Appointment of Professor Heinz-Bernhard Kraatz as Vice-Principal, Research, UTSC

I am pleased to advise you that the Governing Council has approved the appointment of Professor Heinz-Bernhard Kraatz as Vice-Principal, Research, U of T Scarborough, for a six-year term effective July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2021. Prof. Kraatz was initially appointed as Interim Vice-Principal, Research effective June 1st.

Prof. Kraatz obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Calgary in 1993. He carried out postdoctoral work in organometallic chemistry at the University of Maryland College Park and the Weizmann Institute of Science.

After working at the Steacie Institute of Science in Ottawa, he joined the Department of Chemistry at the University of Saskatchewan in 1998. Prof. Kraatz moved to the University of Western Ontario in 2007 where he became Faculty Scholar and a Distinguished Research Professor, and in 2011 accepted a professorship at the University of Toronto. He has served as Chair of the Department of Physical and Environmental Science since 2012.

Professor Kraatz is highly respected in the University community. This year he received the Principal’s Research Award, acknowledging and encouraging the research activities and achievements of tenured mid- to late career professorial faculty at UTSC. Some of his other awards and recognitions include the PetroCanada Young Innovator Award, the Canadian Research Chair in Biomaterials, the Award in Pure or Applied Inorganic Chemistry from the Canadian Society for Chemistry, and the Florence Bucke Science Prize. Professor Kraatz is highly research active and has published more than 240 peer-reviewed journal articles.

In his research, he focuses on creating new materials that allow him to detect biomolecules ranging from DNA to proteins to whole cells and even biological processes. This has implications for the detection of diseases such as viral infections and cancer. In addition, he is involved in research that probes the underlying molecular causes for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

As Vice-Principal, Research, Prof. Kraatz will promote outstanding research and scholarship in all disciplines at UTSC, strengthening the infrastructure and culture for research as well as local and international partnerships. Working closely with the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Prof. Kraatz will also advance research collaboration within the tri-campus University of Toronto. He will chair UTSC’s Research Advisory Board and as a member of the UTSC Executive, enhance the research environment for undergraduate and graduate students.

I am delighted that Prof. Kraatz is joining our Executive team and congratulate him on this appointment. I would also like to thank all those who contributed their wisdom and their time as members of the Advisory Committee, and the members of our community who assisted us in our work.