Dr. B. Mario Pinto Appointed President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - June 17, 2014) - Industry Canada

James Moore, Minister of Industry, and Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology), today announced the appointment of Dr. B. Mario Pinto as President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), effective fall 2014.

Dr. Pinto is completing his second term as Vice-President, Research at Simon Fraser University, where he is a professor of chemistry and also served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry from 1999 until 2004. He completed his post-doctoral work at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique in France and the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa before joining Simon Fraser University in 1983.

Dr. Pinto, one of Canada's leading chemical biologists, continues to make fundamental contributions to knowledge and methodology that are advancing drug and vaccine design both nationally and internationally.

NSERC is the primary funding agency supporting Canada's science and engineering research community. The agency supports almost 30,000 post-secondary students and post-doctoral fellows in their advanced studies. NSERC promotes discovery by funding approximately 12,000 professors every year and fosters innovation by working with over 2,800 Canadian companies that are participating and investing in post-secondary research projects.

Quick facts

- Dr. Pinto holds both a Bachelor of Science and a doctorate in Chemistry from Queen's University.

- Dr. Pinto is a member of several organizations, including the Chemical Institute of Canada, the Royal Society of Canada, the American Chemical Society and the American Society for Microbiology. He is a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada and the Academy of Sciences of the Royal Society of Canada.

- Dr. Pinto received the Horace S. Isbell Award of the American Chemical Society in 1992, the Merck Frosst Award of the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC) in 1993, the Bernard Belleau Award of the CSC in 2002, the Frontiers in Research Award of the British Columbia Innovation Council in 2005, the R.U. Lemieux Award of the CSC in 2012, the Alfred Bader Award of the CSC in 2013 and the Montréal Medal of the Chemical Institute of Canada in 2014.

Quotes

"I would like to welcome Dr. Pinto in his new role as President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. His strong background in chemical biology and organic chemistry, coupled with his efforts to promote investment in building the innovation ecosystem, will be of great value to the work of the Council."

- James Moore, Minister of Industry

"Our government is looking to build on its historic commitments to science, technology and innovation. In so doing, we rely on the leadership of accomplished people like Dr. Pinto to ensure Canadian research remains world-class, pushes the boundaries of knowledge, creates jobs and increases prosperity for Canadians."

- Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology)

Associated link

- More information on NSERC

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