NSERC Announces First Winner of New Howard Alper Postdoctoral Prize

Prize acknowledges excellence in leadership, communication and research

(Ottawa, ON) -The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) today announced that Dr. Glenn Tattersall of the University of British Columbia is the winner of the first Howard Alper Postdoctoral Prize.

Dr. Howard Alper has donated $100,000 from the proceeds of the highly prestigious Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal that he won last year to the setting up of the new award that bears his name. Every year, a postdoctoral Canadian student in one of the natural sciences or engineering disciplines will be awarded $20,000.

Candidates for the prize are judged on their academic excellence as well as on their potential for a research career. Interpersonal and communication skills, and leadership abilities are also taken into account, along with the candidates' overall contributions.

"This prize is characteristic of Howard Alper's understanding of what Canada needs from its best minds" said the Honourable Brian Tobin, Minister of Industry and minister responsible for NSERC. "It takes the leadership and sound communication skills of a Glenn Tattersall to create the culture of excellence that drives Canada's international reputation for knowledge and innovation."

"Colleagues know Glenn Tattersall as a person of utmost integrity," says Alper. "Always willing to help and, consequently, inspire graduate students, he has all the makings of a professional scientist of outstanding calibre."

Tattersall's research has always been motivated by a desire to understand how animals cope with environmental stress. He has done pioneering research in the field of energy metabolism in small mammals and other vertebrates, work that has earned him numerous awards and honours including the Canadian Society of Zoologists' prize for the best technical innovation in a physiology experiment.

Employing his exceptional abilities as a theoretical and experimental biologist, Dr. Tattersall has developed a unique ability to situate complex problems in a larger scientific context. "I feel the most important skill is the ability to think about scientific problems from a wide number of perspectives," he says. "I have learned to approach biological questions from multiple disciplines, including physiology, behavioural ecology, cellular biology and medical science."

"I congratulate Glenn Tattersall on the skills and achievements that have won him this important honour," said Dr. Tom Brzustowski, president of NSERC. "The Howard Alper Postdoctoral Prize is special in that it must go to a well-rounded researcher whose excellence goes beyond the purely academic. It also bears the double hallmark of Howard's vision and generosity."

"The prize is an acknowledgement of outstanding accomplishments and exceptional promise for the future," says Alper. "It tells the winners that they are important to us, that we want them to remain here because Canada will benefit from the major advances in research and innovation that are likely to result from their investigations."

NSERC is the primary federal agency investing in people, discovery and innovation in science and technology. The Council supports both basic university research through research grants, and project research through partnerships among universities, governments and the private sector, as well as the advanced training of highly qualified people.

For more information, contact:

Francis Lionnet
NSERC
(613) 992-9001
fzl@nserc.ca