Jan Van Kranendonk, Ph.D., Professor of Physics at the University of Toronto, is distinguished for numerous applications of quantum and statistical mechanics to molecular and solid state physics. He pioneered in the field of spin-lattice relaxation effects of nuclear spins in ionic and magnetic crystals, and has studied spin wave interactions as well as the statistical properties of magnetic systems. In molecular physics, he developed the theory of induced absorption and of molecular excitons in crystals. His research work is characterized by penetrating physical insight; his expositions are lucid, and his arguments are always relevant. He was recently awarded the first E. W. R. Steacie Prize for original contributions to the Natural Sciences.

Mark Van Raamsdonk is a Canadian theoretical physicist and professor at the University of British Columbia. He is known for his work relating the physics of spacetime and gravitation to the physics of quantum entanglement.

Mark van Raamsdonk a apporté des contributions révolutionnaires à la physique théorique, en particulier à la théorie quantique des champs, à la théorie des cordes et à l'information quantique. L'un de ses résultats les plus marquants est la démonstration que l'espace-temps dans la gravité et donc les équations de la relativité générale d'Einstein peuvent émerger de l'intrication quantique. Ses travaux ont contribué de manière déterminante à notre compréhension moderne de la relation entre la mécanique quantique et la gravité.

Dennis E. Vance, Director of the Lipid and Lipoprotein Research Group at the University of Alberta and Heritage Medical Scientist, is an international leader in lipid biochemistry and the foremost author of advanced and undergraduate texts on lipids. He has made substantial contributions to an understanding of glycerophospholipid metabolism by identifying the regulatory and rate limiting enzymes in phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis and by isolating and cloning the enzymes involved in the methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine. He has effectively utilized the readily induced choline deficiency of rat liver to demonstrate an important role for phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis in lipoprotein secretion.

Long Citation (for publication and press release) Jean Vance's research on phospholipid and cholesterol metabolism is internationally recognized and is characterized by novelty and thoroughness. Her seminal work on specialized membranes associated with mitochondria changed the way biologists think about intracellular lipid transport. She developed and characterized three new strains of knock-out mice. Her research provides key insights into mechanisms of cholesterol and phospholipid transport in the brain. Jean has shown that lipid-containing particles in the brain dramatically protect neurons from death, suggesting potential clinical relevance for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. She explored mechanisms of lipid secretion into plasma with implications for cardiovascular disease. Short Citation (to be read at the Induction Ceremony) Jean Vance's research on phospholipid and cholesterol metabolism is internationally recognized and is characterized by novelty and thoroughness. Her seminal work on specialized membranes associated with mitochondria changed the way biologists think about intracellular lipid transport. She has developed and characterized three new strains of knock-out mice and her research provides key insights into mechanisms of cholesterol and phospholipid transport in the brain.

Jacques Vanier has made important contributions in the research and development of rubidium masers, hydrogen masers and cesium standards. Most of his publications include both theoretical studies and experimental results. The explanation of experimental results, and the understanding of the basic physics of various devices has led to further experimental tests and innovations. This balanced and continuous interplay is characteristic of Jacques Vanier's research, and its excellence has earned him a worldwide reputation as a leader in the field of atomic standards.

VAUGHAN, David – University of Manchester David Vaughan is the leading international authority on metal sulphide minerals, key materials for the Canadian economy and natural environment. He has pioneered applications of spectroscopic, imaging and computational techniques to study the structure and reactivity of such minerals, and played a major role in establishing the field of molecular environmental science which integrates research on the mineralogical, geochemical and biological systems of the Earth’s surface at the molecular scale.

David Vaughan est mondialement reconnu comme une autorité incontournable en matière de minéraux à métal-sulfuré, matériaux essentiels pour l’économie canadienne et l’environnement naturel. Il a été un des pionniers qui ont appliqué les techniques de la spectroscopie, de l’imagerie et du calcul en vue d’étudier la structure et la réactivité de ces minéraux, et il a joué un rôle majeur dans la mise en place le domaine de la science moléculaire liée à l’environnement, intégrant la recherche sur les systèmes minéralogiques, géochimiques et biologiques de la surface terrestre à l’échelle moléculaire.

Dr. Warren Veale's research interests are on the brain regulation of body temperature in mammals. Recently, in research on experimental animals, he found that the brain uses the peptide arginine vasopressin to moderate the height of fever; in essence, one area of the brain secretes vasopressin into another area, the septal region, to regulate the fever. Dr. Veale's research also explains the basis for convulsions during high fever; high levels of vasopressin in the brain sensitize it to a second bout of high vasopressin levels which in turn triggers the convulsions. Dr. Veale's exciting discoveries have provided us with many new ideas on how body temperature is regulated during health and disease, in mammals including man.

André Veillette is an internationally-recognized immunologist who, over the past 20 years, has made several seminal contributions regarding the molecular mechanisms controlling the immune response. These mechanisms are essential to protect humans against infections, cancer and auto-immune diseases. Dr. Veillette's highly original work is recognized worldwide. It is consistently published in high impact scientific journals and is broadly referenced in academic textbooks. It has helped our understanding of certain immunodeficiencies and auto-immune diseases in humans, and has led to the identification of new targets to treat these diseases. For his scientific contributions, Dr. Veillette has received numerous prizes and awards.

He has developed and systematized a quantitative concept of recycling of the Earth's crust that is complementary to its evolutionary counterpart, thereby reconciling competing observations of repetition and uniqueness in the geological record. He has demonstrated that the composition of paleo-seawater reflects the evolution of the atmosphere-hydrosphere-biosphere system; that Sr and C isotope age curves are covariant with S isotopes and tectonics; and has provided direct evidence for the unity of the organic and inorganic world on geological time scales. Through his treatment of chemical diagenesis of carbonate rocks, he established experimentally a tool for quantitative treatment of carbonate diagenesis. His work is known and respected throughout the world; he is an outstanding teacher and research leader.