Dr. David W. Strangway
President and CEO
Canada Foundation for Innovation

After 30 years of distinguished service to Canada's academic, research, and innovation communities, Dr. David W. Strangway joined the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to continue his longstanding commitment to strengthening the research and training environments for Canadians in the new knowledge-based economy.

Dr. Strangway brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to his position as President and Chief Executive Officer of the CFI. Since first joining the Foundation in 1998, he has guided it in achieving its numerous goals and in furthering the Government of Canada's innovation agenda. By helping to strengthen the capability of Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals, and other not-for-profit institutions to carry out world-class research and technology development, Dr. Strangway has been instrumental in helping the CFI fund research that is improving the quality of life of all Canadians.

Before joining the CFI, Dr. Strangway was President of the University of British Columbia from 1985 to 1997. During his 12-year tenure, his vision and commitment to excellence were widely credited with positioning the university as a world-class academic institution. In addition, at the University of Toronto from 1973 to 1985, he held a number of positions including Acting President, Vice-President, and Chairman of the Geology Department.

In 1970, Dr. Strangway joined NASA as Chief of the Geophysics Branch, where he was responsible for the geophysical aspects of the U.S. space agency's Apollo missions. In addition to serving on numerous scientific and academic committees over the years, he has worked with more than 50 government, private-sector, and non-government organizations in a variety of capacities since 1971.

Among his numerous awards and honours, Dr. Strangway was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1996. In 1997, in recognition of his work in advancing Korean studies at UBC, he was awarded the First Order of Civil Merit medal from the Government of South Korea-the first time the medal had been awarded to a non-Korean. In 1987, he received the J. Tuzo Wilson Award from the Canadian Geophysical Union, and the Logan Gold Medal from the Geological Association of Canada in 1984. He was presented the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship in 1980. And in 1972, Dr. Strangway was honoured with the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. In addition, he is the author or co-author of more than 165 scientific papers and publications in the area of geophysics.

Dr. Strangway earned his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Toronto in 1960. He also has a number of honourary degrees from universities all across Canada and around the world-including Japan and China.

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