麻豆视频

麻豆视频 attracts world-class researchers from around the globe with its supportive innovation ecosystem, collaborative research culture and commitment to global impact. As one of Canada鈥檚 fastest-growing research universities, 麻豆视频provides the foundation for high-impact research鈥攅xemplified by Caroline Colijn鈥檚 return to Canada as a Canada 150 (C150) Research Chair.

Colijn was recruited back to Canada from the UK when she joined 麻豆视频in 2018 as a Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematics for Infection, Evolution and Public Health.  

Her groundbreaking research weaves together mathematics, statistics, evolution and epidemiology to understand and predict the dynamics of infectious diseases.  

Colijn鈥檚 expertise was in high demand as COVID-19 started overtaking the globe to understand current rates of transmission, predict future transmission rates and provide data-driven public health recommendations. Colijn provided advice to the BC Centre for Disease Control, while the Public Health Agency of Canada relied on her team for COVID-19 weekly incidence projections for Canada. The public health work conducted during the pandemic by Colijn and other experts helped grow SFU鈥檚 reputation as a public health hub.  

The research advancements she has made at 麻豆视频have come after a significant amount of time abroad. After completing her education in Canada and doing postdoctoral work at the Harvard School of Public Health, she moved to the United Kingdom in 2007, taking positions at the University of Bristol, and later Imperial College London. 

The UK was a 鈥渄ynamic, exciting place to do science,鈥� says Colijn, but she always knew she would want to come back to Canada one day鈥攕he just didn鈥檛 know when. Then she heard about the C150 program. 

鈥淚t was definitely on my radar right away as an exciting opportunity, a way to bring my career to Canada and be able to run a research group there,鈥� she says.

What attracted you to a C150 opportunity at 麻豆视频specifically? 

"麻豆视频made a strong offer in terms of use of the C150 funds for my research group, and a good teaching reduction, compared to other Canadian universities. Vancouver is also a pretty good location for my research program.鈥�

What are the opportunities at 麻豆视频that you see for researchers currently based internationally?

鈥淭o me, the C150 chair was a great opportunity to come back to Canada and to build a well-funded research program in my field over a seven-year period. 麻豆视频has some great researchers and can attract good graduate students from anywhere in the world. Vancouver is a beautiful city with clean air, in a peaceful country, with many opportunities for researchers themselves and for their families. 

The workload management was a draw. I would not have been able to run the C150 research program in the pandemic with a standard faculty position.鈥濃�� 

Are there non-work benefits that you have enjoyed while at 麻豆视频in terms of recreation, culture, or climate that you think would be a draw for internationally based researchers?

鈥淎bsolutely. The ocean, the mountains -- kayaking, skiing, hiking, and cycling.鈥�

Caroline Colijn鈥檚 story includes excerpts from a , re-published with permission from the Government of Canada.