Ontario’s Chief Scientist Announced

Four Corners Group is pleased to share that the Ontario Chief Scientist search has come to successful conclusion with the appointment of Dr. Molly Shoichet to the role. Shoichet is a Professor at the University of Toronto and an award-winning expert in the area of polymers for drug delivery and tissue regeneration.

“Supporting the government in its search for Ontario’s first ever Chief Scientist was a unique and most memorable experience,” says Four Corners Group Partner, Suzanne Clark. “Leading this search opened my eyes to the incredible depth and breadth of outstanding talent we have in Ontario and within Canada in the sciences. This is an important new role for our province and we are delighted that Dr. Shoichet will serve as the inaugural Chief Scientist.”

Talk of public perceptions and interest in science for Ontarians was recently brought into focus through the Ontario Science Centre’s second annual science literacy survey, which found that while 33% of Canadians consider themselves science illiterate, 8 out of 10 Canadians want to know more about science and how it affects our world.

From the Office of the Premier’s official news release:

“An internationally respected and award-winning expert in the study of polymers for drug delivery and tissue regeneration, as a teacher, mentor and researcher Shoichet has demonstrated her dedication to the advancement of scientific knowledge and excellence.

In the coming months, Shoichet will help develop Ontario’s strategic research agenda and grow the province’s reputation as a top destination for global research talent. The Chief Scientist will also provide advice informed by science to help government decision-makers tackle some of the greatest challenges of our time, such as climate change, aging populations and the impact of transformative technologies.

Dr. Shoichet is the recipient of 43 prestigious national and international awards. In 2015, she was the North American Laureate for the L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science and in 2017, she won the Killam Prize in Engineering, the most important engineering prize in Canada. She is the only person ever to be inducted into all three of Canada’s National Academies: the Canadian Academy of Sciences of the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Dr. Shoichet was appointed to the Order of Ontario in 2011. In 2013, her contributions to Canada’s innovation agenda and the advancement of knowledge were recognized with the QEII Diamond Jubilee Award.

Dr. Shoichet will advise Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne directly on key scientific matters… [and] will report to Reza Moridi, Minister of Research, Innovation and Science.”