Three UCalgary researchers awarded Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships

Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships are awarded to the best and brightest postdoctoral scholars across Canada, to support their research pursuits and position them to become research leaders of tomorrow. At a news conference in Ontario Thursday, the Hon. Kirsty Duncan, minister of science and sport, announced the 2018-19 Banting fellows, which include three UCalgary postdocs.

Dr. Mokarram Hossain, PhD, in the Cumming School of Medicine, is using cutting-edge imaging techniques to look for a way to slow tumor growth in the liver.  

Dr. Stephanie Peacock, PhD, in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, is connecting scientific, local, and indigenous knowledge to understand the role of disease in wildlife declines. 

Dr. Gillian Tarr, PhD, in the Cumming School of Medicine, is working to develop an algorithm that can help doctors better determine which children to test for bacterial illnesses such as E. coli and Salmonella, along with potentially some viruses, such as norovirus. 

“The Vanier and Banting awards help Canada attract and retain some of the brightest doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows to build up our world-class research talent,” says Duncan. “Since taking office, our government has been working hard to return science and research to their rightful place and today’s investments are helping us do just that.”

“Our Banting Postdoctoral Fellows are exceptional young researchers at the start of promising careers,” says Dr. André Buret, interim vice-president (research) at the University of Calgary. “Postdocs energize our institution, and enrich the research programs that they are a part of. These scholars are delivering on our commitment to pursue truly transformative discoveries across all research fields and we are tremendously proud of their accomplishments.”

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program aims to attract and retain top-tier talent who will positively contribute to the country's economic, social and research-based growth. Funding for the awards is delivered through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Fellows are awarded $70,000 per year for two years.

The UCalgary Banting Postdoctoral Fellows are: 

• Dr. Mokarram Hossain, PhD (Supervisor: Dr. Paul Kubes, PhD): Targeting Peritoneal Macrophages as a Novel Way to Fight Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases
• Dr. Stephanie Peacock, PhD (Supervisor: Dr. Susan Kutz, PhD): Connecting Scientific, Local, and Indigenous Knowledge to Understand the Role of Disease in Wildlife Declines
• Dr. Gillian Tarr, PhD (Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Freedman, PhD): A Clinical Prediction Rule for Pediatric Acute Gastroenteritis Etiology

The University of Calgary Postdoctoral Program attracts the best and brightest emerging scholars with world-class professional training that prepares them to pursue rewarding careers in industry, academia, government, and non-governmental organizations. Through the unique Eyes High Postdoctoral Scholars Competition, the university has invested in 235 postdocs, bringing the total number of postdoctoral scholars on campus to over 500, ranking the program among the top five in Canada.