%of

CIFAR’sactualexpenditures.Thiswas$0.9Mhigher

than the prior year, due mainly to growth in program

activity, including the Junior Fellow Academy.

Non-programspendingof$3.1M,or19%ofactual,was

down nominally over the prior year. While recurring

expenditures on advancement, communications, and

governanceandadministrationwereup$0.3Mfrom

prior year due to a greater scope of activity, this was

offset set by a reduction in non-recurring expenditures

ontheindependentevaluation($0.16M)andtheNext

Big Question ($0.26M)incurredin2009/2010.

EXPENSES ($000’S) 2010/2011 2009/2010

actual budget actual

Program - active 10,741 10,970 9,938

Program - support 2,690 2,870 2,604

13,431 13,840 12,542

Non-program 3,129 3,485 2,780

Independent Evaluation 1 - 158

NextBigQuestion 1 - 258

16,562 17,325 15,738

Balance Sheet

CIFAR concluded the year with a strong balance sheet.

Cashandinvestmentstotaledapproximately$27M,

representedbycash($4.1M),bondportfolios($15.2M)

andanequityportfolio($7.4M).

Thenetassetpositionof$24.3milliondeclinedoverthe

prioryear-endduetoaplannedoperatingdeficitof$3.1M.

Audited Financial Statements

The audited financial statements for the year ended

June 30, 2011 may be found at

http://www.cifar.ca/financial-reports.

98

II. Governance

CIFAR had 21 Directors in 2010/2011. The renewal of

CIFAR’s Board of Directors continued this year with

the appointment of two new members. At June 30, 2011,

CIFAR’s Board includes five women, four members from

Western Canada, and two members based internationally

(intheUnitedStatesandUnitedKingdom).Theother

members are from Central Canada. Board members each

serve on one of four Board committees: Governance;

Audit and Finance; Investment; and Advancement and

Communications. A list of the Board of Directors during

2010/2011 is provided in Appendix I.

III. Management: Hiring, Staffing and Information Technology

At the beginning of the year, the staff count was 25, with

six positions open. During the year, five of those positions

were filled, and four additional hires occurred due to

retirement and turnover. At June 30, 2011, the staff count

was 33 (30.8 FTE’s), up from 31 (29.2 FTE’s) a year earlier.

During 2010/2011, CIFAR undertook an organizational

effectiveness exercise in order to clarify roles and

responsibilities across the organization. Terms of

reference for all committees were reviewed and

membership was revised to reflect the updated

organizational structure.

During the year, a review of requirements for users of all

accounting reports was conducted, resulting in an upgrade

to the accounting software. A review of the requirements

for the public website also was conducted, resulting in a

change in management of the website from an external

provider to a site that is managed in-house.

IV. Compliance Audit

During the year, CIFAR was subject to a compliance

audit by the firm Marcil Lavallee. The overall findings

related to the 2009/2010 fiscal year were positive, and

it confirmed that the Canadian Institute for Advanced

Research was in compliance with all material aspects of

the funding agreement between CIFAR and Industry

Canada. The auditor made four recommendations. A

management response to these recommendations was

complete and actions on those recommendations were

underway by June 2011.

99

CHAPTER SIX: ANNUAL CORPORATE PLANfor the period July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012

(a) Strategic Plan 2007-2012

CIFAR’s 2007-2012 Strategic Plan identified five key

goals, the corresponding five-year objectives and desired

results of the plan. The goals are the following:

1. RESEARCH

Expand and enhance CIFAR research: build programs,

extend and expand global reach, develop the model

2.EARLY-CAREERRESEARCHERS

Support, celebrate and build capacity in gifted early-

career researchers, particularly in Canada

3. POSITIONING

Position CIFAR to benefit Canada within the global

research community

4. ORGANIZATION

Develop the 2012 CIFAR organization: capabilities,

capacity, and international reach

5. FINANCIAL

Establish stable and balanced funding capable of

sustaining growth

I. Introduction

The purpose of this document is to set out the key objectives and strategies of the

Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) for the fiscal year 2011/2012.

The plan includes an operating budget and outlines how the annual activities of the

Institute’s four departments (Programs and Research; Advancement; Communications;

and Governance and Management) support the Institute’s five-year strategic plan.

100

(b) Priorities for 2010/2011

Last year, in addition to its annual activities, the Institute

identified three strategic, organization-wide priorities.

They were: put into action the capital and endowment

financial strategy; complete and implement a knowledge

mobilization strategy; and, act on the recommendations

from the Performance Audit and Evaluation Report.

Significant activity occurred in support of each of

these priorities and the 2011/2012 plan builds on the

accomplishments to date.

(c) Priorities for 2011/2012

The Institute has a clear plan to manage and grow the

Institute’s research mission in the coming year.

This year, the Programs and Research area will

strengthen and evolve CIFAR’s research programs

by managing and reviewing its existing programs,

identifying new research questions, supporting the

Junior Fellow Academy, expanding the Institute’s

national and international partnerships, and

implementing knowledge mobilization strategies.

The Advancement area will grow support for the

Institute by working with the governments of Canada,

British Columbia and Ontario to renew their multi-year

funding agreements while continuing to implement

the capital and endowment financial strategy and the

Institute’s annual fundraising plan.

The Communications team will implement a new brand

positioning strategy, continue to roll out CIFAR’s digital

media plan and provide support for the priorities of the

Institute’s CEO, Board, and Advancement and Programs

and Research departments.

The Institute’s Governance and Management

plan includes support for the Institute’s Board of

Directors and advisory groups, responsible use of the

Institute’s human, financial, facility and IT resources,

and ongoing attention to risk management and

compliance.

There are also two significant transitions that the

Institute has incorporated into the 2011/2012 plan.

First, the Institute will be winding up the alignment

of its activities with the current strategic plan and

preparing to launch its new strategic plan. The new

strategic plan updates the goals of the current plan

by maintaining the Institute’s focus on research

excellence through four key goals: seize opportunities

to strengthen CIFAR’s research model; build

Canada’s future research leadership; communicate

knowledge to maximize its utility; and, strengthen the

Institute’s resource base.

Second, President and CEO Chaviva Hošek has

announced that she will be retiring from her position

in June 2012. The Board of Directors has struck a

CEO Search Committee and begun an international

search to find her successor.

The table on the following page summarizes the key

priorities for 2011/2012, and the section which follows

provides the detailed plans related to these priorities.

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2007-2012 GOALS

2007-2012 OBJECTIVES 2011/2012 OBJECTIVES

RESEARCHExpand & enhance

CIFAR research: build

programs, extend and

expand global reach,

develop the model

• 2-3newProgramsby’11/12,targetsocialsciences/

humanities (ongoing search process)

• ExternalPeerReviewofPrograms:3in’07/08;2in

’08/09; 2 in ’09/10; 3 in ’10/11

• Expandparticipationofinternationalresearchersby

5%by’08/09,and5%by’10/11

• Enhance/extendmodel’10

• IntroduceKnowledgeTransfer(KT)’07/08.

Expand ’08-’10. Deliver 3 to 5 important outcomes

’09-’12

• ExternalreviewofCIFARbodyofresearch’11

• Conductprogramsreviews:C&G, Nano,

QIP, QM, SS

• RefineandbroadlyimplementKnowledge

Mobilization(KMb)strategy

• Conductongoingexplorations(2-3)

• Expandinternationalparticipation

• ConductareviewofCIFAR’sbodyof

research in quantum physics, using it to

understand how best to support CIFAR’s

engagement in this important area, and

develop insight into how to conduct a

broader review of CIFAR’s body of research

YOUNG RESEARCHERS

Support, celebrate and

build capacity in gifted

young researchers,

particularly in Canada

• LaunchCIFARYoungResearchers(YR)program

’08;achievesteadystateof30YRsby2010

• Launchinternational/nationalYoungResearcher

Virtual Academy ’09/10

• TrackYoungResearchersVirtualAcademy

members (careers, data base, etc.) ’09/10 ongoing

• Promotewidelywithinthenationaland

international research community

• Maintain“steadystate”of18JuniorFellows

• Developlongertermstrategyforthe

development of a broader pool of young

researchers

POSITIONINGPosition CIFAR to benefit

Canada within the global

research community

• Determinebaseyearpositioning’08;track

biannually and respond ’10, ’12

• Delivermajorannualoutreach’08through’12

• Exploreconceptofsignatureproject/document’08

• Expandnationalandinternationalrelationships;+5

institutions’08/09,+5’09/10

• Achieve10significantmentionsinimportant

scientific press, government papers, public media

per year

• Consolidatetheresultsoftheinvestigations

performed in India, China and Europe,

with the focus on strengthening developing

relationships with key institutions

• Continuetodeveloprelationshipswith

research communities in Asia and Europe,

building on program-level initiatives

ORGANIZATIONDevelop the 2012 CIFAR

organization: capabilities,

capacity, international

reach

• Developorganizationalplan’07/08tosupport

CIFAR strategy. Conduct external evaluation ’10

• Hirekeymanagement’08/09,target30FTE’08-12

• Buildcapacitygovernmentrelationsandbroader

public sector ’08/09

• Developsuccessionplan’10/11

• Strengtheninternationalperspective/reach:Board

and Research Council

• Implementplanfororganizationrenewal

and turnover

• Evolveancillarysupportservices(HR,

accounting, IT, web)

• OngoingsearchforinternationalBoardand

Research Council members

FINANCIALEstablish stable and

balanced funding capable

of sustaining growth

• Shiftpublic:privaterevenue80:20’07/08to70:30

’11/12

• Planforgovernmentfundingrenewalsin’09,’10,

’11, ’12

• DeliverCapitalFunding$15M’09/10;$40-$50M

’11/12

• Capitalfundingtodeliver10%ofannualrevenueby

2012

• Investigateinternationalrevenueopportunitiesby

’11

• Governmentfundingrenewals(Federal,

Province of BC)

• Capitalcampaign–raise$5.4M

• Developfive-yearfinancialplanfor2012-

2017

CIFAR Strategic Plan and 2011/2012 Objectives

102

(a) Programs and Research

CIFAR will build on its position as a leader in advanced

research by undertaking the following key activities:

1. Strengthening and evolving CIFAR’s research

programs:

a. continuing to manage and advance the twelve

existing research programs

b. providing support to researchers

c. undertaking five external peer reviews, and

performing a foresight planning exercise with

respect to CIFAR’s quantum physics research

portfolio

2. Exploring new research questions (Explorations)

3. Building capacity in gifted early-career researchers

and developing new generations of research leaders

(including the Junior Fellow Academy)

4. Expanding national and international relationships

and building international linkages and partnerships

5. Completing development and initiating

implementation of a systematic approach to

knowledgemobilization(KMb)

6. Enhancing and extending the research model.

1. Strengthening and Evolving CIFAR’s

Research Portfolio

a. Managing and advancing research programs

CIFAR’s twelve current research programs are:

• CosmologyandGravity

• EarthSystemEvolution

• Experience-basedBrainandBiologicalDevelopment

• GeneticNetworks

• IntegratedMicrobialBiodiversity

• Institutions,OrganizationsandGrowth

• Nanoelectronics

• NeuralComputationandAdaptivePerception

• QuantumInformationProcessing

• QuantumMaterials

• SocialInteractions,IdentityandWell-Being

• SuccessfulSocieties

b. Providing support to members

In 2011/2012, CIFAR is anticipating a total of 382

researchers (322 program members and 60 advisors)

participating in its twelve programs. This represents

an increase of eight researchers, with priority being

given for new appointments over the next several

years to the Genetic Networks and Social Interactions,

Identity and Well-Being programs, which were renewed

in 2010/2011. In addition, approximately 18 full-time-

equivalent Junior Fellows will be in active appointment

over the budget year. The projected cost of financial

support for active programs (including the Junior Fellow

Academy)isapproximately$11million.Anewbudget

itemfor“CapacityDevelopment”hasbeenaddedto

the Programs budget to provide for an explicit budget

mechanism to support the hiring of rising stars within

Canadian universities (previously such initiatives were

not identified with a separate budget line). Overall

program-level expenditures will rise by approximately

one per cent.

II. Overview of Departmental Activities in 2011/2012

103

c. Research portfolio reviews

Two program peer reviews are scheduled for fall 2011.

These include the Cosmology and Gravity program

(October) and the Successful Societies program (November).

In spring 2012, the department also will conduct peer

reviews of all three CIFAR quantum physics programs

–Nanoelectronics; Quantum Information Processing; and

Quantum Materials–followedbyaforesightplanning

exercise with respect to the Institute’s quantum physics

research portfolio. This is seen as part of a longer

term initiative to review CIFAR’s body of research

systematically where appropriate. The quantum physics

review will provide insight into how CIFAR can best

develop foresight planning for portfolio development, a

priority in CIFAR’s 2012-2017 Strategic Plan.

One review will be undertaken in 2012/2013 in Experience-

based Brain and Biological Development (EBBD). Programs

Department staff will work with EBBD in 2011/2012 to

ensure all requirements and logistics are put into place.

2.ExploringNewResearchQuestions

There are a number of Explorations activities planned

including:

a. a set of workshops/summer institutes related to the

identification of opportunities in the Humanities

i. Meetings of two task forces will be supported, in

addition to planning for a 5-7 day summer institute

to take place in summer 2012

b. exploratory workshops:

i. one workshop for Astrobiology

ii. one workshop for Human-Environment Interactions

iii. other topics under investigation, which may

result in meetings in 2011/2012 in areas such as

Cellular Decision-Making or Big Cities.

iv. A number of other topics have been brought

forward by the research community but are not

yet at the stage of proposals. Funds have been

identified for one or two workshops on topics

yet to be identified.

3. Building capacity in gifted early-career researchers

and developing new generations of research leaders

Junior Fellow Academy

In 2008/2009, CIFAR established the Junior

Fellow Academy. As of June 2011, there will be 20

Junior Fellows in active appointments. Ten will have

completed their term and will remain involved with

the Academy as alumni.

Funding constraints limit the Institute to 18 full-time-

equivalent Junior Fellows appointed over the budget

year. The implementation of the program requires

periodic“gaps”betweenappointmentstoachievethis

level.

In 2011/2012, CIFAR will extend the period of

appointment to five years (two years of full funding,

followed by three as alumni of the Academy); continue

to encourage Junior Fellows to attend some meetings

of CIFAR programs other than their own; and become

networked with other fellowship academies around the

world. These are activities that tie into the objectives

in the 2012-2017 Strategic Plan.

In 2011/2012, CIFAR will hold one Academy meeting

(winter 2012).

104

Additional Initiatives for Early-Career Researchers

CIFAR will continue to support the training of graduate

students and postdoctoral fellows through exposure and

involvement in CIFAR’s programs and through support

of independent study activities. This support includes:

• sponsoring(summer)schoolsinseveralprograms

including: Nanoelectronics, Neural Computation and

Adaptive Perception, Quantum Information Processing,

and Quantum Materials

• supportingtheinclusionofstudentsandpost

doctoral fellows at CIFAR research meetings

• buildingonexistinginternationalrelationships

to expand exchanges for students to visit other

program members and/or interact with their peers at

international conferences

These initiatives align with the 2012-2017 Strategic

Plan objectives that give priority to strengthening the

Institute’s support for early-career researchers.

4. Expanding global relationships and building

national linkages

In 2007, the CIFAR Strategic Plan identified increased

national and international outreach as a key objective.

In addition, the strategic plan supported a broader

outreach initiative to support the research activities of

the Institute and the positioning of the organization

within the broader research community. The Institute is

developing a more systematic approach to working with

national and international research-related institutions

in order to ensure consistency in the development and

maintenance of these relationships and to ensure our

commitments are balanced with our resources (both

financial and human).

The following activities will take place in 2011/2012.

National Activities

The Institute’s national activities will be centred

on arranging specific 1-2 day meetings of senior

CIFAR staff with university and academic leaders on

approximately six campuses. This builds on campus

visits in 2010/2011 to the University of Western

Ontario, Carleton University, University of Ottawa,

McMaster University, University of Montreal and

Memorial University. Visits to university partners are

being done on an approximately five-year cycle.

CIFAR will also respond to opportunities identified by

Program Directors to recruit high calibre researchers

to Canada and to retain those considering offers

elsewhere.

CIFAR engages universities to identify possible

research questions and/or suggest high calibre

researchers who could contribute to emerging

workshops and searches.

A broader set of research-related institutions will also

be identified with which we would develop a more

routine relationship (e.g. Royal Society of Canada and

the Perimeter Institute).

105

International Activities

CIFAR will continue to strengthen ties with researchers

and institutions in the 2011/2012 year and beyond. The

following program-specific and institute-focused initiatives

will be pursued:

1. Continue current program specific initiatives to:

a. identify and involve international researchers as

meeting guests and potential members, Junior

Fellows, program advisory committee members and

review panelists

b. explore opportunities for international program

meetings and summer schools

c. analyze responses to specific questions in annual

member’s reports regarding international

collaborations (existing, planned and potential), and

d. identify program members and advisors who might

act as ambassadors for the Institute.

2. Continued increased engagement with select

countries:

a.China–supportcollaborativeopportunities

between CIFAR and the Institute of Physics of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Nanoelectronics

program will hold a joint summer school for a

small number of students in summer 2011.

b.India–explorearelationshipwiththeInternational

Centre for Theoretical Science, hosted by the Tata

Institute.

c. Europe–explorethepossibilityofastronger

relationship with leading German research

institutions, such as the Max Planck Society.

d.Japan–buildontherecentinteractionsbetween

Japanese and CIFAR researchers by exploring

a formal relationship with the Japan funding

agencies.

e. Singapore–continuediscussionwiththe

National University of Singapore (and possibly

the Global Asia Institute) on a next set of

explorations or exchanges (possibly with the

CentreforQuantumTechnologies).

3. Broaden national and international linkages with

research-based organizations:

a. assess opportunities to initiate interaction using

international database, web resources and

program member advice/feedback (possible

examples are the Santa Fe Institute and the

International Institute for Applied Systems

Analysis)

b. participate with other Canadian research

organizations to assist in the planning and

preparations for the American Association

for the Advancement of Science 2012 meeting

in Vancouver. Continue to explore and build

collaborative relationships with international

organizations, e.g. the International Council for

Social Sciences and the International Council for

Science.

c. plan for staff to attend select international

research-oriented conferences

d. review and respond to invitations to make

institutional contacts, and

e. coordinate visits to organizations around

international program meetings and conferences

106

5. Developing and implementing a systematic

approachtoknowledgemobilization(KMb)

AseriesofapproximatelythreeKMb-orientedevents

will be supported over the 2011/2012 year. Planning for

these events will be done in spring and early summer

2011, in collaboration with Advancement where

appropriate. Staff resources will be realigned to best

supporttheKMbeffort.

Program Development and Assessment

A range of other activities are planned in 2011/2012,

including:

a. The continued development of a formal set of

outcomes for the 19 research programs that CIFAR

has undertaken throughout its history.

b. The expansion of the information regarding CIFAR’s

research portfolio on the Institute’s website.

c. The development of tools to expand the capacity to

formulate new research questions and assess current

activities, working collaboratively with Science-

Metrix.

They are:

• theliterature-aidedresearchandliterature-aided

discovery project, which is a tool to scan and create

linkages in the existing literature across several

domains of knowledge, and

• thedevelopmentofabibliometricdatabaseon

current CIFAR researchers.

Both of these projects are being undertaken in

partnership with Science-Metrix.

(b) Advancement

Advancement is a core function dedicated to

the development and diversification of CIFAR’s

fundraising activities. The Institute is funded through

private and public sector support.

This Annual Corporate Plan contains three core goals:

• CIFARwillworktobuildstrategicrelationships

with the Federal government and funding

provinces in order to maintain or increase funds

raised from governments

• CIFARwillbuildacquisition and stewardship

efforts to maintain or increase annual funds raised

from the private sector

• CIFARwillcontinuetoseekamorebalanced

public/private sector funding partnership through

a capital campaign initiative

Capital Campaign

CIFAR is undertaking its first capital campaign in its

thirty-year history. In 2011/2012, targeted cultivation

of leadership gift prospects will be ongoing with

active solicitation starting as appropriate during the

fiscal year. There will be a focus on engaging these

prospectsasfrequentlyaspossible.Agoaltoraise$5.4

million for the endowment has been set for 2011/2012.

Active follow-up on outstanding Board solicitations

made during 2010/2011 will continue. As new

members of the Board are familiarized and engaged

with CIFAR, they will be solicited in the same manner

as existing Board members.

Targeted cultivation of major gift prospects will be

ongoing with active solicitation starting as appropriate

during the fiscal year.

CIFAR Program Directors and researchers and staff

will be solicited for their commitment to the campaign.

107

The cultivation process will include identifying unique

opportunities for prospects to experience CIFAR and

engage with CIFAR researchers one-on-one.

A stewardship and recognition program will be

developed and will align with the solicitation and

closure of campaign gifts over the next 12-18 months.

A legacy giving program will be investigated by

members of the campaign team and the CIFAR

Finance team to assess its feasibility.

The Campaign Cabinet members will meet as required

to review strategies and refine fundraising messages.

They will also drive activity to prospect, cultivate and

solicit major gift prospects.

Campaign materials will be created, reviewed and

edited as required; this includes but is not limited to

communications materials, customized proposals,

stewardship documents, and other print materials.

Benchmark reviews of campaign activity and results

will be done quarterly.

Annual Fund

Private Sector

In2010/2011,only$617kinrevenuewasconfirmed

from ongoing pledges, which meant that the majority

of the activity for the year was spent renewing pledges

that had expired in 2009/2010. As a result of the

success in renewing those pledges this year, over

$1.6millioniscommittedinongoingpledgesfor

the coming year. For this reason, there will be more

time available to broaden the donor base and increase

revenue raised from new donors.

At the writing of this 2011/2012 plan, the final results

from 2010/2011 have not yet been achieved. The results

from 2010/2011 will have an impact on the revenue

goal for the coming year. Based on the revenue forecast

for the end of the year, the 2011/2012 revenue budget

hasbeensetat$3million.Thesefundswillberaised

from the same sources as previous years: individuals,

foundations and corporations. Donations will be

received from ongoing pledges, donors who make

annual contributions, and new donors.

CIFAR traditionally has an eighty per cent renewal

rate of its annual donor base. We expect this rate to

continue in the coming year.

Anacquisitionstargetof$250khasbeensetforthe

coming year. This amount will be achieved with

the help of the Advancement and Communications

Committee members. The majority of new donors

from the acquisitions campaign will be predominantly

individuals but we will also be seeking new foundation

and corporate donors.

The other high risk area of our revenue goal is Pledge

Renewals.In2011/2012,thereisagoaltorenew$258k

in pledges that expired last year.

Individuals ($1,044k)

CIFAR currently has a solid individual donor base and

we expect that individual donor renewals will be stable

through 2011/2012. By improving and maintaining

ongoing stewardship activities, our goal is to see

individual donors increase their annual giving. Roughly

eighty per cent of all donors will be asked to increase

their support from their 2010/2011 gift.

108

Because of the high level of donations that will be

received through ongoing pledges in the coming

year, we will be able to do more work with volunteers

to increase the number of meetings and solicitation

of their prospects. An acquisition goal will be

established with the members of the Advancement and

Communications Committee members. This target will

beanimportantfactorinreachingorsurpassingthe$3

million goal for the year.

Foundations ($1,013k)

In 2011/2012, CIFAR will continue to research and

identify opportunities for funding from foundations.

We will creatively tailor proposals to foundations and

work with the foundation representatives to develop

partnerships with CIFAR.

Corporations ($943k)

Corporate donations have decreased as a percent of

total annual private sector revenue. From conversations

with our corporate donors, we understand that they

are looking for more brand awareness and public

recognitionfortheirsupport.Knowledgemobilization

is a CIFAR initiative that can provide corporations

with recognition for their giving. In fact, it is a win-win

partnership for CIFAR and the corporations as it allows

the corporations’ other grant recipients to meet and

interact with CIFAR researchers who work in fields that

overlap with their mission. People working in specific

areas have the opportunity to learn about the best

ground-breaking research directly from CIFAR program

members. In return, CIFAR researchers get to hear

the insights from individuals and organizations that

provide direct service to their communities.

The strategy to approach corporations to fund CIFAR’s

knowledge mobilization activity will help CIFAR access

corporate donations that have been declining in recent

years. Because of the mutual benefit that knowledge

mobilization brings to corporations as well as to CIFAR,

we will continue to work with corporate funders who are

looking for brand exposure and knowledge mobilization

as part of their support of CIFAR. These initiatives will

be developed in collaboration with the Programs and

Research Department.

Private Sector Summary

2010/2011 was a year of success, having secured

renewed support from our donor base. As a result of

this, there is a greater level of confirmed funding

through ongoing pledges in the coming year. In

2011/2012, the focus of the volunteers and staff will be

on broadening the base of CIFAR donors. In order to

solicit these new donors, individuals, foundations and

corporations with an affinity to the Institute’s mandate

will continue to be identified. Sources for new donors

include attendees at CIFAR events, Board contacts, and

potential donors identified through prospect research.

CIFAR will continue to focus on stewardship of annual

donors to seek their renewal and encourage increased

levels of giving, moving them toward major gifts if

possible. Through active stewardship, annual giving

is a pipeline to principal giving and CIFAR’s capital

campaign. Stewardship initiatives include: special

mailings, research updates, event invitations, profiles

in our publications, and one-on-one meetings

throughout the year.

109

Public Sector: Government Support (Federal $5.75M)

(Provincial $4.6M)

Federal funding for the coming year has already been

committedat$3.75million.BecausethecurrentFederal

grant expires on March 31, 2012, leaving the fourth

quarter of our fiscal year without Federal funding, our

goal is to renew our government funding from the

Government of Canada. Since the last grant was made,

CIFAR activity has increased tremendously in the areas

of international work, knowledge mobilization, and

program development and support for early-career

researchers.Acasefornewfunding(arequestof$8M

per year) will be submitted to the Federal Government

in the fall, with the goal of securing a new agreement

that will be part of the public/private revenue to support

the Institute for the years April 1, 2012 through March

31,2017.Withanewgrantof$8M,totalfundingfrom

theFederalGovernmentin2011/2012wouldbe$5.75M

in2011/2012,and$8Mthefollowingyear.

This is also the fifth and final year of the current

$10milliongrantfromtheGovernmentofBritish

Columbia. The current grant also expires on March

31, 2012 leaving the fourth quarter unfunded as of the

preparation of this plan. All efforts will be made to

secureanewgranttoensurefundingisreceivedforQ4

of 2011/2012 and the four subsequent fiscal years. The

increased activity in the province will be described in

our request for a renewed grant. Our goal for funding

fromBritishColumbiais$2Min2011/2012.

A new three-year grant from the Government of Alberta

beganin2010/2011at$600K/year.Stewardshipofthis

grant will continue throughout 2011/2012 as CIFAR

Board members and senior management meet with

representatives from the Government of Alberta.

Anewtwo-year$2millionannualgrantfromthe

Government of Ontario began in 2010/2011 and

continues through 2011/2012. CIFAR will submit a new

proposal to the Government of Ontario in the coming

year to request continued funding for 2012-2015.

CIFAR will work with senior members of its Board of

DirectorsfromQuebectorenewdiscussionswiththe

GovernmentofQuebec.CIFARspends$2millioninthe

province annually and did not receive a renewed grant in

2010/2011. It is CIFAR’s goal to renew the conversation

withQuebecandsubmitanewproposalin2012/2013.

Given the amount of activity that is required in

the coming year to renew grants from the Federal

Government, as well as the Governments of Ontario,

BritishColumbia,andQuebec,publicsector

advancement activity will be a significant priority in

2011/2012.

Outreach and Events

Outreach activities and events allow CIFAR to cultivate

and engage current donors with the work of the Institute

as well as introduce new prospective donors and

audiences to CIFAR. The events provide CIFAR with the

opportunity to highlight the remarkable research being

done by its researchers from around the world.

Whether they take the form of a lab tour or a lecture,

events serve as a means of stewarding CIFAR’s existing

community of donors, friends and supporters. They

allow CIFAR’s extensive network to remain engaged

through regular research updates or first-hand tours of

some of Canada’s first-class laboratories.

The events that are being planned for the upcoming

2011/2012 year are as follows:

1. Fall Reception and Spring Dinner for Board

members, top donors, and guests

2. Lunar Circle Dinner (tbc)

3. Donor Cultivation and Stewardship events; Sackler

Symposium

4. Volunteer prospect events

5. Lab Tours

110

(c) Communications

The Communications Department provides

organizational leadership to the Institute’s strategies

related to brand management and visual identity,

audience research, digital media, and media relations.

The Communications Department also provides support

to the priorities of the Institute’s Advancement and

Programs and Research departments, CEO and Board

through project management, production, design, story

research, writing, editing, on-line and media outreach,

and event coordination.

This Annual Corporate Plan contains three core goals:

• ImplementtheInstitute’snewbrandpositioning

strategy to grow key audience engagement and support.

• RolloutthesecondphaseoftheInstitute’sdigital

media roadmap including customized, more dynamic

and engaging content for key audiences.

• Providecommunicationssupportforthepriorities

of the Institute’s CEO, Board, and Advancement

and Programs and Research departments through

coordinated planning.

1. Implement the Institute’s new brand positioning strategy

to grow key audience engagement and support

A. Roll out coordinated key messages and ensure the

visual identity is consistently applied across the

Institute:

• Orient employees and volunteer and research

leaders to the new brand positioning.

• Develop a brand matrix to understand the points of

contact where CIFAR connects and communicates

with key target audiences. Using this matrix, create

a prioritized materials management calendar to

renew and publish the Institute’s materials.

• Review and update, as necessary, the Institute’s

processes related to managing its visual identity

and design projects.

B. Better understand the key audiences identified in

the brand positioning strategy:

• Conduct target audience research to deepen our

knowledge of how best to serve their needs as

well as their reasons for engaging with CIFAR.

• Incorporate the research insights and test ways

of better communicating and engaging with

key audiences in support of the priorities of

the Institute’s Programs and Research and

Advancement departments.

• Create a dashboard of key metrics to monitor

and understand the Institute’s communications

outreach and brand value with key audiences.

2. Deliver the second phase of the Institute’s digital

media roadmap including customized, more dynamic

content and engagement for key audiences

A. Implement an annual web plan that builds on the

web renewal project underway in 2010/2011:

• Manage the Institute’s websites and on-line

donations and event registration sites.

• Create new text, image and video content for

the Institute’s key audiences and test new

mechanisms to deliver customized content.

• Develop an organization-wide work-flow process

with defined roles for each department’s

creation and posting of new content to the

website.

• Ensure an ongoing maintenance plan is

developed in coordination with IT.

B. Develop a social media strategy that creates an

editorial calendar and plan for key audiences

through on-line newsletters, mass emails,

Facebook and Twitter.

111

3. Provide communications support to the annual

plans of the Institute’s CEO, Board, and Advancement

and Programs and Research departments through

coordinated planning and customer service

A. Publish three issues of ReachincludingaYearin

Review edition to be published for the Institute’s

AGM, as well as two others issue timed according

to key activities, such as the February 2012

American Association for the Advancement of

Science (AAAS) conference in Vancouver and the

Next Big Question.

B. Develop a media relations strategy that aligns

with key advancement and programs and research

activities (including the AAAS conference).

C. Research, write and publish print, on-line, and

video materials, coordinate events and develop

event programs, remarks and signage in support

of the Institute’s priorities.

(d) Governance and Management

Governance

The Board of Directors is responsible for the

governance of the Institute and will meet five

times in 2011/2012. Committees will meet routinely

according to their mandates. The committees

include: Governance; Audit and Finance; Investment,

and Advancement and Communications. Their

primary goal will be to assist the Board and guide

management as they implement the new strategic

plan.

In 2011/2012, staff will support the Board in the

following areas:

• SupporttoCapitalcampaignchairandcabinet

• CEORecruitment

Research Council

The Research Council advises the President. It is

responsible for advising on the overall direction and

quality of the Institute’s research, advising on the approval

and renewal of research programs, and providing insight

into the Canadian research environment.

Council of Advisors

The Council of Advisors is a group of individuals who

regularly provide advice and counsel on an individual basis

to the President and CEO. In 2011/2012, we will implement

a more routine schedule for updating and seeking input

from the group as a whole.

Management

In addition to the priorities described at the beginning

of this plan, management will focus on the following

initiatives over the next year:

Human Resources

As part of the annual operational planning process, the

Institute reviewed its human resources plan for each

department.

During 2011, eight new hires took place; three of these

related to turnover, and the remaining hires filled new

positions. These staff members are being integrated into

their departments and into the Institute. New positions to

be filled in 2011/2012 include a Director for Programs and

a second VP Research, both replacements for retirements

in 2010/2011. In addition, a number of interim staff

arrangements are in place as a result of staff maternity/

parental leaves.

In 2011/2012, the Institute will also focus on building

capacity in the current staff complement and ensuring

corporate and individual staff training and development

plans are in place.

112

Facility Planning

The office lease is due for renewal June 2012. Space

requirements will be reviewed and lease renewal options

and alternative arrangements will be reviewed to ensure

that suitable space is made available on a cost-effective

basis for the organization.

Information Technology

In 2010/2011, management established an Information

and Communications Technology (ICT) Committee. Part

of the committee’s initial undertaking is to complete an

internal review of the current information and technology

system in order to determine if the current architecture

and resources will be suitable for the Institute’s ongoing

needs over the next five years. This review will be

completed in calendar year 2012.

Strategic Plan

Monitoring of 2007-2012 Strategic Plan

As noted in the initial section of this plan, the Institute

will undertake an exercise to review progress to date on

the 2007-2012 strategic goals and consolidate action on its

strategic activities in advance of fully launching the next

five-year plan in July 2012.

Treasury

One of CIFAR’s ongoing operating principles is to ensure

that long-term multi-year commitments are managed

carefully so that we are able to keep these aligned with

available and anticipated resources.

AsatJune30,2011,CIFARisprojectedtohavea$24M

accumulated surplus. The 2011/2012 budget reflects an

operatingdeficitof$3.5million,tobefundedfromthe

unrestricted surplus and the See Far Fund.

(e) Risk Management

The Institute uses a combination of: (i) strict

Board oversight directly and through its Audit and

Finance Committee and its Investment Committee,

(ii) systematic independent oversight practices,

(iii) prudent commercial practices, and (iv) the

maintenance of adequate insurance coverage to help

mitigate potential risks.

The Audit and Finance Committee oversees the

annual operating budget process and reviews quarterly

financial results with management. The Investment

Committee oversees all investment matters, including

the development and recommendation of investment

policies and review of investment reports.

Management reviews all known legislation which the

Institute is subject to on a quarterly basis to ensure that

the Institute is in compliance.

The Institute identifies and monitors program activity

risk through the formal and informal procedures

and discussions with its Research Council, Advisory

Committees, Program Directors and Peer Review

Committees.

Prudent business practices consist of establishing

and maintaining reliable systems of internal control,

including detailed business plans and budgets, the

frequent review and reporting of Institute activities,

both internally and externally, the establishment

of policies and procedures to mitigate risk, and the

routine back-up and off-site storage of data.

Standard insurance coverage includes: (i) general

commercialliabilitycoverageof$5million,(ii)

physical property coverage, consisting primarily of

officeequipment,of$800,000,and(iii)directors’and

officers’liabilitycoverageof$5million.

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APPENDIX A: CIFAR PROGRAM MEMBERS as of June 30, 2011

Cosmology and Gravity

B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Matthew Choptuik, Fellow University of British Columbia

Werner Israel, Institute Fellow University of Victoria

Julio Navarro, Fellow University of Victoria

Christopher Pritchet, Associate University of Victoria

William Unruh, Fellow and Founding Program Director University of British Columbia

Ludovic Van Waerbeke, Scholar University of British Columbia

O N T A R I O

J. Richard Bond, Fellow and Program Director CITA/University of Toronto

Ray Carlberg, Fellow University of Toronto

MarkChen,Fellow Queen’sUniversity

Hugh Couchman, Fellow McMaster University

Luis Lehner, Fellow University of Guelph and Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

ArthurMcDonald,Associate Queen’sUniversity

Robert Myers, Fellow Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and University of Waterloo

Barth Netterfield, Fellow University of Toronto

Ue-Li Pen, Fellow CITA/University of Toronto

Harald Pfeiffer, Scholar CITA/University of Toronto

Neil Turok, Fellow Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and University of Cambridge

QUE B E C

Andrew Cumming, Scholar McGill University

Matthew Dobbs, Scholar McGill University

Gilbert Holder, Scholar McGill University

VictoriaKaspi, R. Howard Webster Foundation Fellow McGill University

KeithVanderlinde,JuniorFellow McGillUniversity

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Lars Bildsten, Associate University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

GeorgeEfstathiou,Associate UniversityofCambridge,UK

Wendy Freedman, Associate Carnegie Observatories, Carnegie Institution of Washington, USA

CarlosFrenk,Associate UniversityofDurham,UK

David Garfinkle, Associate Oakland University, USA

Henk Hoekstra, Scholar Leiden University, The Netherlands

Gary Horowitz, Associate University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

ShamitKachru,Associate StanfordUniversity,USA

NicholasKaiser,Associate UniversityofHawaii,USA

Andrei Linde, Associate Stanford University, USA

JohnPeacock,Associate UniversityofEdinburgh,UK

P. James E. Peebles, Associate Princeton University, USA

Sterl Phinney, Associate California Institute of Technology, USA

Frans Pretorius, Scholar Princeton University, USA

JosephSilk,Associate UniversityofOxford,UK

Eva Silverstein, Associate Stanford University, USA

Leonard Susskind, Associate Stanford University, USA

Alexander Szalay, Associate Johns Hopkins University, USA

Robert Wald, Associate University of Chicago, USA

114

Earth System Evolution

A L B E R T A

Andrew Bush, Fellow University of Alberta

Shawn Marshall, Fellow University of Calgary

B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Paul Hoffman, Associate University of Victoria

Mark Jellinek, Scholar University of British Columbia

N O V A S C O T I A

Christopher Beaumont, Associate Dalhousie University

MarkusKienast,Scholar DalhousieUniversity

O N T A R I O

Bridget Bergquist, Scholar University of Toronto

Sharon Cowling, Scholar University of Toronto

QUE B E C

AlessandroForte,Fellow UniversityofQuebecatMontreal

Eric Galbraith, Scholar McGill University

Xavier Robert, Junior Fellow UniversityofQuebecatMontreal

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Dorian Abbot, Junior Fellow University of Chicago, USA

Jean Braun, Fellow Université Joseph Fourier de Grenoble, France

Louis Derry, Fellow Cornell University, USA

KatherineFreeman,Fellow PennsylvaniaStateUniversity,USA

Sidney Hemming, Fellow Columbia University, USA

LeeKump,FellowandAssociate Director Pennsylvania State University, USA

Jerry Mitrovica, Fellow and Program Director Harvard University, USA

Taylor Perron, Scholar Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Raymond Pierrehumbert, Fellow University of Chicago, USA

Peter Reiners, Scholar University of Arizona, USA

David Rowley, Fellow University of Chicago, USA

Daniel Schrag, Fellow Harvard University, USA

AlexandraTurchyn,Scholar UniversityofCambridge,UK

KelinWhipple,Fellow ArizonaStateUniversity,USA

Sean Willett, Fellow ETH Zurich, Switzerland

James Zachos, Fellow University of California, Santa Cruz, USA

115

Experience-based Brain and Biological Development

A L B E R T A

BryanKolb,Fellow UniversityofLethbridge

B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Ronald Barr, Fellow and Founding Program Director University of British Columbia

W. Thomas Boyce, Fellow and Program Co-Director University of British Columbia

Daniel Goldowitz, Associate University of British Columbia

Clyde Hertzman1, Fellow University of British Columbia

MichaelKobor,Scholar UniversityofBritishColumbia

Janet Werker, Fellow University of British Columbia

O N T A R I O

James Burns, Junior Fellow University of Toronto at Mississauga

Joel D. Levine, Scholar University of Toronto at Mississauga

Marla B. Sokolowski, Weston Fellow and Program Co-Director University of Toronto at Mississauga

QUE B E C

Michael Meaney, Fellow McGill University

Moshe Szyf, Fellow McGill University

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

David Clayton, Fellow University of Illinois, USA

Lia Fernald, Associate University of California, Berkeley, USA

Megan Gunnar, Fellow University of Minnesota, USA

TakaoHensch,Fellow HarvardUniversity,USAandRIKENBrainScienceInstitute,Japan

Thomas McDade, Associate Northwestern University, USA

Jelena Obradović, Great-West Life Junior Fellow Stanford University, USA

Robert Sapolsky, Associate Stanford University, USA

Steve Suomi, Associate National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, USA

1 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s Successful Societies program

116

Genetic Networks

B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Eldon Emberly1, Scholar Simon Fraser University

Philip Hieter, Fellow University of British Columbia

Donald Moerman, Fellow University of British Columbia

O N T A R I O

Brenda Andrews, Fellow and Program Director University of Toronto

Charles Boone, Fellow University of Toronto

Andrew Fraser, Scholar University of Toronto

Brendan Frey2, Fellow University of Toronto

Timothy Hughes, Fellow University of Toronto

Jason Moffat, Scholar University of Toronto

Frederick P. Roth, Fellow University of Toronto and Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute,

Mount Sinai Hospital

Stephen Scherer, Fellow Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto

Matthew Weirauch, Junior Fellow University of Toronto

QUE B E C

Eric Shoubridge, Fellow McGill University

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Olga Troyanskaya, Fellow Princeton University, USA

1 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s Nanoelectronics program2 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception program

117

Institutions, Organizations and Growth

B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Siwan Anderson, Associate University of British Columbia

Matilde Bombardini, Scholar University of British Columbia

Mauricio Drelichman, Scholar University of British Columbia

Patrick Francois, Fellow University of British Columbia

Joseph Henrich, Fellow University of British Columbia

AnkeKessler,Associate SimonFraserUniversity

Benjamin Nyblade, Scholar University of British Columbia

M. Marit Rehavi, Scholar University of British Columbia

Francesco Trebbi, Scholar University of British Columbia

O N T A R I O

Gustavo J. Bobonis, Scholar University of Toronto

Daniel Trefler, Fellow University of Toronto

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Daron Acemoglu, Fellow Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Philippe Aghion, Fellow Harvard University, USA

George Akerlof 1 (Nobel Laureate), Fellow University of California, Berkeley, USA

Roland Benabou2, Associate Princeton University, USA

TimBesley,Fellow LondonSchoolofEconomics,UK

Daniel Diermeier, Fellow Northwestern University, USA

Dave Donaldson, Junior Fellow Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

James Fearon, Fellow Stanford University, USA

Avner Greif, Fellow Stanford University, USA

Elhanan Helpman, Fellow and Program Director Harvard University, USA

Matthew Jackson, Fellow Stanford University, USA

Torsten Persson, Fellow Stockholm University, Sweden

James Robinson, Fellow Harvard University, USA

Guido Tabellini, Fellow Università Bocconi, Italy

EricWeese,JuniorFellow YaleUniversity,USA

1 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being program2 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being program

118

Integrated Microbial Biodiversity

A L B E R T A

YanBoucher,Scholar UniversityofAlberta

Rebecca Case, Associate University of Alberta

B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Steven Hallam, Scholar University of British Columbia

PatrickKeeling,Fellowand Program Director University of British Columbia

Brian Leander, Fellow University of British Columbia

Steve Perlman, Scholar University of Victoria

Curtis Suttle, Fellow University of British Columbia

Vera Tai, Junior Fellow University of British Columbia

N EW B RUN SW I C K

Adrian Reyes-Prieto, Scholar University of New Brunswick

N O V A S C O T I A

John Archibald, Fellow Dalhousie University

Shehre-Banoo Malik, Junior Fellow Dalhousie University

Andrew Roger, Fellow Dalhousie University

Alastair Simpson, Fellow Dalhousie University

Claudio Slamovits, Scholar Dalhousie University

O N T A R I O

Nicolas Corradi, Scholar University of Ottawa

QUE B E C

David Walsh, Associate Concordia University

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Michael Grigg, Scholar National Institutes of Health, USA

NicoleKing,Scholar UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,USA

Julius Lukeš, Associate Czech Academy of Sciences and University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic

Susannah M. Porter, Associate University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

Forest Rohwer, Fellow San Diego State University, USA

Alexandra Worden, Scholar Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, USA

119

Nanoelectronics

A L B E R T A

John Davis, Associate University of Alberta

Mark Freeman, Fellow University of Alberta

Robert Wolkow, Fellow University of Alberta

B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

IanAffleck1, Associate University of British Columbia

Mona Berciu, Fellow University of British Columbia

Sarah Burke, Associate University of British Columbia

Eldon Emberly2, Associate Simon Fraser University

Joshua Folk3, Scholar University of British Columbia

Bret Heinrich, Associate Simon Fraser University

GeorgeKirczenow,Fellow SimonFraserUniversity

Julien Renard, Junior Fellow University of British Columbia

Dipankar Sen, Fellow Simon Fraser University

Philip Stamp4, Associate University of British Columbia

JeffYoung,Fellow UniversityofBritishColumbia

M A N I T O B A

Douglas Thomson, Associate University of Manitoba

N O V A S C O T I A

Jeff Dahn, Fellow Dalhousie University

O N T A R I O

Pawel Hawrylak, Fellow National Research Council, Ottawa

StephenHughes,Associate Queen’sUniversity

Sajeev John, Fellow University of Toronto

Geoffrey A. Ozin, Fellow University of Toronto

Douglas Perovic, Associate University of Toronto

John Polanyi (Nobel Laureate), Fellow University of Toronto

Andrew Sachrajda, Fellow National Research Council, Ottawa

QUE B E C

Alexandre Blais5, Scholar University of Sherbrooke

Aashish Clerk, Fellow McGill University

William Coish, Scholar6 McGill University

Guillaume Gervais7, Scholar McGill University

Peter Grütter, Fellow and Program Director McGill University

Hong Guo, Fellow McGill University

Mohammad Hadi Izadi, Junior Fellow McGill University

Hanadi Sleiman, Fellow McGill University

Thomas Szkopek, Scholar McGill University

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

WernerA.Hofer,Associate UniversityofLiverpool,UK

MarkReed,Fellow YaleUniversity,USA

1 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s QuantumMaterials program (Fellow)2 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s QuantumMaterials program 3 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s QuantumMaterials program4 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s QuantumMaterials program5 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s QuantumMaterials and QuantumInformationProcessing programs6 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s QuantumInformationProcessing program7 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s QuantumMaterials program

120

Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception

B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Nando de Freitas, Fellow University of British Columbia

David Lowe, Fellow University of British Columbia

Shakir Mohamed, Junior Fellow University of British Columbia

KevinMurphy,Associate UniversityofBritishColumbia

O N T A R I O

Ryan Adams, Junior Fellow University of Toronto

Suzanna Becker, Associate McMaster University

JamesElder,Associate YorkUniversity

David Fleet, Fellow University of Toronto

Brendan Frey1, Fellow University of Toronto

Aaron Hertzmann, Fellow University of Toronto

Geoffrey Hinton, Fellow and Program Director University of Toronto

NikolausTroje,Fellow Queen’sUniversity

HughWilson,Fellow YorkUniversity

Richard Zemel, Fellow University of Toronto

QUE B E C

YoshuaBengio,Fellow UniversityofMontreal

Pascal Vincent, Scholar University of Montreal

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Michael Black, Associate Brown University, USA

James DiCarlo, Associate Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

RobFergus,Associate NewYorkUniversity,USA

Aapo Hyvärinen, Associate University of Helsinki, Finland

Andrew Ng, Associate Stanford University, USA

Bruno Olshausen, Fellow University of California, Berkeley, USA (Redwood Neuroscience Institute)

Ruslan Salakhutdinov, Scholar Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

EeroSimoncelli,Associate NewYorkUniversity,USA

Antonio Torralba, Associate Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

YairWeiss,Fellow HebrewUniversityofJerusalem,Israel

Max Welling, Associate University of California, Irvine, USA

ChrisWilliams,Associate UniversityofEdinburgh,UK

1 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s Genetic Networks program

121

QuantumInformationProcessing

A L B E R T A

Peter Høyer, Scholar University of Calgary

Alexander Lvovsky, Scholar University of Calgary

Barry Sanders, Fellow University of Calgary

B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Robert Raussendorf, Scholar University of British Columbia

O N T A R I O

Richard Cleve, Fellow University of Waterloo

Joseph Emerson, Scholar University of Waterloo

Daniel Gottesman, Fellow Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Thomas Jennewein, Scholar University of Waterloo

Raymond Laflamme, Fellow and Program Director University of Waterloo and Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Debbie Leung, Scholar University of Waterloo

Hoi-KwongLo,Fellow UniversityofToronto

Michele Mosca, Fellow University of Waterloo and Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Ashwin Nayak, Scholar University of Waterloo and Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

L.KristerShalm,JuniorFellow UniversityofWaterloo

Aephraim Steinberg, Fellow University of Toronto

John Watrous, Fellow University of Waterloo

Bei Zeng, Scholar University of Guelph

QUE B E C

Alexandre Blais1, Scholar University of Sherbrooke

Gilles Brassard, Fellow University of Montreal

William Coish2, Junior Fellow McGill University

Claude Crépeau, Fellow McGill University

Patrick Hayden, Fellow McGill University

Michel Pioro-Ladriere, Scholar University of Sherbrooke

Alain Tapp, Scholar University of Montreal

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Scott Aaronson, Associate Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Andris Ambainis, Scholar University of Latvia, Latvia

Paola Cappellaro, Associate Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Barbara Terhal, Associate Aachen University, Germany

Gregor Weihs, Scholar University of Innsbruck, Austria

1 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s QuantumMaterialsand Nanoelectronics programs2 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s Nanoelectronics program (Scholar)

122

QuantumMaterials

A L B E R T A

Frank Marsiglio, Associate University of Alberta

B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

IanAffleck1, Fellow University of British Columbia

Doug Bonn, Fellow University of British Columbia

Andrea Damascelli, Fellow University of British Columbia

Steven Dodge, Scholar Simon Fraser University

Joshua Folk2, Scholar University of British Columbia

Marcel Franz, Fellow University of British Columbia

Ion Garate, Junior Fellow University of British Columbia

Walter N. Hardy, Fellow University of British Columbia

RobertKiefl,Associate UniversityofBritishColumbia

Ruixing Liang, Fellow University of British Columbia

KirkW.Madison,Scholar UniversityofBritishColumbia

George Sawatzky, Fellow University of British Columbia

Jeff E. Sonier, Fellow Simon Fraser University

Philip Stamp3, Associate University of British Columbia

Fei Zhou, Scholar University of British Columbia

O N T A R I O

John Berlinsky, Associate McMaster University

William Buyers, Fellow National Research Council, Chalk River

Jules P. Carbotte, Fellow and Founding Program Director McMaster University

Bruce Gaulin, Fellow McMaster University

Michel Gingras, Fellow University of Waterloo

Takashi Imai, Fellow McMaster University

Stephen Julian, Fellow University of Toronto

CatherineKallin,Fellow McMasterUniversity

Hae-YoungKee,Fellow UniversityofToronto

YongBaekKim,Fellow UniversityofToronto

Graeme Luke, Fellow McMaster University

Arun Paramekanti, Scholar University of Toronto

John Preston, Associate McMaster University

Joseph Thywissen, Scholar University of Toronto

Thomas Timusk, Fellow McMaster University

John Wei, Associate University of Toronto

QUE B E C

Alexandre Blais4, Scholar University of Sherbrooke

Claude Bourbonnais, Fellow University of Sherbrooke

Patrick Fournier, Scholar University of Sherbrooke

Guillaume Gervais5, Scholar McGill University

Louis Taillefer, Fellow and Program Director University of Sherbrooke

André-Marie Tremblay, Fellow University of Sherbrooke

1 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s Nanoelectronics program2 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s Nanoelectronics program3 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s Nanoelectronics program4 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s QuantumInformationProcessingand Nanoelectronics programs5 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s Nanoelectronics program

123

QuantumMaterialscontinued

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Philip Anderson (Nobel Laureate), Associate Princeton University, USA

ImmanuelBloch,Associate MaxPlanckInstituteforQuantumOptics,Germany

Collin Broholm, Associate Johns Hopkins University, USA

Eugene Demler, Associate Harvard University, USA

Ian Fisher, Associate Stanford University, USA

Zachary Fisk, Associate University of California, Irvine, USA

Randall G. Hulet, Associate Rice University, USA

Harold Hwang, Associate Stanford University, USA

Denis Jérome, Associate Université Paris-Sud, France

Deborah Jin, Associate University of Colorado, USA

StevenKivelson,Associate StanfordUniversity,USA

GabiKotliar,Associate RutgersUniversity,USA

KarynLeHur,Associate YaleUniversity,USA

GilbertLonzarich,Associate UniversityofCambridge,UK

AndyMackenzie,Associate UniversityofSt.Andrews,UK

YoshiteruMaeno,Associate KyotoUniversity,Japan

Andrew Millis, Associate Columbia University, USA

KathrynMoler,Associate StanfordUniversity,USA

Cedomir Petrovic, Associate Johns Hopkins University, USA

Cyril Proust, Associate Laboratoire National des Champs Magnetiques Pulses (LNCMP), France

T. Maurice Rice, Associate Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Switzerland

Subir Sachdev, Associate Harvard University, USA

Douglas Scalapino, Associate University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

Senthil Todadri, Associate Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Hai-Hu Wen, Associate Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

124

Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being

A L B E R T A

Robert Oxoby, Fellow University of Calgary

B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Nicole M. Fortin, Fellow University of British Columbia

John Helliwell, Co-Director and Fellow University of British Columbia

N O V A S C O T I A

Shelley Phipps, Fellow Dalhousie University

O N T A R I O

Philip Oreopoulos, Scholar University of Toronto

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

George Akerlof1, (Nobel Laureate), Co-Director and Fellow University of California, Berkeley, USA

Roland Benabou2, Fellow Princeton University, USA

Irene Bloemraad, Scholar University of California, Berkeley, USA

NylaBranscombe,Fellow UniversityofKansas,USA

Rafael Di Tella, Fellow Harvard University, USA

AlexanderHaslam,Fellow UniversityofExeter,UK

RachelKranton,Fellow DukeUniversity,USA

Eldar Shafir, Fellow Princeton University, USA

Mario Luis Small, Associate University of Chicago, USA

RenateYsseldyk,JuniorFellow UniversityofExeter,UK

1 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s Institutions, Organizations and Growth program2 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s Institutions, Organizations and Growth program

Successful Societies

B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Clyde Hertzman1, Fellow University of British Columbia

Christopher McLeod, Junior Fellow University of British Columbia

O N T A R I O

James Dunn, Fellow McMaster University

WillKymlicka,Fellow Queen’sUniversity

Ron Levi, Fellow University of Toronto

Leanne Son Hing, Fellow University of Guelph

Arjumand Siddiqi, Associate University of Toronto

Wendy Wong, Junior Fellow University of Toronto

QUE B E C

GérardBouchard,Fellow UniversityofQuebecatChicoutimi

Jane Jenson, Fellow University of Montreal

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Peter B. Evans, Fellow University of California, Berkeley, USA

Peter A. Hall, Fellow and Co-Director Harvard University, USA

DanielP.Keating,Fellow UniversityofMichigan,USA

Michèle Lamont, Fellow and Co-Director Harvard University, USA

William Sewell, Fellow University of Chicago, USA

Ann Swidler, Fellow University of California, Berkeley, USA

1 cross-appointed to CIFAR’s Experience-based Brain and Biological Development program

125

APPENDIX B: EXTERNAL PEER REVIEW PROCESS AND CRITERIA

(a) Review Criteria

QUA L I T Y O F TH E P R OGRAM

The program is to be judged both on its own merits and

in comparison with other initiatives in the field, with

particular reference to the following:

Achievements and impact:

• Accomplishmentsoftheprograminrelationtoits

objectives as stated at the outset of the five-year term;

• Evolutionoftheprogram’sintellectualfocus;

• Impactoftheprograminrelationtothefieldasa

whole (did the group change or lead the field);

• EffectivenessoftheinteractionoftheFellows,

Scholars and Associates;

• Impactongraduateandpostdoctoraltraining;

• Value-addedofCIFAR’sroleinsupportingthe

program.

Future directions:

• Assessmentoftheprogram’splansforfuture

research in relation to the overall prospects for the

field;

• Evaluationofthecurrentstrengthsofallmembersof

the group and the implication of those strengths in

relation to future plans;

• Assessmentofwhetherthefuturefocusrequires(a)

additional individuals to the current group or (b) a

new mix of individuals.

QUA L I T Y O F I N D I V I DUA L

P R O G R A M M E M B E R S

The panel will evaluate the quality of each program

member’s research as measured by international

standards, with particular reference to the following:

• Changeinnatureanddirectionofworkoverthe

term of each member’s appointment;

• Effectivenessoftheinteractionandcollaboration

with other program members;

• Contributiontotheintellectualfocusofthe

program;

• Contributiontotheintellectualexcellenceofthe

program.

126

(b) Review Process

Before the Review:

E S T A B L I S H I N G T H E P A N E L

The Program Advisory Committee, Program Director,

Program Members, and CIFAR Vice-President,

Research work together to identify potential review

panelists, including a Chair. Panelists are highly-

respected individuals from Canada and abroad, who

have not had previous involvement with the program

or the Institute. The panel should consist of five to

seven members, who collectively cover all major areas

of research in the program, including theory and

experiment, if applicable. The Chair is responsible for

directing the review process and taking the lead role in

writing the panel’s report.

With the shortlist established, the individuals are

contacted by the VP Research to determine their

willingness to participate. Potential dates are discussed.

The President or VP Research also appoints a CIFAR

Research Council member to participate in the review

process. This individual’s role is to assess the quality of

the review process, including the arm’s length nature

of the review panel and proceedings. The Research

Council member may participate in the interview

process and discussions, but does not contribute to the

formulation of the panel’s assessments.

Panelists are paid a modest honorarium, plus expenses,

following the submission of their final report.

P R E P A R I N G M A T E R I A L S : P R O G R A M

D I R E C T O R ’ S R E N E W A L P R O P O S A L A N D

P R O G R A M M E M B E R S ’ S T A T E M E N T S

The Program Director drafts a Renewal Proposal, and

circulates it to the Program Members and Advisory

Committee for their feedback.

Roughly30%oftheDirector’sRenewalProposalshould

consist of:

• briefhistoryandtheroleoftheprogramandCIFAR

in building and ensuring Canadian scientific and

academic excellence in this area

• descriptionoftheoverallproductivityoftheprogram

over the past five years, including:

• major research achievements over the period

• group interactions and their importance

• national / international recognition (awards, etc.)

• other relevant outcome measures (e.g., number

of papers in high-impact journals)

Roughly70%oftheDirector’sRenewalProposalshould

consist of:

• descriptionofthestateofresearch/scienceinthe

topic/area(s) and the strengths of the program

relative to other groups on an international scale

• caseforrenewal

• coreresearchdirectionsofarenewedprogram

• membershipstrategywithrespecttothecasefor

renewal

127

Program Members are asked to submit individual

research statements (approx. 3-4 pages), which contain:

1. a summary of their research activities and

contributions to the program over the past five years

including:

a. major research achievements and how these

achievements contributed to the program

b. benefits of participation in the program

c. interactions with other program members,

including collaborative publications and more

informal collaborations

2. their proposed research plan for the next five years

and how it will align with the proposed future

directions (i.e., how they will contribute to a renewed

program)

3. their view of the impact of CIFAR’s support of the

program on research in the field

4. a paragraph that summarizes the following:

• Totalnumberofgraduatestudentssupervised

annually

• Totalnumberofpostdocssupervisedannually

• Totalamountofannualfundingfromcompetitive

research grants

• Listofmajorawards

• Listofthemostimportantpapersfromthe

last five years, which best reflect the results of

participation in the program

P R E P A R A T I O N O F D O C U M E N T A T I O N

F O R T H E P A N E L

CIFAR staff compiles all necessary documentation

for the review panelists and sends this material to the

panelists at least one month prior to the review.

This documentation includes:

• Reviewagenda

• Criteriaforthereview

• ProgramDirector’sRenewalProposal

• Programmembers’researchstatements,CVs,and

top three papers

• Listofprogramandadvisorycommittee

membership

• GeneralinformationonCIFAR

• Report(s)ofpreviousreviewpanel(s)ororiginal

program proposal, as applicable

P R E P A R A T I O N O F P A N E L F O R

A S S E S S M E N T O F P R O G R A M M E M B E R S

The review panel receives the above-listed

documentation at least one month prior to the review to

allow sufficient time for preparation.

CIFAR staff contacts members of the review panel to

determine which individual program members the

panelists feel most capable of assessing. Each panelist

acts as the primary assessor of a certain number of

individuals, although all panelists participate in the

assessment process.

128

During the Review:

The usual review format is the following:

DAY 1

Evening Reception: Panelists meet Program members,

Advisory Committee members, and CIFAR staff.

Private Working Dinner: Panel, Program Director, and

CIFAR staff

• Inanin camera session, the VP Research gives the

panel a brief introduction about CIFAR.

• TheProgramDirectorjoinsthepaneltopresent

his/her Renewal Proposal and answers questions.

• Inanin camera session, the panel and CIFAR

staff discuss the review criteria and process in

preparation for interviews the next day.

DAY 2

Interviews: The panel interviews all Fellows and

Scholars, and selected Associates if appropriate,

in person (or by telephone under exceptional

circumstances).

Discussion: Time for periodic discussion amongst

the panel is built into the interview schedule. After all

interviews have been completed, the Program Director

may be invited to meet with the panel to discuss his/

her views on the contributions of individual program

members. The purpose of this session is to help the

panel calibrate information and impressions gleaned

through the interview process.

Written Assessments: The panel members then

complete their final written assessments of individual

program members, based on the Review Criteria as

outlined earlier in this Appendix.

Private Working Dinner: Panel, Advisory Committee,

and CIFAR Staff: The panel has a working dinner with

the Advisory Committee members, at which the Chair

of the panel and the panel members have an open,

confidential discussion with the Advisory Committee

regarding leadership, intellectual directions of the

program, quality of program membership, and any

other administrative or management issues.

DAY 3

Panel members further assess the Program’s

achievements and its standing on an international scale,

and deliberate on the research agenda proposed for the

next five-year term. The Panel must reach a consensus

and discuss openly their recommendation to continue the

program, to continue with modifications, or to discontinue

the program.

Panelists begin drafting the written report. As much

as possible should be written on-site before the panel

departs. The Report includes two volumes. Volume

I is public, and Volume II contains the confidential

assessment of individual program members, program

leadership, and program management.

After the Review:

F I N A L R E P O R T

Following the Review, the Chair of the panel completes

and circulates the draft report to all panelists and

revisions are made. Once all panelists have signed off

on the report, the final version is submitted to CIFAR’s

President and VP Research by the Chair.

129

D E C I S I ON -MA K I NG R E : P R OGRAM

R E N E W A L , M O D I F I C A T I O N , O R

D I S C O N T I N U A T I O N

The President and/or VP Research shares the final

Report (Volume I) with the Advisory Committee. The

Advisory Committee prepares a written response to the

panel’s recommendations. The VP Research prepares a

Management response to the recommendations.

The final report (Volume I only), the Advisory

Committee’s comments, and the CIFAR Management

response are presented to the CIFAR Research

Council for discussion. The presentation is made

by the VP Research and CIFAR Research Council

member who attended the review. The Research

Council makes a recommendation to the President and

Board regarding the program’s renewal, renewal with

modifications, or discontinuation. The Council may

also make a recommendation concerning the Program

Directorship, based on findings of the Review Panel.

The above-listed items and the Research Council’s

recommendations are brought forward to the Board of

Directors for a final decision on program renewal or

discontinuation.

P O S T- D E C I S I O N F O L L O W- U P

The VP Research communicates the Board’s decision

regarding the renewal or discontinuation to the

Program Director, Program Members and Advisory

Committee as soon as possible. At this time, if the

program is to be continued, the VP Research advises

the Program Director and Program Members that

the President will be considering the review panel’s

recommendations on program leadership and

membership within the next two weeks.

Volume I of the Review Panel’s report is then circulated

to the Program Director and members.

The President reserves the right to follow through

on any recommendations made by the panel on

(dis)continuation of the Program Director. This

decision should be discussed with the Advisory

Committee Chair and communicated by the President

to the Program Director without undue delay.

The Program Director and CIFAR management

develop a draft plan of action for implementing the

recommendations of the review before the end of

the final year of the current term. The President will

normally give discretion to the Program Director

and/or Advisory Committee to make decisions about

individual program membership continuation, based

on the panel’s recommendations. If an individual’s

program membership is to be discontinued, he/she

will be informed by the Program Director or Advisory

Committee Chair within four months after the Board’s

program renewal decision.

All Program Members are then officially advised of their

status for the next five-year term by means of a formal

appointment letter from the VP Research. The Program

Director’s appointment letter is sent by the President.

Letters thanking departing Advisory Committee

members or welcoming new ones are also sent by

the President.

A presentation on the panel’s report and

recommendations is made by the VP Research at

the group’s first interaction meeting following the

Board’s decision.

130

A L B E R T A SI Curtis Eaton Department of Economics, University of Calgary

B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A ES (C) Garry Clarke Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of British Columbia

IMB Julian Davies Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia

N O V A S C O T I A IMB W. Ford Doolittle Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University

IMB (C) Michael W. Gray Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University

O N T A R I O SI John W. Berry DepartmentofPsychology,Queen’sUniversity

QIP(C) David G. Cory InstituteforQuantumComputingandDepartmentofChemistry,UniversityofWaterloo,

and Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

QIP Anthony J. Leggett NobelLaureate,DepartmentofPhysics,InstituteforQuantumComputing,UniversityofWaterloo

(cross-appointed to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

SI Kimberly Matheson Department of Psychology, Carleton University

EBBD J. Fraser Mustard Founding President, CIFAR, and Head, The Founders’ Network

GN David Sankoff Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Ottawa

NE Michael Scott Chief Technology Officer (retired), Bookham Technology

SS Richard Simeon Department of Political Science, University of Toronto

QUE B E C SI (C) Pierre Fortin DepartmentofEconomics,UniversityofQuebecatMontreal

SS Danielle Juteau Department of Sociology, University of Montreal

APPENDIX C: ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS BY REGIONas of June 30, 2011

LEGEND

CG Cosmology and Gravity NC Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception

EBBD Experience-based Brain and Biological Development NE Nanoelectronics

ES Earth System Evolution QIP QuantumInformationProcessing

GN Genetic Networks QM QuantumMaterials

IOG Institutions, Organizations and Growth SI Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being

IMB Integrated Microbial Biodiversity SS Successful Societies

(C) (Chair)

131

U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A EBBD Nancy E. Adler Director, Health Psychology Program, University of California, San Francisco

SS (C) Jonathan Arac Department of English, University of Pittsburgh

IMB E. Virginia Armbrust School of Oceanography, University of Washington

QIP Charles H. Bennett IBMResearch,YorktownHeights,NewYork

CG Roger Blandford Department of Physics, Stanford University

GN (C) David Botstein Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University

GN Gary Churchill The Jackson Laboratory, Maine

QM J. C. Séamus Davis Department of Physics, Cornell University

ESE Donald DePaolo Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Berkeley

NE (C) Don Eigler IBM Almaden Research Center, California

CG Richard Ellis Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology

EBBD Russell Fernald Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University

SS Peter Gourevitch School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego

QM(C) Richard L. Greene Department of Physics, University of Maryland

QM Tin-Lun (Jason) Ho Department of Physics, Ohio State University

SI Daniel Kahneman Nobel Laureate, Department of Psychology, Princeton University

CG Renata Kallosh Department of Physics, Stanford University

NC (C) Yann LeCun TheCourantInstituteofMathematicalStudies,NewYorkUniversity

QIP Anthony J. Leggett Nobel Laureate, Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

(cross-appointed to University of Waterloo)

QM Allan H. MacDonald Department of Physics, University of Texas at Austin

IOG (C) Joel Mokyr Department of Economics, Northwestern University

IOG Roger B. Myerson Nobel Laureate, Department of Economics, University of Chicago

EBBD (C) Charles A. Nelson Harvard Medical School, Harvard University

CG Lyman Page Department of Physics, Princeton University

NC Pietro Perona Department of Electrical Engineering, California Institute of Technology

SI Robert Putnam JohnF.KennedySchoolofGovernment,HarvardUniversity

SS Vijayendra Rao Development Research Group, The World Bank, Washington, DC

EBBD Gene Robinson Department of Entomology, University of Illinois

NE Michael Roukes KavliNanoscienceInstitute,CaliforniaInstituteofTechnology

ES Leigh H. Royden Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

NC Terry Sejnowski Computational Neurobiology Lab, Salk Institute for Biological Studies

NC Sebastian Seung Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

IOG Kenneth Shepsle Centre for Basic Research in the Social Sciences, Department of Government, Harvard University

CG (C) Scott Tremaine Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University and

School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton

ES Rob Van der Voo Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan

GN Robert Waterston Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington

NE Bernard Yurke Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Department of Materials Science

and Engineering, Boise State University

I N T E R N A T I O N A L QIP Harry M. Buhrman Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica (CWI), The Netherlands

IMB Tom Cavalier-Smith DepartmentofZoology,UniversityofOxford,UK

NE Jörg Peter Kotthaus Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany

SI Richard Layard CentreforEconomicPerformance,LondonSchoolofEconomics,UK

QM Jochen Mannhart Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, Germany

ESE Judith McKenzie Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Switzerland

EBBD Sir Michael Rutter InstituteofPsychiatry,King’sCollegeLondon,UK

QM Hidenori Takagi Department of Advanced Materials Science, University of Tokyo, Japan

QIP Seigo Tarucha Department of Applied Physics, University of Tokyo, Japan

CG Simon White Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Garching, Germany

132

APPENDIX D: RESEARCH COUNCIL MEMBERSas of June 30, 2011

Chaviva Hošek (Chair)President and CEO

CIFAR

Jacques BeauvaisVice-President, Research

University of Sherbrooke

Edward Cox Department of Molecular Biology

Princeton University, USA

Natalie Davis Department of History

University of Toronto

Pierre Fortin Department of Economics

UniversityofQuebecatMontreal

Wlad Godzich Department of Literature

University of California at Santa Cruz, USA

Digvir JayasVice-President, Research

University of Manitoba

W. John McDonald Professor Emeritus

Department of Physics

University of Alberta

Arnold Naimark Director, Centre for the Advancement of Medicine

University of Manitoba

Susan Pfeiffer Department of Anthropology

University of Toronto

Adel Sedra Dean, Faculty of Engineering

University of Waterloo

Brian Cantwell Smith Faculty of Information Studies

University of Toronto

Stephen J. Toope President and Vice-Chancellor

University of British Columbia

D. Lorne Tyrrell Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology

University of Alberta

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APPENDIX E: CIFAR PROGRAM MEMBER APPOINTMENTSJuly 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011

Experience-based Brain and Biological Development

Daniel Goldowitz (Associate) is a Professor in the

Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics

at the Children and Family Research Institute at

the University of British Columbia. He holds a

Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Developmental

Neurogenetics. He is also the Scientific Director of

NeuroDevNet, one of the federally funded Networks

of Centres of Excellence. Dr. Goldowitz studies how

genetic signals involved in the early development of the

nervous system can cause neurodegenerative disease

and brain disorders in children and adults. A major

focus of his work is the application of molecular and

bioinformatic technologies to study the entire gene

regulatory network of the cerebellum, an area of the

brain that is linked to autism, schizophrenia, mental

retardation, and other brain disorders.

Institutions, Organizations and Growth

Joseph Henrich (Fellow) is a Professor of Economics

and Psychology at the University of British Columbia.

He holds a Canada Research Chair in Culture,

Cognition and Evolution (Tier 1). His theoretical work

explores how natural selection has shaped human

learning and psychology, how this in turn influences

cultural evolutionary processes, and how the interaction

of genes and culture open up new evolutionary vistas.

Methodologically, his empirical work synthesizes

experimental and analytical tools drawn from

behavioural economics and psychology with in-depth

quantitative ethnography. He has performed long-term

fieldwork studying both children and adults in the

Peruvian Amazon, rural Chile, and in Fijian villages.

His work has been published in the top journals in

biology, psychology, anthropology and economics,

including Nature, Science, PNAS, Proceedings of the

Royal Society B, American Economic Review, Current

Anthropology, Cognition, and Behavioral and Brain

Sciences.

M. Marit Rehavi (Scholar) is an Assistant Professor

in the Department of Economics at the University of

British Columbia and an Early Career Scholar at the

Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies (2011/2012).

Her current research explores incentives and decision-

making in medicine, politics and law. She has also

studied the effects of politician identity (specifically

gender and party affiliation) on fiscal policy and

government priorities.

Francesco Trebbi (Scholar) is an Assistant Professor

in the Department of Economics at the University of

British Columbia. He is also a Faculty Research Fellow

of the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research. Dr.

Trebbi’s research focuses on political economy, applied

econometrics and macroeconomics. He has worked on

topics ranging from institutional and political design

to special interest politics. He has been published in

distinguished journals including the American Economic

Review and the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and is the

recipient of numerous awards and grants, including an

Africa Success Grant in 2010.

134

Nanoelectronics

Sarah Burke (Associate) is an Assistant Professor in

the Department of Chemistry at the University of

British Columbia. Membership in the Nanoelectronics

program was influential in Dr. Burke’s decision to

accept a faculty position at UBC on completion of a

postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California

at Berkeley in 2010. The principle aim of her research

is to build an understanding of important electronic

and optoelectronic processes in nanoscale materials

from the atomic scale up. Scanning probe microscopy

offers the ability to investigate such interfaces at the

atomic level. Dr. Burke’s research program makes use of

techniques such atomic force microscopy and scanning

tunnelling microscopy in ultrahigh vacuum and at

lowtemperatures(~5K).Thisclean,low-temperature

environment allows the characterization of well-defined

systems, with sufficiently high energy resolution

for most organic and nanoscale systems of interest,

and with the level of stability required to achieve

measurements on individual nanostructures.

John Davis (Associate) is an Assistant Professor in the

Department of Physics at the University of Alberta.

Membership in the Nanoelectronics program played

an important part in his decision to accept a faculty

position at the University of Alberta after he completed

a postdoctoral fellowship there in 2010. His research

combines low-temperature physics and nanoscience. A

variety of interesting and complex quantum phenomena

occur only at low temperatures, primarily because

thermal energy tends to destroy or mask these quantum

states. Two good examples of this are superconductivity

and superfluidity. Dr. Davis’ lab harnesses nanoscience,

specifically nanomechanics, to make extremely sensitive

measurements of low-temperature phenomena.

Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception

James DiCarlo (Associate) is an Associate Professor

of Neuroscience in the Department of Brain and

Cognitive Sciences and an Investigator at the

McGovern Institute for Brain Research at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The goal of his

research is to gain a computational understanding of

the brain mechanisms that underlie object recognition.

His group is currently focused on understanding how

transformations carried out by a series of neocortical

processing stages are effortlessly able to untangle

object identity from other latent image variables such

as object position, scale, and pose. They aim to use this

understanding to inspire and develop new machine

vision systems, to provide a basis for new neural

prosthetics (brain-machine interfaces) to restore or

augment lost senses, and to provide a foundation upon

which the community can understand how high-level

visual representation is altered in human conditions

such as agnosia, autism and dyslexia.

Andrew Ng (Associate) is an Associate Professor of

Computer Science at Stanford University. His research

interests include machine learning, unsupervised

feature learning and deep learning, neuroscience-

informed artificial intelligence and robotics. His group

has won best paper/best student paper awards at

numerous scientific conferences. He is also a recipient

of the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship.

135

Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception continued

Eero Simoncelli (Associate) is Professor and Principal

Investigator in the Laboratory for Computational

Vision, an interdisciplinary research group affiliated

primarily with the Center for Neural Science at

NewYorkUniversityandtheCourantInstituteof

Mathematical Sciences. His group is interested in

the analysis and representation of visual information,

including empirical study of the structure of visual

scenes, construction of mathematical theories for

representation and processing of that structure,

implementation and simulation of biologically plausible

instantiations of these theories, and psychophysical

or (through collaboration) physiological investigations

designed to test these theories.

Ruslan Salakhutdinov (Scholar) is an Assistant

Professor in the Departments of Statistics and

Computer Science at the University of Toronto. CIFAR

funding was critical in encouraging him to return to

Canada after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at

the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2011. His

primary research interests lie in statistical machine

learning, computational statistics, probabilistic

inference, and large-scale optimization. He is the

author of over two dozen research papers, including a

highly cited paper in Science. He has been the recipient

of a NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship and Canada

Graduate Scholarship.

Antonio Torralba (Associate) is the Esther and Harold E.

Edgerton Associate Professor in the Computer Science

and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in the Department

of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research

interests span computer and human vision, computer

graphics and machine learning. His work focuses on the

problem of visual scene understanding. His particular

areas of interest include object detection and scene

recognition, the role of context in visual perception,

image and video annotation, and applications of large

image databases.

Pascal Vincent (Associate) is an Assistant Professor

and member of the Machine Learning Laboratory

in the Department of Computer Science and

Operations Research at the University of Montreal.

He holds the Canada Research Chair in Statistical

Learning Algorithms. His group aims to improve our

understanding of the principles that give rise to powerful

learning and to intelligence, which will be important to

make significant progress on learning algorithms and

artificial intelligence.

Max Welling (Associate) is a Professor of Computer

Science and Statistics and the Associate Director

of the Center for Machine Learning and Intelligent

Systems at the University of California, Irvine. Research

projects in the Center use theories and techniques from

the intersection of computer science, statistics, and

mathematics. There is a very strong interdisciplinary

component, including collaborations in areas ranging

from sensors and ubiquitous computing, to databases

and computer vision, to software engineering and Web

applications.

136

QuantumInformationProcessing

Paola Cappellaro (Associate) is an Assistant Professor

in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering

at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The

main topics of her research are methods of control of

physical systems that can deliver quantum information

processing devices (not only quantum computers,

but also simulators, measuring and communication

devices, etc.), which exceed the capacities of the

corresponding classical devices. These control

methods are explored theoretically and experimentally

in the setting of magnetic resonance, where control

techniques have a long tradition.

Bei Zeng (Scholar) is an Assistant Professor in the

Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the

University of Guelph. Her research strives to bring

us closer to the goal of reliable transmission and

processing of quantum information. From a theoretical

point of view, she is seeking to construct a broad theory

for building a large class of quantum error-correcting

codes. From a practical point of view, her focus is on

the design of quantum error-correcting codes with

properties which in different cases make them suitable

for high-rate quantum information transmission

through practical physical channels, and reliable

quantum computation with high noise tolerance and a

low resource requirement.

QuantumMaterials

Ian Fisher (Associate) is an Associate Professor in

Applied Physics at Stanford University. His research

focuses on obtaining a deeper understanding of

materials with unconventional magnetic and/or

electronic properties, with an emphasis on the design

and discovery of new materials in single crystal form.

Experiments probe thermodynamic and transport

properties of these materials, often in extremes of field,

temperature or pressure. Topics of current interest

include unconventional superconductors; instabilities of

low-dimensional materials; topological insulators; and

the quantum magnetism of spin dimer compounds.

His research group is based in the Geballe Laboratory

for Advanced Materials at Stanford University.

137

APPENDIX F: CIFAR JUNIOR FELLOWS APPOINTED IN 2010/2011

Mohammad Hadi Izadi

Mohammad Hadi Izadi is a

CIFAR Junior Fellow based at

McGill University’s Department

of Physics. He is jointly

supervised by Nanoelectronics

Program Director Peter Grütter

(McGill), Fellow Mark Reed

(Yale)andFellowDipankarSen

(Simon Fraser). Hadi completed his Ph.D. in Electrical

Engineering at the University of Waterloo’s Giga-to-

Nanoelectronics(G2N)Centrein2010,withDr.Karim

S.Karimashisthesisadvisor.Beforetransferringhis

Ph.D. studies to Waterloo, Hadi did doctoral thesis

work in Engineering Science at the Institute for

Micromachining and Microfabrication Research

(IMMR) at Simon Fraser University. He also holds an

M.A.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the University

of Waterloo and a B.A.Sc. in Electrical Engineering

from the University of British Columbia. While a

graduate student, Hadi participated in the

interdisciplinary Leonardo Summer Institute and

served as an organizer and program evaluator of a

PeaceItTogetherPalestinian/IsraeliYouthCampin

Vancouver.

Hadi’s interests include nanofabrication, materials

characterization, and the creation of novel electronic

and optoelectronic devices through a combination of

fabrication techniques, materials optimization and

innovation, and fundamental experimental science.

For his doctoral work, he designed, optimized,

fabricated, and tested a novel digital medical X-ray

imaging array. One focus of this research was to

design and optimize a digital flat-panel imager

capable of use with lower X-ray exposures, thus

increasing patient safety. Another focus of this

research was to create a combined radiographic and

fluoroscopic flat-panel imager, which would allow for

reduced hospital costs, both in terms of equipment

acquisition and storage space. As a Junior Fellow in

the Nanoelectronics program, Hadi’s research will use

siliconnanowiresandprobemicroscopyto“image”

real binding configurations of various biomolecules

for the first time.

138

Christopher McLeod

Christopher McLeod is a CIFAR

Junior Fellow working under the

supervision of Successful Societies

Fellow Clyde Hertzman in the

Human Early Learning

Partnership based at the

University of British Columbia

(UBC). Chris completed his Ph.D.

in Population and Public Health at UBC in 2009, with

Dr. Hertzman as his thesis supervisor. He also holds a

B.A. in Economics and Psychology from the University

of Victoria (1998) and an M.A. in Economics from

McMaster University (2000). In addition to his studies

during the past decade, Chris has held positions as a

policy analyst at Health Canada, a research associate at

the Institute for Work and Health and the Centre for

Health Economics and Policy Analysis at McMaster

University, and as a research manager at the Centre for

Health Services and Policy Research at UBC. Currently

he is also associate faculty at the Centre for Health

Services and Policy Research and the School of

Environmental Health at UBC and an adjunct scientist at

the Institute for Work and Health.

Chris’s research focuses on how institutional

variation across societies affects health inequalities

within those societies. His previous research, using

longitudinal data from Canada, Germany and the

United States, explored how differences in the

characteristics and institutions across coordinated

market economies (CMEs) and liberal market

economies (LMEs) affected the relationship between

unemployment and health. This research found that

greater protections for the unemployed contributed

to the flattening of health gradients by employment

status and skill-level, with Germany, the archetypal

CME country, having lower unemployment-related

health inequalities than the United States, the

archetypal LME. Canada represented an interesting

middle case, performing better than the United States

on almost all employment-related health outcomes,

but performing better than Germany for some

types of unemployment. Chris’s CIFAR-supported

research will build on these findings and explore how

institutional structures across varieties of capitalism

create different lifecourse trajectories, with a focus on

the nexus of education, skill-level and employment

experience and their effect on health and health

inequalities.

139

Shakir Mohamed

Shakir Mohamed is a CIFAR Junior

Fellow working under the

supervision of Neural Computation

and Adaptive Perception program

Fellow Nando de Freitas and

AssociateKevinMurphyinthe

Department of Computer Science at

the University of British Columbia.

Shakir completed his Ph.D. in 2010 in Statistical Machine

Learning at St. John’s College, University of Cambridge,

under the supervision of Dr. Zoubin Ghahramani.

He holds an M.Sc. in Engineering with distinction and

a B.Sc. in Electrical/Information Engineering with

distinction from the University of the Witwatersrand,

Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2009/2010, Shakir

served as President of the Samuel Butler Room Society,

the graduate society of St. John’s College, Cambridge.

In 2006, he gave of his time as a careers role model for

the Sci-Bono Science Centre in Johannesburg.

Shakir’s research focuses on statistical approaches to

discovering structure in complex data. In his Ph.D.,

Shakir developed new models for factor analysis, a class

of models that search for underlying factors that explain

observed data. These underlying factors can correspond

to preferences for film rental, factors explaining the

expression of genes in genomic applications, or the low

level features used by the visual system in interpreting

a visual scene. Shakir’s research emphasizes Bayesian

statistical approaches that allow for the uncertainty in

our understanding of the world to be accounted for, and

provides a principled mechanism for updating our beliefs

of the world’s state as new evidence is accumulated. As a

Junior Fellow, Shakir will develop Bayesian methods that

will continue to help us understand complex data, whether

this will be in understanding large social networks, in

complex robotic systems or in the input to the visual

system. Shakir will have a focus on analysis of visual

systems involving research in generative modelling, sparse

Bayesian learning, non-parametric Bayesian statistics,

matrix factorization and latent variable modelling.

KristerShalm

KristerShalmisaCIFAR

Junior Fellow working under

the supervision of Quantum

Information Processing program

Associate Thomas Jennewein

intheInstituteforQuantum

Computing(IQC)atthe

UniversityofWaterloo.Krister

completed his Ph.D. in Physics in 2010 at the

University of Toronto, under thesis advisor and QIP

Fellow Aephraim Steinberg. He holds a B.Sc. in

EngineeringPhysicsfromQueen’sUniversityandan

M.Sc. in Physics from the University of Toronto.

Kristerisanexperimentalphysicistinterestedin

understanding how quantum mechanics can be

applied to our everyday lives. Technologies based

on quantum mechanics hold the promise of

revolutionizing the world around us by exploiting the

unique properties of quantum systems. For example,

quantum mechanics may one day lead to a new

breed of computers capable of solving problems that

are intractable with today’s machines, or enhance

our ability to measure things. During his doctoral

work,Kristerusedthequantumnatureoflightto

studywaystomakea“quantumruler”capableof

makingsensitivemeasurements.Kristeriscurrently

interested in developing new experimental techniques

and methods to manipulate, control, and characterize

quantum systems that can be applied to other

disciplines. He is also interested in the foundational

questions that quantum mechanics raises about the

nature of reality.

140

KeithVanderlinde

KeithVanderlindeisaCIFAR

Junior Fellow working under

the supervision of Cosmology

and Gravity Scholars Matt

Dobbs and Gil Holder in the

Department of Physics at

McGill University. He has been

working with Drs. Dobbs and

Holder as a postdoctoral fellow since 2009; he became

aJuniorFellowin2011.KeithcompletedhisPh.D.in

Physics in 2008 at the University of Chicago under

the supervision of Dr. Bruce Winstein. He also holds a

B.Sc. in Physics with Electrical Engineering from MIT.

Duringhisdoctoralstudies,Keithworkedasa

ResearchAssistantattheKavliInstitutefor

Cosmological Physics in Chicago. He also helped to

develop and install several successful exhibits at

Chicago’s Adler Planetarium and Museum of Science

and Industry. After completing his Ph.D., he worked

for eleven months as an on-site scientist at the South

Pole Telescope (SPT) in Antarctica, where he

developed an expertise in the hardware used and the

data being gathered.

Keith’sresearchfocusesonunderstandingthegrowth

of structure within our universe, the process by which

the fairly uniform gas that came out of the Big Bang

clumped up to form galaxies and all the structure

we see today. In a cosmological context, this means

studying growth at the largest scales, measuring the

sizes and populations of huge galaxy clusters, and

how these evolved over cosmic timescales (billions

of years). Such clusters leave a distinct signature on

light passing through them, and by looking for this

signature within the Cosmic Microwave Background

–theleftoverlightfromtheBigBang–theSPTis

able to detect and characterize hundreds of these

clusters at extreme distances, seeing them as they

werebillionsofyearsago.This“census”ofstructure

across cosmic timescales allows us to determine

what forces were at play when, and in particular

characterize the mysterious Dark Energy which is

now believed to make up the vast majority of our

universe.Keithdivideshistimebetweenlabworkon

electronics, field work gathering observations, and

analysis work reducing and understanding the data

and its scientific implications.

141

Eric Weese

Eric Weese is a CIFAR Junior

Fellow in the Institutions,

Organizations and Growth

program and an Assistant

Professor in the Department of

EconomicsatYaleUniversity.

In 2010, he completed a one-

year postdoctoral fellowship at

Hitotsubashi University, supported by the Japan Society

for the Promotion of Science. Originally from Ottawa,

Eric obtained his Ph.D. in Economics in 2009 at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with Daron

Acemoglu, Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo as his

thesis committee. He also holds a BA in Economics

fromYaleUniversity.

Eric’s research deals with political jurisdictions and

their boundaries, focusing on why some political units

are absorbed by their neighbours, while others remain

independent. For example, small, well-off jurisdictions

are extremely reluctant to merge with larger and

poorer ones, regardless of whether the jurisdictions in

question are European colonies during decolonization

or Japanese municipalities during a recent set of

municipal mergers. Higher levels of government can

offer incentives for different kinds of mergers to occur,

and in the Japanese case, if the national government

had offered stronger incentives for richer municipalities

to participate in mergers, this would have led to better

outcomes. By using data on past municipal mergers

in Japan, Eric hopes to identify the advantages and

disadvantages of having larger municipalities.

Wendy Wong

Wendy Wong is a CIFAR Junior

Fellow in the Successful Societies

program. Wendy completed her

Ph.D. in Political Science in

2008 at the University of

California at San Diego, under

the supervision of David Lake.

She also holds a B.A. with

Distinction from the University of California at

Berkeley and an M.A. from UC San Diego. In 2008,

she began her current position as Assistant Professor

in the Department of Political Science at the University

of Toronto.

Wendy is interested in the role of nongovernmental

organizations (NGOs) and transnational networks

in securing changes in international norms. She is

currently completing a manuscript entitled More than

Morals in which she examines how the organizational

structure of seven international human rights groups

–AmnestyInternational,theAnti-SlaverySociety,

Human Rights Watch, the International League for

Human Rights, Médecins Sans Frontières, Oxfam

International,andtheRedCrossnetwork–has

profound consequences for their influence over how

we understand and use human rights. Wendy plans

to pursue a related undertaking during her Junior

Fellowship at CIFAR by flipping the question of how

norms change internationally to how those norms

get taken up domestically. She is developing a project

that focuses on the translation of international human

rights norms by domestic NGOs to make subjects

such as women’s rights and the freedom of religion

more palatable in different types of contexts. In

particular, she is interested in the effects of regime

type and the presence of civil conflict on how NGOs

take international standards and disseminate them in

their respective communities. Preliminarily, she has

consideredinvestigatingNGOsinIndia,HongKong,

and Israel.

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APPENDIX G: DESCRIPTIONS OF MAJOR AWARDS RECEIVED BY CIFAR PROGRAM MEMBERS IN 2010 AND 2011

International:

Alexander von Humboldt Research Award (Alexander

von Humboldt Foundation): A lifetime achievement

award that recognizes academics whose fundamental

discoveries, new theories, or insights have had a

significant impact on their own discipline and who

are expected to continue producing cutting-edge

achievements in the future. Academics from abroad,

regardless of their discipline or nationality, may be

nominated. Award winners spend up to one year

cooperating on a long-term research project with

specialist colleagues at a research institution in

Germany.

Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (Alfred P. Sloan

Foundation): Awarded annually to 116 outstanding

young American and Canadian scientists in the early

stages of their academic careers, on the basis of their

exceptional promise to contribute to the advancement

of knowledge.

Aneesur Rahman Prize for Computational Physics

(American Physical Society): Awarded annually to

recognize and encourage outstanding achievement in

computational physics research.

Elected Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy:

TheBritishAcademyistheUnitedKingdom’s

national body for the humanities and social sciences.

CorrespondingFellowsarescholarsoutsidetheUK

who have ‘attained high international standing in

any of the branches of study which it is the object of

the Academy to promote.’ There are now over 300

Corresponding Fellows.

Elected Fellow/Foreign Honorary Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences: The

American Academy is an honorary learned society

whose members are elected for distinction and

achievement in the entire range of the intellectual

disciplines and professions. Each year, the Fellows

of the Academy nominate and elect individuals who

have made significant contributions to knowledge

and culture. The Academy membership consists of

approximately 4,000 Fellows, elected from citizens

or residents of the United States, and 600 Foreign

Honorary Members.

Elected Fellow of the Royal Society (U.K.): Fellows

areelectedbypeerreview,andmusthavemade“a

substantial contribution to the improvement of natural

knowledge, including mathematics, engineering

scienceandmedicalscience”.

Elected Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Science

Academy: The Academy is the apex body of Indian

scientists representing all branches of science. It

recognizes outstanding contributions of Indian

scientists by electing them as its Fellows. In addition,

eminent scientists from different parts of the world are

elected as Foreign Fellows.

Elected Member/Foreign Associate of the U.S.

National Academy of Sciences: Members and foreign

associates of the Academy are elected in recognition

of their distinguished and continuing achievements

in original research. Election to the Academy is

considered one of the highest honours that can be

accorded a scientist or engineer.

143

Erwin Plein Nemmers Prize in Economics

(Northwestern University): Awarded to scholars who

have made major contributions to new knowledge or

the development of significant new modes of analysis.

Theprizecarriesa$175,000stipendandisbelievedto

be one of the largest monetary awards in the United

States for outstanding achievements in mathematics

and economics. The prize is designed to recognize

“workoflastingsignificance”.

Faraday Lectureship Prize (Royal Society of Chemistry):

Awarded for exceptional contributions to physical or

theoretical chemistry.

Holberg International Memorial Prize (Ludvig Holberg

Memorial Fund, Norway): Awarded annually for

outstanding scholarly work in the fields of the arts and

humanities, social sciences, law and theology. The prize

amountisNOK4.5million(approx.US$760,000).

International Quantum Communication Award:

Awarded for outstanding achievements in quantum

communication research. The award is sponsored

by Tamagawa University, Japan, and is presented

annuallyattheInternationalConferenceonQuantum

Communication, Measurement and Computation.

Kavli Prize in Nanoscience (Norwegian Academy of

Science and Letters): Awarded every second year for

outstanding achievement in the science and application

of the unique physical, chemical, and biological

properties of atomic, molecular, macromolecular,

and cellular structures and systems that are manifest

in the nanometre scale, including molecular self-

assembly, nanomaterials, nanoscale instrumentation,

nanobiotechnology, macromolecular synthesis,

molecular mechanics, and related topics. Each award is

worthUS$1,000,000.

Koenderink Prize (European Conference on Computer

Vision): Recognizes fundamental contributions in the

field of computer vision research. It is awarded each

year at the European Conference on Computer Vision

(one of the most prestigious conferences in the field) for

a paper published ten years ago at that conference which

has withstood the test of time.

Order of the British Empire, Commander: Recognizes

distinguished service to the arts and sciences, public

services outside the Civil Service and work with

charitable and welfare organizations of all kinds.

Overton Prize (International Society for Computational

Biology): Awarded for outstanding accomplishment

to a scientist in the early- to mid-stage of his or her

career, with a guideline of up to a decade post-degree,

who has already made a significant contribution to the

field of computational biology either through research,

education, service, or a combination of the three.

Peter Gruber Cosmology Prize (Peter and Patricia

Gruber Foundation, in affiliation with the International

Astronomical Union): Honours a leading cosmologist,

astronomer, astrophysicist or scientific philosopher

for theoretical, analytical, conceptual or observational

discoveries leading to fundamental advances in our

understanding of the universe. The award consists of a

goldmedalandanunrestricted$500,000cashprize.

Seymour H. Hutner Young Investigator Prize

(International Society of Protistologists): Awarded

annually to an outstanding scientist in the field of

protozoology who is recognized on an international

level and is not more than 15 years from the Ph.D. or

equivalent degree.

144

Shaw Prize in Astronomy (Shaw Prize Foundation):

An international award to honour individuals who are

currently active in their field and who have achieved

distinguished and significant advances. Shaw Prizes

are dedicated to furthering societal progress, enhancing

quality of life, and enriching humanity’s spiritual

civilization. Preference is given to individuals whose

significant work was recently achieved. Each prize

carriesamonetaryawardofUS$1million.

Special Award for Services to mµSR (International

Society for mµSR Spectroscopy): The International

Society for µSR Spectroscopy (ISMS) was formed to

promote the worldwide advancement of muon spin

rotation, relaxation and resonance (µSR).

Wolfson Research Merit Award (Royal Society, UK):

Jointly funded by The Royal Society and the Wolfson

Foundation, this scheme is for outstanding scientists

who would benefit from a five-year salary enhancement

tohelprecruitthemtoorretainthemintheUK.The

scheme provides universities with additional support to

enable them to recruit or retain respected scientists of

outstandingachievementandpotentialtotheUK.The

scheme covers all areas of the life and physical sciences,

including engineering, but excluding clinical medicine.

145

Canadian:

A.G. Huntsman Award for Excellence in Marine Science

(Royal Society of Canada): The award is presented

annually by the Royal Society of Canada in one of three

categories: 1) marine geosciences, 2) physical/chemical

oceanography, and 3) biological/fisheries oceanography.

It honours marine scientists of any nationality who

have had and continue to have a significant influence

on the course of marine scientific thought. The award is

administered by the A.G. Huntsman Foundation.

Canada Excellence Research Chair: The Canada

Excellence Research Chairs Program supports Canadian

universities in their efforts to build on Canada’s

growing reputation as a global leader in research and

innovation. The program awards each chairholder and

theirresearchteamupto$10millionoversevenyearsto

establish ambitious research programs in Canada.

Canada Research Chair: Tier 1: Seven-year renewable

Chairs targeted at experienced researchers who are

acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their

own fields. Tier 2: Five-year chairs, renewable once,

targeted at researchers who are acknowledged by their

peers as having the potential to lead in their fields.

Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year (CIHR): The

highest scientific honour from the Canadian Institutes

of Health Research (CIHR).

Canada’s Top 40 Under 40: Established in 1995, this

is a national program that uniquely celebrates the

achievements of 40 Canadians in the private, public and

not-for-profit sectors, who have reached a significant

level of success before the age of 40, in terms of vision

and leadership; innovation and achievement; impact;

growth and development; and community work.

CAP/DCMMP Brockhouse Medal for Outstanding

Contributions to Condensed Matter and Materials

Physics (Canadian Association of Physicists):

Recognizes outstanding experimental or theoretical

contributions to condensed matter and materials

physics.

Discovery Accelerator Supplement (NSERC): A

supplement to the NSERC Discovery Grant, this award

provides substantial and timely resources to a small

group of outstanding researchers who have a well-

established research program, and who show strong

potential to become international leaders in their

respective area of research. These additional resources

are allocated when progress of the incumbent’s research

program is held back by insufficient funding.

Early Researcher Award (Government of Ontario):

Providesfundingofupto$100,000forpromising,

recently appointed Ontario researchers to help them

build their research teams of graduate students, post-

doctoral fellows, and research associates.

Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada: The

Society consists of more than 1700 Fellows who are

recognized as leaders in their fields. It adds to its

membership each year with the election of up to 60 new

Fellows. Nominations for Fellowship are peer-reviewed

by current Fellows of the Society, following criteria of

excellence based solely on the quality of the nominees’

research and scholarly achievements.

E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship (NSERC): Awarded

to enhance the career development of outstanding and

highly promising university faculty who are earning a

strong international reputation for original research.

Fellowships are held for a two-year period. Fellows are

relieved of teaching and administrative duties, so that

they can devote all their time and energy to research.

146

Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science

and Engineering (NSERC): This medal is NSERC’s

highest honour, recognizing research contributions

characterized by both excellence and influence.

It is awarded annually to an individual who has

demonstrated sustained excellence and influence in

research, for a body of work conducted in Canada that

has substantially advanced the natural sciences or

engineering fields.

Herzberg Medal (Canadian Association of Physicists):

Awarded for outstanding achievement in any field of

research by a Canadian physicist, who has successfully

defended his/her doctoral thesis within the last twelve

years at the time of the award.

Honorary Life Membership (Canadian Public Health

Association): Awarded for exceptional excellence as an

educator, researcher or practitioner in the field of public

health, as demonstrated by achievements, valuable and

outstanding research or distinguished service in the

advancement of public health knowledge and practice.

James McGill Professor Award: Awarded by McGill

University to existing faculty as the equivalent to a Tier I

Canada Research Chair.

John C. Polanyi Award (NSERC): Awarded to an

individual or team whose research, conducted in

Canada, has led to a recent outstanding advance in

any NSERC-supported field of the natural sciences or

engineering. The research leading to the advance must

have been funded at least partially by an NSERC grant.

The award is open to all researchers, regardless of their

career stage.

Killam Prize for the Natural Sciences (Canada Council

for the Arts): Honours eminent Canadian scholars

and scientists actively engaged in research, whether in

industry, government agencies or universities. Each

Prizeisworth$100,000totherecipient.

Killam Research Fellowship (Canada Council for the

Arts): Awarded to individual recipients to devote time

to full-time research. The awards support scholars

engaged in research projects of outstanding merit in

the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health

sciences, engineering and interdisciplinary studies

within these fields.

Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Physics (Canadian

Association of Physicists): Awarded on the basis of

distinguished service to physics over an extended period

of time and/or recent outstanding achievement.

Michael Smith Prize in Health Research (CIHR): One

Prize is provided annually to an outstanding Canadian

researcher who has demonstrated a high degree of

innovation, creativity, leadership and dedication in

health research. The Prize is intended to provide

a significant boost in funding for an exceptional

investigator, who will continue over the next five years to

produce research of exceptional merit; it is also intended

to offset the direct costs of the winner’s research

program, including support for trainees.

MITACS Young Researcher Award (MITACS):

Recognizes young mathematical scientists who have

made outstanding contributions in the application

of mathematical, statistical or computing science

research to problems of industrial, economic or societal

relevance. The award is offered every two years.

147

National Child Day Award (Canadian Institute of Child

Health): Awarded to exceptional individuals who have

been amazing advocates for child development, health

and education.

Noni MacDonald Award (Canadian Paediatric Society):

Recognizes an author whose article published in

Paediatrics & Child Health has positively affected

paediatrics, either in policy or practice.

Order of Canada, Member: Recognizes a lifetime of

distinguished service in or to a particular community,

group or field of activity.

Order of Canada, Officer: Recognizes a lifetime of

achievement and merit of a high degree, especially in

service to Canada or to humanity at large.

Outstanding Young Computer Science Researcher

Award (Canadian Association for Computer Science):

Awarded for exceptional research.

Population and Public Health Research Milestones

Award (CIHR and CPHA): Awarded by the Canadian

Institutes of Health Research-Institute of Population

and Public Health (CIHR-IPPH) and the Canadian

Public Health Association (CPHA) in recognition of

significant contributions to the public’s health in Canada

and globally. The award recognized a book co-authored

by members of CIFAR’s Population Health program in

1994,Why Are Some People Healthy and Others Not? The

Determinants of Health of Populations, as a milestone

in our evolving understanding of the determinants of

population health.

Premier’s Discovery Award (Government of Ontario):

Celebrates the research excellence of Ontario’s most

accomplished researchers by highlighting their

individual achievements and demonstrating Ontario’s

attractiveness as a global research centre. Nominees

are evaluated on the impact of their work and its

contributions to Ontario’s economy and society, and the

extent of their international recognition. This awards

program recognizes excellence in research for either a

single discovery or a body of work.

Rio Tinto Alcan Award (Canadian Society for

Chemistry): Awarded to a scientist who has made a

distinguishing contribution to the fields of inorganic

chemistry or electrochemistry while working in Canada.

Steacie Prize for Natural Sciences: The prize is named

in memory of E.W.R. Steacie, a physical chemist and

former President of the National Research Council of

Canada, to whom much is owed for the development

of science in Canada. It is awarded annually to a young

scientist or engineer in Canada and is administered by

the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Trustees Fund.

Timothy R. Parsons Medal for Excellence in

Multidisciplinary Ocean Sciences (Fisheries and Oceans

Canada): Awarded for distinguished accomplishments

in multidisciplinary facets of ocean sciences while

working for Canadian institutions or for the benefit

of Canadian science. It may be awarded for excellence

during the lifetime of the recipient or for a recent

outstanding achievement.

148

APPENDIX H: FACT SHEET FOR ALL CIFAR PROGRAMSIN COMBINATION, 2010/2011

I. Program ProfileProgram Members by Geographic Location

PROGRAM MEMBER COUNT, 2010/2011(AT JUNE 30, 2011)

COUNTRY/INSTITUTE NUMBER OF PROGRAM MEMBERS

APPROX. PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL MEMBERS

CANADA

British Columbia 61 18.89%

1. UBC 49

2. Simon Fraser 7

3. U of Victoria 5

Alberta 13 4.02%

4. U of Alberta 7

5. U of Calgary 5

6. U of Lethbridge 1

Manitoba 1 0.31%

7. U of Manitoba 1

New Brunswick 1 0.31%

8. U of New Brunswick 1

Nova Scotia 9 2.80%

9. Dalhousie 9

Ontario 81 25.08%

10. U of Guelph 3

11. Hospital for Sick Children 1

12. McMaster 11

13. National Research Council 3

14. U of Ottawa 1

15. Perimeter Institute 2

16.Queen’s 5

17. U of Toronto 39

18. U of Toronto at Mississauga 3

19. U of Waterloo 11

20.York 2

149

PROGRAM MEMBER COUNT, 2010/2011(AT JUNE 30, 2011)

COUNTRY/INSTITUTE NUMBER OF PROGRAM MEMBERS

APPROX. PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL MEMBERS

CANADA

Quebec 34 10.53%

21. McGill 19

22. U of Montreal 5

23.UofQuebecatChicoutimi 1

24. Concordia 1

25. UofQuebecatMontreal 2

26. U of Sherbrooke 6

INTERNATIONAL

Austria 1 0.31%

1. U of Innsbruck 1

China 1 0.31%

2. Chinese Academy of Sciences 1

Czech Republic 1 0.31%

3. Czech Academy of Sciences 1

Finland 1 0.31%

4. U of Helsinki 1

France 3 0.93%

5. LNCMI 1

6. U Joseph Fourier de Grenoble 1

7. Univ. Paris-Sud 1

Germany 2 0.62%

8. Aachen U. 1

9.Max-Planck-Inst.Quant.Optics 1

Israel 1 0.31%

10. Hebrew U. 1

Italy 1 0.31%

11. U Bocconi 1

Japan 1 0.31%

12.KyotoU. 1

Latvia 1 0.31%

13. U of Latvia 1

Netherlands 1 0.31%

14. Leiden U. 1

Sweden 1 0.31%

15. Stockholm U. 1

150

PROGRAM MEMBER COUNT, 2010/2011(AT JUNE 30, 2011)

COUNTRY/INSTITUTE NUMBER OF PROGRAM MEMBERS

APPROX. PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL MEMBERS

INTERNATIONAL

Switzerland 2 0.62%

16. ETH Zurich 2

United Kingdom 12 3.73%

17. U of Cambridge 3

18. U of Durham 1

19. U of Edinburgh 2

20. U of Exeter 2

21. U of Liverpool 1

22. LSE 1

23. U of Oxford 1

24. U of St. Andrews 1

United States of America 94 29.10%

25. Arizona State U. 1

26. U of Arizona 1

27. Brown 1

28. UC Berkeley 7

29. UC Irvine 2

30. UC Santa Barbara 4

31. UC Santa Cruz 1

32. Caltech 1

33. Carnegie Observatories 1

34. U of Chicago 6

35. U of Colorado 1

36. Columbia 2

37. Cornell 1

38. Duke 1

39. Harvard 11

40. U of Hawaii 1

41. U of Illinois 1

42. Johns Hopkins 3

43.Kansas 1

44. MIT 9

45. U of Michigan 1

46. U of Minnesota 1

151

PROGRAM MEMBER COUNT, 2010/2011(AT JUNE 30, 2011)

COUNTRY/INSTITUTE NUMBER OF PROGRAM MEMBERS

APPROX. PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL MEMBERS

INTERNATIONAL

United States of America 94 29.10%

47. MBARI 1

48. Natl. Institutes of Health 2

49.NewYorkU. 2

50. Northwestern 2

51. Oakland U. 1

52. Pennsylvania State 2

53. Princeton 6

54. Rice U. 1

55. Rutgers 1

56. San Diego State U. 1

57. Stanford 14

58.Yale 3

GRAND TOTAL (Program Members) 323

Geographic Breakdown

• 199(or62%)Canadian

• 123(or38%)International

152

Advisory Committee Members by Geographic Location

* Institutions marked in bold indicate institutions where only advisory committees are based (i.e.,

no program members are based at these institutions).

ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBER COUNT, 2010/2011(AT JUNE 30, 2011)

COUNTRY/INSTITUTE NUMBER OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS

APPROX. PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL AC MEMBERS

CANADA

British Columbia 2 3.28%

1. UBC 2

Alberta 1 1.64%

2. U of Calgary 1

Ontario 7 11.48%

3. Bookham Technology 1

4. Carleton U. 1

5. Founders’ Network 1

6. U of Ottawa 1

7. U of Toronto 1

8.Queen’s 1

9. U of Waterloo 1

Quebec 2 3.28%

10. U of Montreal 1

11.UofQuebecatMontreal 1

Nova Scotia 2 3.28%

12. Dalhousie 2

INTERNATIONAL

Germany 3 4.92%

1. Ludwig-Max. Univ. Munich 2

2. Max Planck Inst. Astrophysics 1

Japan 2 3.28%

3. U of Tokyo 2

Netherlands 1 1.64%

4. CWI 1

Switzerland 1 1.64%

5. ETH Zurich 1

United Kingdom 3 4.92%

6. King’s College London 1

7. LSE 1

8. U of Oxford 1

153

ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBER COUNT, 2010/2011(AT JUNE 30, 2011)

COUNTRY/INSTITUTE NUMBER OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS

APPROX. PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL AC MEMBERS

INTERNATIONAL

United States of America 37 60.66%

9. Boise State U. 1

10. UC Berkeley 1

11. UC San Diego 1

12. UC San Francisco 1

13. Caltech 3

14. U of Chicago 1

15. Cornell 1

16. Harvard 3

17. U of Illinois 2

18. IBM Research 2

19. Jackson Laboratory, Maine 1

20. U of Maryland 1

21. MIT 2

22. U of Michigan 1

23.NewYorkU. 1

24. Northwestern 1

25. Ohio State 1

26. U of Pittsburgh 1

27. Princeton 4

28. Salk Inst. for Biological Studies 1

29. Stanford 3

30. U of Texas at Austin 1

31. U of Washington 2

32. World Bank 1

GRAND TOTAL(Advisory Committee Members)

61

Geographic Breakdown

• 14(or23.0%)Canadian

• 47(or77.0%)International

154

Summary of Geographic Distribution at June 30, 2011

CIFAR program and advisory committee members are based in 16 countries (including Canada)

and represent 30 institutions in Canada and 73 internationally.

Number of institutions where program

members are based 26 58 84

Number of additional institutions represented

by advisory committee members * 4 15 19

TOTAL 30 73 103

CANADIAN INSTITUTIONS

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

TOTAL

* Institutions in addition to those where program members are based.

CIFAR PROGRAM MEMBERS DISTRIBUTION BY REGION

for the year ending June 30, 2011

British Columbia18.9%

Alberta4.0%

Manitoba0.3%

Ontario24.8%

Quebec10.6%

International (Other)9.0%

New Brunswick0.3%

Nova Scotia2.8%

International (USA)29.2%

155

• Fellows: 153(47.3%); Scholars: 60(18.6%);

Associates: 90(27.9%); Junior Fellows:20(6.2%)

• Male Program Members: 274(85.1%);

Female Program Members: 48(14.9%)

• New program members appointed:

• Cosmology and Gravity: 0

• Earth System Evolution: 0

• Experience-based Brain and Biological

Development: 1

• Genetic Networks: 0

• Institutions, Organizations and Growth: 3

• Integrated Microbial Biodiversity: 0

• Nanoelectronics: 2

• Neural Computation and Adaptive

Perception: 7

• QuantumInformationProcessing: 2

• QuantumMaterials: 1

• Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being: 0

• Successful Societies: 0

• Junior Fellow Academy: 7

• TOTAL: 23

• New male program members in 2010/2011: 19(83%);

New female program members in 2010/2011: 4(17%)

• Number of existing program members (Junior Fellow

or Associate) promoted to Scholar: 2

1. Thomas Jennewein (University of Waterloo)

was promoted from Associate to Scholar in the

Quantum Information Processing program.

2. William Coish was promoted from Junior Fellow

in the Quantum Information Processing program

to Scholar in the Nanoelectronics and Quantum

Information Processing programs.

• Number of program members recruited to Canada

from abroad: 2

• Ruslan Salakhutdinov (Scholar, NCAP)–MITto

U. of Toronto

• Sarah Burke (Associate, Nanoelectronics)–UC

Berkeley to UBC

Citation Data (collected from Thomson Reuters Essential

Science Indicators):

• Number of Fellows and Associates ranked among

the top 1% of researchers in their field, according to

the number of times cited from January 2001 – June

2011: 108(outof249)=43.2%

• Number of Canadian Fellows and Associates ranked

among the top 1% of researchers in their field,

according to the number of times cited from January

2001 – June 2011: 53(outof147)=36.1%

• Number of program advisory committee members

ranked among the top 1% of researchers in their

field, according to the number of times cited from

January 2001 – June 2011:34(outof61)=56.0%

156

Key Awards and Honours Received:

• Number of major non-field-specific awards and honours

received by program members in 2010 and 2011:

International:

• Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship: 3

• Elected Fellow of the American Academy

of Arts and Sciences: 7

• ElectedFellowoftheRoyalSociety(U.K.): 2

• Elected Member of the U.S. National Academy

of Sciences: 6

• Holberg International Memorial Prize

(Ludvig Holberg Memorial Fund, Norway): 1

• Order of the British Empire, Commander: 1

• Wolfson Research Merit Award

(RoyalSociety,U.K.): 1

Canadian:

• Canada Excellence Research Chair: 2

• Canada Research Chair: 2

• CanadaResearchChair–Renewal: 19

• Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada: 3

• E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship: 2

• Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal

for Science and Engineering: 1

• JamesMcGillProfessorAward–Renewal

(McGill University): 2

• John C. Polanyi Award (NSERC): 1

• KillamPrizefortheNaturalSciences

(Canada Council for the Arts): 2

• KillamResearchFellowship

(Canada Council for the Arts): 1

• NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement: 2

• Order of Canada, Member: 1

• Order of Canada, Officer: 1

• Premier’sDiscoveryAward–Ontario: 1

• Steacie Prize for Natural Sciences 1

157

II. Program Activity

Program Meetings, Workshops and Co-sponsored Events:

• Number of program meetings held in 2010/2011: 24

• Number of program workshops, summer schools

and co-sponsored events held in 2010/2011: 11

KnowledgeMobilization:

• Number of program members reporting active

engagement in knowledge mobilization and public

outreach: 176

• Number of invitations to speak at international

meetings: 1,205

III. Program Results

New Ideas:

• Percentage of researchers reporting ongoing projects

or new ideas resulting from CIFAR interactions:

82%

Publication Data:

• Number of publications published:

• Papers in peer-reviewed journals: 1,798

• Peer-reviewed conference proceedings: 354

• Books and chapters: 150

• Non peer-reviewed publications: 196

• Number of these publications collaboratively authored

by 2 or more program members: 363

TrainingofHighlyQualifiedPersonnel:

• Number of graduate students and postdoctoral

fellows trained by program members: 1,659

• Number of program-member-trained PhD students

graduating: 251

158

IV. Historical Data

Number of program members recruited to Canada

from abroad since 1982: 68 (Does not include data

for the following closed CIFAR Programs: Law and the

Determinants of Social Ordering and Science of Soft

Surfaces and Interfaces.)

Number of major non-field-specific awards and honours

received by program members, 1998-2011

International:

• Alexander von Humboldt Research Award: 5

• Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship: 33

• Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques: 1

• Commendation for Science and Technology

(Minister of Education, Culture, Sports,

Science and Technology of Japan): 1

• Crafoord Prize (Royal Swedish Academy

of Sciences): 2

• Elected Fellow of the American Academy

of Arts and Sciences: 18

• Elected Fellow of the American Association

for the Advancement of Science: 2

• ElectedFellowoftheRoyalSociety(U.K.): 11

• Elected Foreign Associate, U.S. National

Academy of Sciences: 3

• Elected Foreign Honorary Member,

American Academy of Arts and Sciences: 3

• Elected Member of the American

Philosophical Society: 1

• Elected Member of the U.S. National

Academy of Sciences: 18

• Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award

(Alexander von Humboldt Foundation): 1

• GlobalEconomyPrize(TheKielInstitute

for the World Economy): 1

• John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship: 4

• IBM Japan Science Prize (IBM Research): 1

• Légion d’honneur, France: 1

• Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences [2 received

by advisory committee members]: 3

• Nobel Prize in Medicine [received by an

advisory committee member]: 1

• Nobel Prize in Physics [1 received by

an advisory committee member]: 2

• Presidential Early Career Award for

Scientists and Engineers (U.S. National

Science Foundation): 1

• President’s National Medal of Science

(U.S. National Science Foundation): 1

Canadian:

• Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary

Research in Science and Engineering (NSERC): 5

• Canada Excellence Research Chair: 5

• Canada Research Chair: 69

• CanadaResearchChair–Renewal: 44

• Canada’s Top 40 under 40: 2

• Commemorative Medal for the Golden

JubileeofHerMajestyQueenElizabethII: 1

• Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada: 25

• E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship (NSERC): 19

• Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal

for Science and Engineering: 5

• John C. Polanyi Award: 3

• KillamPrizefortheNaturalSciences: 5

• KillamPrizefortheSocialSciences: 1

• KillamResearchFellowship(CanadaCouncil

for the Arts): 5

• Molson Prize in the Social Sciences and

Humanities (Canada Council): 2

• NSERC Award of Excellence: 3

• NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement: 4

• Order of Canada, Member: 5

• Order of Canada, Officer [2 received by

advisory committee members]: 5

• Outstanding Career Achievement Award (NRC): 1

• Premier’s Discovery Award (Ontario): 4

• Prix Urgel-Archambault (Association

francophone pour le savoir) : 3

• Steacie Prize in the Natural Sciences (NRC): 4

• Trudeau Foundation Fellowship: 2

159

YEAR ENDING JUNE 30

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

INTERNATIONAL REACH

# of countries in which program members and advisors are based

9 9 13 13 13 14 15 16 16

# of institutions at which program members and advisors are based

86 87 99 102 103 101 109 107 103

CITATION DATA

% of Fellows and Associates in Top 1%

n/a n/a n/a 43.35% 42.04% 40.27% 41.23% 38.40% 43.20%

% of advisory committee members in Top 1%

45.5% 50.0% 45.28% 40.68% 47.54% 53.45% 52.63% 54.01% 56.04%

CO-AUTHORED PUBLICATIONS

# of publications co-authored by two or more members

141 198 239 251 239 217 236 297 363

PROGRAM-RELATED INTERACTIONS

# of program meetings 11 14 20 22 27 27 27 27 24

# of special topic workshops or focus groups

3 2 3 3 1 4 3 6 3

# of summer schools (organized by CIFAR)

2 2 2 2 4 2 2 3 3

# of cross-program workshops

- - - 2 1 1 2 1 2

# of exploration workshops

11 9 4 1 0 2 1 4 3

27 27 29 30 33 36 35 41 35

160

APPENDIX I: CIFAR BOARD OF DIRECTORSas of June 30, 2011

David Dodge(Chair, CIFAR)

Former Governor

Bank of Canada

Ottawa

Chaviva HošekPresident and CEO

CIFAR

Toronto

Bruce H. Mitchell(Vice-Chair)

President and CEO

Permian Industries Limited

Toronto

Martha C. Piper(Vice-Chair)

Chair of Board of Trustees

National Institute for Nanotechnology

Edmonton

Richard W. Ivey (Immediate Past Chair)

Chairman and CEO

Ivest Corporation

Toronto

Peter J.G. BentleyDirector and Chair Emeritus

Canfor Corporation

Vancouver

David ChoiPresident and CEO

Royal Pacific Realty

Vancouver

Anthony F. ComperImmediate Past President and CEO

BMO Financial Group

Toronto

Bruno DucharmeChairman

TIW Capital Partners

London,U.K.

Pierre DucrosPresident

P. Ducros and Associates

Montreal

George A. FierhellerPresident

Four Halls Inc.

Toronto

Pierre FortinDepartment of Economics

UniversityofQuebecatMontreal

Montreal

Anthony R. GrahamPresident

Wittington Investments, Ltd.

Toronto

Maxine Granovsky GluskinTrustee

Ira Gluskin and Maxine Granovsky

Gluskin Charitable Foundation

Toronto

Jacques LamarreStrategic Advisor

Heenan Blaikie LLP

Montreal

Frank O’DeaPresident

O’Dea Management Limited

Ottawa

Gilles G. OuellettePresident and CEO

Private Client Group and

Deputy Chairman

BMO Nesbitt Burns

Toronto

Gerard J. ProttiChairman

Flint-Transfield Services

Calgary

Hugo F. SonnenscheinPresident Emeritus and

Distinguished Professor

University of Chicago

Chicago

Barbara StymiestCorporate Director

Toronto

Ilse TreurnichtPresident and CEO

MaRS Discovery District

Toronto

161

cifar.caCanadian Institute for Advanced Research

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