"Professionally, Manitoba offered me exactly what I was looking for — the opportunity to work beside some of the top scientists in the field."
Dr. Peter Jones, the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals Top Nutritional scientist finds Manitoba to his taste
When Dr. Peter Jones left his position at Montreal's McGill University to take the helm of the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals at the University of Manitoba's SmartPark, he was surprised on both a personal and professional level at what he found.
"It's just like the labs in CSI — it's the coolest place."
"The community was extremely welcoming," says Jones. "There were literally people coming to the door from the neighbourhood saying, 'Welcome, here's a cake' or 'here's a box of cookies' or 'I'm your neighbour and I want to welcome you.'"
Professionally, Manitoba offered Jones exactly what he was looking for — the opportunity to work beside some of the top scientists in the field. Recently, Ernst & Young named Manitoba as having the fastest growing biotechnology sector in Canada, and that sector continues to grow according to the Health Care Products Association of Manitoba. This has allowed Jones to lure some of the best biotech minds to his new location. "We now have 20 to 25 people coming and going in the centre, and we will be building to a group of 50 or 60," says Jones.
Chris Marinangeli, a PhD candidate who came from McGill University to work with Jones, is very enthusiastic about his new workplace. "It's just like the labs in 'CSI' — it's the coolest place," he says.
"I'm originally from Toronto," says Marinangeli, "but Winnipeg feels more like home than anywhere else I've been in Canada."
"The fact is," says Jones, "Winnipeg turns out to be the middle of everywhere. I take day trips to Vancouver, Saskatoon, Toronto. Winnipeg's central location makes that kind of travel easy. And last winter here in Winnipeg was even milder than the winter in Montreal."
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