UBC postdoctoral fellows Jessica Metcalfe, Nathaniel Sharp, and Natalie Zeytuni have been honoured with Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, which provide each researcher with $140,000 over two years.
This prestigious program was created by the federal government to encourage the top postdoctoral researchers, both Canadian and international, to contribute to Canada’s economic, social, and research-based growth.
Jessica Metcalfe has worked with the Laboratory of Archaeology in the Department of Anthropology since 2012. She is using isotopic techniques to examine bison remains at the Promotory Caves site in Utah. Her goal is to better understand the interaction between bison and humans during the Athapaskan migration from the Canadian Subarctic to the American Southwest in the 13th century.
Nathaniel Sharp has worked with the Biodiversity Research Centre in the Department of Zoology since 2014, examining the genetic and evolutionary consequences of reproductive system diversity. This research will help to answer fundamental questions about biological diversity and complexity.
Natalie Zeytuni has worked with the Strynadka Lab in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry since 2014, studying tuberculosis. Antibiotic resistant TB is a growing global health threat. Zeytuni’s research focuses on understanding the molecular structures that the TB bacterium uses to invade and infect cells in our bodies, with the goal of finding ways to stop its spread.
About the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program
The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program provides the opportunity to bring top talent to join the research community at UBC. Fellowships are awarded to the very best postdoctoral researchers, both nationally and internationally, who will positively contribute to Canada's economic, social and research-based growth. Emphasis is placed on the synergy of research goals and projects between applicants, supervisors, and host institutions.
Seventy fellowships are awarded each year and are equally distributed between candidates from Canada's three Tri-Council Agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
More information about the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is available from the Postdoctoral Fellows Office.