2024 Postdoctoral Innovation Fellowship recipients announced

Innovation takes many forms. It might include translating academic research into social impact, launching a startup, creating a new technology, or engaging in policy work with nonprofits and governments. With the title of Canada’s No. 1 startup creator and billions of dollars in research impact, UCalgary is one of Canada’s most innovative universities.

This week, that spirit of innovation is on full display with the announcement of the 2024 Postdoctoral Innovation Fellowship winners. Co-ordinated by the Faculty of Science, these annual fellowships recognize postdoctoral scholars who have attained high innovation impact. Applications to this program are open to postdocs from all faculties across campus.

“This program is similar to the Parex Innovation Fellowships, but targeted at the postdoctoral level, and in recognition of their prior innovation excellence,” explains Dr. Kristin Baetz, dean of the Faculty of Science. 

“Each year, a cohort of scholars is recognized for the impact of their innovative work. Competitions like this one help drive UCalgary’s culture of entrepreneurship and social impact.”

Winners can add the prestigious fellowship to their CVs and also receive a stipend toward their research. Here are the 2024 Postdoctoral Innovation Fellowship einners:

• Dr. Ulises Charles-Rodriguez with the Cumming School of Medicine, focusing on how to ensure that research design and governance effectively incorporates equity, diversity, and inclusivity.
• Dr. Julie Deleemans with the Cumming School of Medicine. Deleemans’ work focuses on investigating the effects of gut probiotics in improving the health outcomes of cancer survivors.
• Dr. Eleanor Dickinson with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, whose work concentrates on building collaborative community-based wildlife health monitoring and capacity to respond to wildlife disease in Inuit communities.
• Dr. Anderson Hoff with the Faculty of Science. Hoff’s work focuses on innovations using organic electronics, such as novel materials that can generate energy but also eventually biodegrade.
• Dr. Claire Kamaliddin with the Cumming School of Medicine. Kamaliddin focuses on how research data can drive better clinical practices for preventing the spread of infectious and antimicrobial-resistant diseases.
• Dr. Oluwatomiwa Osin with the Faculty of Science, focusing on developing a vanadium extraction process from molecular binding agents. By extracting vanadium — which is increasingly used in many high-tech applications — from oil sands tailings, this work can reduce the environmental impact of sourcing it elsewhere.
• Dr. Pratik Srivastava with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, whose work focuses on toxoplasmosis prevention using genetically attenuated parasite (GAP) vaccines. This helps reduce the spread and impact of toxoplasma, one of the world’s most common parasites.
• Dr. Perri Tutelman with the Cumming School of Medicine. Tutelman’s work concentrates on working with patients, caregivers, and clinicians to establish a national patient-oriented research agenda for cancer in adolescents and young adults in Canada.

The University of Calgary congratulates all of the 2024 winners. We can’t wait to see the continued impact of their innovative research and ideas.