The University of Manitoba is welcoming five new research chairs as part of a federal program to attract international researchers to Canada. The Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada program brought in five researchers from India, Peru, Australia and the United States to the university, who will perform research in advanced manufacturing, health equity, Arctic science, climate resilience and sustainable resource development. “We are obviously euphoric here,” said Mario Pinto, vice president of research and international at the U of M. “We are certainly punching above our weight. “We are a university of the move, so this is certainly a signal we are on the move.” The program, launched in December, sees Ottawa spending $1.7 billion over 10 years to help recruit international research talent to Canada. A total of 64 professors across Canada were recruited as part of the first wave. Of that money, $79 million is going to the University of Manitoba for this round of recruitment. The chairs coming to Manitoba include Sanket Goel from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India, who will be joining the U of M’s Faculty of Engineering. Dr. Patricia J. Garcia, Peru’s former health minister and a professor at Cayetano Heredia University will join the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. Benjamin Richardson from the University of Tasmania will be working in the Faculty of Law. Peter Reiners of the University of Arizona and Igor Polyakov from the University of Alaska Fairbanks will be joining the Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources. Pinto said having these new chairs is essential to help the university grow and attract students. “The more talent you begin with, the greater talent you recruit, greater discoveries, greater innovation, greater commercialization, IP protection in Canada, and economic growth for Manitoba and Canada,” he said. The program provides $1 million per chair each year for eight years, with an extension at $500,000 for another four years. Each chair will also receive $4 million in infrastructure funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. In addition, the program also includes funding for international Ph.D. fellowships, postdoctoral fellowships, and other research awards. Pinto said two professors are arriving at the campus in September, while the remaining three will join in 2027. “They are already participating in other major projects and other major grant applications with us, so it’s a very good start,” he said.
