Three new Canada Research Chairs at the University of Ottawa to study workplace safety, evolutionary genetics, and environmental health and genetics

Work related injuries and workplace illnesses account for many health problems. Katherine Lippel studies health law and workplace safety in order to develop politics and laws that will protect and improve the health of workers.

Howard Rundle examines the mysteries of mate choice and why females commonly prefer certain mates over others. A leading hypothesis is that some males are chosen because of their high genetic quality which ensures females that their offspring receive these ‘good genes.’ Although the hypothesis is appealing, and mathematical models suggest it can occur, there is little experimental evidence in support of it. Rundle’s research addresses both why individuals choose certain mates over others, and what consequence this choice has for the adaptation and origins of new species.

With the breakneck speed of advances in genomics, biologists are now able to use DNA Micro-arrays, or DNA-Chips to study how organisms respond to environmental stress. These chips include thousands of genes on a single chip, and allow researchers to understand how a great number of genes behave in concert when an organism is exposed to a chemical pollutant or other stress. Dr. Walsh’s research focuses on understanding the mechanisms by which aquatic organisms adapt to environmental changes. By using pre-existing DNA-chips for mammalian species and by developing new DNA chips for different aquatic species, Dr. Walsh studies how different species are affected by environmental stress (e.g., either man-made pollutants or natural stress including that from harmful algal blooms). Beneficial natural products are also tested on experimental mammalian and fish models. Because some genes and disease mechanisms are common between species, Dr. Walsh also uses fish models to study human diseases of the liver and the brain.