McMaster University professor Eric Brown has been awarded a Killam Research Fellowship.
The distinguished program of Killam Prizes and Killam Research Fellowships is run by the Canada Council for the Arts and recognizes active scholars and researchers who have dedicated their careers to pushing the boundaries of knowledge and meeting challenges faced in daily life.
The Killam Research Fellowships support scholars of exceptional ability by granting them time to pursue research projects of broad significance and widespread interest within the disciplines of the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences, engineering, or studies linking any of these disciplines. The fellowship, one of six awarded nationally, is valued at $140,000 over two years.
“I’m honoured and enthusiastic to focus my efforts exclusively on research,” said Brown, a distinguished university professor of biochemistry and biomedical sciences and a member of the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research at McMaster. “The Fellowship comes at an opportune time when my research team and I are making really exciting progress.”
Brown was selected for his project focused on a fresh approach to antibacterial drug discovery for drug-resistant infections.
“We are doing research on antibiotic drug resistance and new antibiotic drug discovery,” he said. “In fact, bacterial super-infection is a huge risk factor for COVID-19 mortality and there is much concern about the ability to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections in COVID-19 patients. Also, the increased antibiotic use that has accompanied the pandemic is generating concern as it may exacerbate the antibiotic drug resistance problem.”
Simon Brault, director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, said: “As the entire world faces unprecedented challenges, our belief in the vital importance of advanced research is stronger than ever. That’s why it’s important to us to celebrate the excellence of scholars whose work contributes to improving the lives of Canadians and people all around the world.”