Research
SFU’s Canada Research Chairs to advance study of stem cells, immune function and AI for public good
Three exceptional Simon Fraser University researchers have been named new and renewed Canada Research Chairs.
Announced today, the SFU chairs are Kyle Burrows, Faculty of Health Sciences; Wendy Chun, Faculty of Communication Art and Technology; and Lisa Julian, Faculty of Science.
The Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program invests approximately $311 million per year to attract and retain world-class researchers, and to reinforce academic research and teaching excellence at Canadian postsecondary institutions.
“Canada is a global leader in research and innovation, and today’s investment strengthens our position in an increasingly competitive world,” says Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions.
“By backing top talent and bold ideas, we are driving economic growth, attracting the best minds and turning Canadian discoveries into real-world solutions that will shape our future.”
Today’s investment of nearly $140 million will support 165 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs. This funding will allow researchers and their research teams in the strategic sectors of health, natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities disciplines to advance their expertise in areas such as sustainability management, educational psychology, neurodegeneration and environmental geography, among others.
SFU is one of Canada’s fastest growing research-intensive universities and is home to more than 60 research centres and institutes. The university earned research funding of $286 million for 2024/25 and has approximately 45 active CRCs.
New and renewed Canada Research Chairs
Kyle Burrows
New Tier 2 CRC in Barrier Tissue Immunity and Chronic Inflammatory Disease
Mucosal surfaces like the lungs and intestines act as barriers where the immune system interacts with microbes to balance protection and inflammation. Burrows’ research focuses on the intestinal tract, the largest mucosal surface in the body, which hosts a dense population of microorganisms. Emerging evidence, including Burrows’ own work, has linked gut microbes to a range of chronic inflammatory conditions, including asthma, arthritis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer.
Burrows seeks to uncover the mechanisms by which gut-derived immune cells contribute to these diseases and to advance our understanding and treatment of chronic inflammatory disorders. Burrows also received $200,000 in support from the John R. Evans Leadership Fund for the infrastructure needed for his research. Learn more.
Wendy Chun
New Tier 1 CRC in Critical Algorithmic Studies
AI offers the potential to improve public health and increase productivity, but researchers and public figures across disciplines and political perspectives warn of job loss and technical and cultural homogenization. Many of today’s most widely used AI systems concentrate power in the hands of a few organizations, even as they draw heavily on public and private data and resources.
Chun will establish Data Fluencies for Multivocal Futures, bringing together insights, methods, and researchers from the humanities, social sciences, computer science, and the arts. Her program will develop humanities-driven, multivocal AI projects that reshape how and where we understand, design, and use AI—while advancing new models for public dialogue that support healthy, democratic societies. Learn more.
Lisa Julian
Renewed Tier 2 CRC in Stem Cells and Development
Cutting-edge technologies now allow scientists to produce stem cells from human tissue samples, called human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). Researchers can now can genetically modify, grow and differentiate these hPSCs into any cell type of the human body they wish to study.
Julian's research program will study the impact of genetic mutations that are known to cause rare human neurological diseases in the human brain. She expects her work to reveal profound insights about the processes that build our brains and make us who we are, and identify factors that can be modified to functionally and structurally restore the malformed brain. Learn more.
The Government of Canada also contributes to university research through the Research Support Fund (RSF). The RSF supports with funding for staff who help SFU researchers increase success, reduce administrative burden, and make it possible for the university and SFU faculty to successfully compete for the most significant and prestigious grants, prizes and awards available. This includes staff from the Institutional Strategic Awards (ISA) office and faculty-based grant facilitators.