CANADIAN FEDERATION FOR THE HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Chief Science Advisor appointment is welcome news for Canadian research system

The Federation welcomes today's announcement of Dr. Mona Nemer as the new Chief Science Advisor.

"Today's (9/27) announcement is good news because it shows support for evidence-based decision making" said Guy Laforest, President of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences and Executive Director of the École nationale d'administration publique (ÉNAP). "We look forward to working with Dr. Nemer to ensure that the federal government is drawing on the work of researchers across all disciplines to meet the complex challenges facing Canada."

"As much as possible, government research must be accessible to the public and researchers should be able to speak openly about their work," noted Gabriel Miller, Executive Director of the Federation. "We welcome Dr. Nemer's appointment and look forward to working with her to maintain open channels of communication between government and university researchers in all fields."

Mona Nemer is former Vice-President, Research (2006 to present) at the University of Ottawa, where she oversaw research strategies, infrastructure and commercialization. In her role as Vice-President, Research, she has worked extensively on fostering partnerships with a wide variety of stakeholders to advance research and innovation. Nemer has been awarded honorary doctorates from France and Finland and her work is recognized nationally and internationally. She is a fellow of the Academy of Sciences of the Royal Society of Canada, a Member of the Order of Canada, a Knight of the Order of Québec and a Knight of the Order of Merit of the French Republic. 

The Federation is pleased to see that Dr. Nemer will report to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan, and will have oversight of staff she will be selecting herself. The Federation had been a strong advocate for this position and submitted numerous recommendations to ensure its effectiveness and autonomy.

About the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences promotes research and teaching for the advancement of an inclusive, democratic and prosperous society. With a membership now comprising over 160 universities, colleges and scholarly associations, the Federation represents a diverse community of 91,000 researchers and graduate students across Canada. The Federation organizes Canada's largest academic gathering, the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, bringing together more than 8,000 participants each year. For more information about the Federation, visit www.ideas-idees.ca.

Media inquiries
Nicola Katz
Manager of Communications
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
C: 613-282-3489
nkatz@ideas-idees.ca
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