The Medal is bestowed once every two years to a researcher in Canada who has made important and sustained contributions to interdisciplinary research.
McMaster professor Hendrik Poinar has received the prestigious Sir John William Dawson Medal from the Royal Society of Canada.
Poinar, who works across McMaster's departments of Anthropology and Biochemistry & Biomedical Sciences, has been recognized for his research into the preservation, extraction, and study of ancient DNA from forensic, archeological, and paleontological remains.
This work has led not only to the development of paradigm-changing research techniques, but also to groundbreaking discoveries in areas ranging from infectious disease to palaeontology.
In particular, Poinar's use of ancient DNA recovered from 14th-century burial sites in London to reconstruct the genome of Yersinia pestis the bacteria responsible for the Black Death and other plagues has revolutionized our understanding of pathogen evolution and has likewise provided valuable insights into modern diseases.
He is also internationally renowned for similar research into prehistoric megafauna, like ground sloths and woolly mammoths. He was the first scientist in the world to successfully use high-throughput sequencing on fossil extracts, which ushered in the field of paleogenomics and helped answer important questions about extinction, climate change, and evolution.
"Our research investigates the distant past by carefully analyzing organic molecules like DNA, RNA, and proteins that are retrieved from ancient remains and sediments," says Poinar, who leads the McMaster Ancient DNA Centre. "But while these molecules that we study are our ancient heritage, I believe that they can teach us as much about today as they can about the past."
Poinar, who is also a member of the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, is the third McMaster professor to receive the Dawson Medal, joining former president and vice-chancellor Harry Thode and former dean of Health Sciences James Fraser Mustard, who received the honour in 1989 and 1993 respectively.
McMaster is the only institution in Canada with more than two Dawson Medal recipients a feat that Gianni Parise, Vice-President, Research at McMaster, says is a testament to the university's longstanding track-record of leadership in interdisciplinary science.
"Interdisciplinarity is at the heart of McMaster's research culture," he says. "Our scholars and learners don't just cross disciplinary boundaries they blur them entirely, creating new ways to think about, investigate, and solve the world's most pressing problems. Few examples capture this better than the pioneering work that professor Poinar is leading at the McMaster Ancient DNA Centre."
Poinar will formally receive his medal in November at the RSC's annual Celebration of Excellence and Engagement in Montreal.
"It's truly humbling to have our lab's work celebrated by the RSC," Poinar says. "This award is a meaningful tribute to the many colleagues, collaborators, and trainees, and family members who have supported and challenged me over the years. Without their insight, dedication, partnership, and friendship, so much of my research would not have been possible."
