Bantrel Award in Design and Industrial Practice

The 2010 winner is:

Donald F. Weaver
Dalhousie University
Department of Chemistry

Donald Weaver is a Canada Research Chair, Tier I, in the School of Biomedical Engineering and the Departments of Chemistry and Medicine (Neurology) at Dalhousie University. Weaver obtained his MD in 1981 and his PhD in chemistry in 1986. From 1989–2001 he was on faculty at Queen’s University, and has been at Dalhousie University since 2001. His research concerns the design, optimization and development of new chemical entities as therapeutics for chronic neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s dementia and epilepsy. Computer-aided drug design plays a central role in his drug design approach. Two drugs that he co-discovered have reached Phase III human clinical trials and he has multiple other agents in preclinical development. He has published more than 140 peer reviewed manuscripts and holds more than 50 patents on drug discoveries. To facilitate industrial development of his research, he has co-founded six start-up biotech companies. In addition, Weaver has recently pioneered the concept of “micropharma” as a strategy for innovative drug discovery. In recent years, he has received a number of honours including the Prix Galien for pharmaceutical research, and in 2010 he was awarded a Killam Research Fellowship.

Previous Winners of the Bantrel Award in Design and Industrial Practice

Nomination Form: Submit your nomination package as a PDF

Terms of Reference

This award is presented to a Canadian citizen or a resident of Canada for innovative design or production activities accomplished in Canada. The activities may have resulted in a significant achievement in product or process design, small or large company innovation, or multidisciplinary design-directed research or production. The achievement will relate to the practice of chemical engineering and/or industrial chemistry whether in research and development, process implementation, entrepreneurialism, innovation, production or some combination of these.

It may be via a well-known, long-standing reputation for translating chemical engineering principles into design and industrial practice which contributes to the profession as a whole.

Deadline: December 1 every year

Sponsor: Bantrel

Award: A plaque and $1,500 cash

The award is open to all chemical engineers and industrial chemists or those practicing these disciplines; it is not restricted to those whose normal employment is in the industrial sphere.

Membership in the Institute is not a prerequisite for this award.

All nominations will remain in force for three years. Nominators are responsible for keeping the record of the nominee up to date and complete.

The award shall be presented annually unless the committee considers that no suitable candidate has been nominated.

The award shall be presented at the Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference. The recipient will be required to present an award lecture.