Dr. Guillaume Bourque, Interim Chair, Concludes His Six-Month Term After Guiding the Council’s Establishment
Ottawa, ON (March 18, 2021) – The New Digital Research Infrastructure Organization (NDRIO) is pleased to announce its Researcher Council has elected a New Chair, Dr. Randall Sobie, to lead the Council over the coming year.
The Researcher Council is foundational to NDRIO’s commitment to involve the Canadian research community in the design and delivery of a National Service Delivery Model to support an enhanced nation-wide Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) Strategy. Currently consisting of a multi-disciplinary Council of 22 researchers, regular meetings are held to ensure the diverse perspectives of Canada’s research community are represented as NDRIO establishes a researcher-centric DRI ecosystem.
“From analyzing our DRI Needs Assessment to launching the Inaugural Projects Program, we have much to achieve over the next year to shape an enhanced DRI ecosystem,” said Dr. Sobie. “As a Researcher Council, we’ll continue to draw on our vast and varied experience to provide a solid foundation to further elevate and unleash the innovation of Canada’s research community. I look forward to rising to this challenge and guiding these efforts in collaboration with so many esteemed colleagues across Canada.”
A Research Scientist with the Institute of Particle Physics at the University of Victoria, Dr. Sobie’s research focus is the study of fundamental particles as a tool to understanding the universe. Having worked on international experiments at the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN) Laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland and The High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) Laboratory in Tsukuba, Japan, Dr. Sobie brings extensive DRI experience in cloud computing, federated and fast storage systems, research software and high-speed networks.
Preceding Dr. Sobie at the helm of the Researcher Council was Interim Chair, Dr. Guillaume Bourque of McGill University. A Professor in the Department of Human Genetics and the Director of Bioinformatics at the McGill Genome Centre, Dr. Bourque has been instrumental in the formation of NDRIO and the Researcher Council through his six-month term and previous involvement as Chair of the Researcher Advisory Group and Member of the Applicant Board.
“We extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Bourque for his unwavering commitment through his term as Interim Chair and for his tremendous guidance in the formation of NDRIO,” said Nizar Ladak, CEO of NDRIO. “We warmly welcome Dr. Sobie to the team – his stewardship and passion will be an asset to our Researcher Council and our broader organization as we endeavour to serve the Canadian research community.”
Dr. Guillaume Bourque said: “Guiding the Researcher Council has been enriching, purpose-driven work, and I deeply appreciate the contributions of all of our Council members during this critical time. With the Council, NDRIO has a strong voice in place to help distill and prioritize the needs of Canada’s research community. We’re off to a great start and I look forward to seeing how Dr. Sobie will expand upon these efforts to date.”
ABOUT NDRIO: The New Digital Research Infrastructure Organization (NDRIO) is a Canadian not-for-profit organization that supports a researcher-focused, accountable, agile, strategic and sustainable Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) ecosystem. Established in 2019, NDRIO works with partners and stakeholders across Canada to give scholars and scientists the digital tools, support, services and infrastructure they need to conduct leading-edge research that benefits society and competes globally. NDRIO is funded by the Government of Canada through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada via the Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) Strategy. NDRIO’s membership is composed of more than 140 of Canada’s top universities, colleges, research hospitals and institutes, and other leading organizations in the DRI space. Visit engagedri.ca
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