June 16, 2026 Six UCalgary researchers appointed new Canada Research Chairs Six University of Calgary researchers have been appointed as new Canada Research Chairs as part of a $9.7-million federal investment to UCalgary announced by the Government of Canada on May 13. “Investing in Canada’s top researchers and professors is an investment in our students today, and our present and future prosperity,” Karim Bardeesy, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Industry, said in a media release. “Across Canada, these investments are building a strong pipeline of talent equipped to take on tomorrow’s challenges and contribute to a more innovative and inclusive economy.” The new Canada Research Chairs represent a diverse range of expertise and research priorities. “These new Chair appointments reflect the extraordinary talent and ambition of our research community,” says Dr. William Ghali, vice-president (research). “I’m excited to see how their work will push the boundaries of knowledge and deliver real impact in areas that matter deeply to society.” To gain insight into their work and its potential impact, we asked each chairholder one question: “What are you most excited about in your research program?” Dr. Javier Alfaro, PhD, Cumming School of Medicine Canadian Institutes of Health Research Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Precision Immunotherapy Courtesy of Javier Alfaro “I am most excited about building a multidisciplinary research program at the University of Calgary that uses bioinformatics and artificial intelligence to advance precision immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases. This Canada Research Chair provides an opportunity to link expertise across the university, including computational biology, immunology, oncology, engineering, data science, microbiology, and clinical research, to address questions that no single discipline can solve alone. “My program will focus on understanding how the immune system recognizes cancers and infections, why some patients respond to immunotherapy while others do not,