Renowned molecular biologist garners more honours

Document Tools

SFU assistant professor of molecular biology and biochemistry Fiona Brinkman is the recipient of the Science Council of B.C.’s (SCBC) 2003 Young Innovator Award. It honours a person under the age of 40 who has had a significant impact on B.C. science and technology either in a business, academic or collaborative environment. The recipient has to have been the key developer of a new innovation or research breakthrough.

Brinkman has proven herself to be a leader in bioinformatics research, a field that uses computers to study the genomes of infectious disease causing agents. Brinkman’s work has led to a new understanding of a drug resistant bacterium that can be fatal to cystic fibrosis patients and those with compromised immune systems. She is also the inventor of a novel web-based tool that visually displays a simplified view of multi-gigabyte datasets of genomic sequencing and highlights information relevant to infectious diseases. Brinkman’s tool guides researchers to where they should look for potentially lethal pathogens in this vast amount of data.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology previously named Brinkman one of the world’s top 100 young innovators.

Brinkman and other Science Council of B.C. award recipients will be honoured at a SCBC awards dinner Monday, November 3. Check www.iscbc.org.

—30—

electronic photo available on request

Websites: about Fiona Brinkman: www.sfu.ca/mbb/mbb/faculty/brinkman/brinkman.html
Innovation & Science C ouncil of BC; www.iscbc.org.