From: Leah Cowen, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives
Date: February 5, 2025
Re: Retirement of Judith Chadwick, Assistant Vice-President, Research Services
Judith Chadwick, Assistant Vice President, Research Services will be retiring on December 31, 2026, concluding an incredible career dedicated to the University of Toronto.
Judith has been key to innumerable initiatives that make U of T’s research and innovation enterprise the powerhouse that it is today. She is highly regarded for her ability to bring diverse U of T groups together to advance the University’s mission and prestige. Judith has also garnered a well-deserved reputation nationally for her leadership building networks of research and innovation colleagues at universities, research hospitals and granting agencies across Canada. Nationally, she is known for her incredible effectiveness in influencing policy and program implementation in key funding initiatives.
It’s difficult to enumerate the impact of Judith’s contributions to U of T. Her achievements over the decades have elevated U of T’s research and innovation enterprise and shaped numerous programs both in Ontario and across Canada. She has dedicated her career to U of T’s research administration, starting in 1983 as Administrative Assistant to the Humanities Funding Officer, progressing to Assistant Vice-President, Research Services and Chief Administrative Officer in 2012. Over the years, Judith has worked under eight U of T Presidents and close to twenty Vice-Presidents, Research and Innovation.
She has helped faculty members and research staff to build U of T’s success in high priority, internationally lauded government programs including the Canada Research Chairs (CRC), the Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) programs and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Her leadership guiding the University’s applications to the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) helped secure $320 million in funding, first to Medicine by Design and most recently to the Acceleration Consortium, which was awarded the largest research grant to a university in Canadian history. She is continuing this leadership by bringing her strategic acumen and upbeat energy to the new Canada Impact+ programs.
Judith has also been involved in the management of the Connaught Fund for most of her career, championing the internal research funding program that is unique in Canada for its emphasis on supporting young investigators, providing seed funding for innovative thinking and supporting research that addresses a diversity of global challenges. She has also ensured that the history of the fund and Connaught Labs, from which the fund was born, continues to be part of the U of T story.
A search for the next Assistant Vice President, Research Services will be announced shortly. VPRI will share details of a farewell gathering for Judith in the fall.