Dr. Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu to lead new NSERC CREATE program

The LSI’s Dr. Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu (Professor, Dept. of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine) has been awarded $1.65 million over 6 years to lead one of five new Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) programs at UBC, funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). NSERC CREATE is a multidisciplinary training and mentorship program to help highly qualified students and postdoctoral fellows develop technical and professional skills, and prepare for future careers in academia, industry, government and beyond. See NSERC’s announcement here.

Dr. Kizhakkedathu’s program is called “Charging into the Future” (CITF): Training in Polyelectrolyte Biosystems for Tomorrow’s Health Challenges”, and is a partnership with McGill University and the Freie Universität Berlin. Polyelectrolytes are charged macromolecules that have a range of potential medical applications, including in drug delivery systems, medical device coatings, biomaterials and beyond. CITF will equip trainees with technical and entrepreneurial skills for the development of polyelectrolyte-based materials for health applications, supporting the growth of Canada’s medical devices and therapeutics sector.

“We are very excited about this new international collaboration,” says Dr. Kizhakkedathu. “This interdisciplinary training program will expand and strengthen existing collaborations between three leading universities to provide new directions in polyelectrolyte research and its applications to address health challenges. This program will also provide unique international training opportunities and exposure to our trainees.”

The CITF program will include innovative research programs, joint course offerings, workshops, seminars, as well as a focus on the science of entrepreneurship and professional development. Trainees will participate in industry internships to share their valuable scientific and business expertise, and help translate innovations towards commercialization.

This article is adapted with minor edits from an article that appeared on Faculty of Medicine’s website April 18, 2023, here.