Fellows & Advisors
ROLES
CIFAR fellows, scholars, and advisors advance knowledge across disciplines.
Researchers are invited to participate in CIFAR programs for their excellence in research and communication, as well as for how their expertise fits into the goals of a program.
Advisor
Preeminent scholars in their field are selected for their professional reputation and their capacity to provide guidance and advice to CIFAR and their research programs. Each program has approximately 6-8 advisors working as a committee.
Fellow
An outstanding researcher who is internationally recognized for conducting innovative studies that lead to high-impact advances in their fields. A fellow joins a program at the invitation of the program co-directors and advisors to provide research expertise to the program’s themes and goals. They receive annual unrestricted research support.
Associate Fellow
Outstanding, internationally recognized researchers who join a program at the invitation of the program co-directors and advisors to provide research expertise to the program’s themes and goals.
Program Director
A fellow who has a strong vision for the program and the ability to motivate and lead a multidisciplinary group of scholars to make progress toward the program’s transformative knowledge creation may be invited to serve as a program co-director.
Co-directors have demonstrated intellectual leadership and a willingness and openness to extend dialogue across traditional disciplinary boundaries. In some instances, a program may choose to appoint an associate director as a leadership opportunity for emerging scholars.
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar
Outstanding early-career researchers, recognized as rising stars in their field for their potential as future research leaders. Representing a wide range of disciplines and countries, they are selected to participate for two years in one of CIFAR’s research programs and receive unrestricted research support.
Hiroaki Kitano
Advisor
The Systems Biology Institute
Yasmeen Abu-Laban
Fellow
Tania Aedo
Fellow
Daniel E. Agbiboa
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2024-2026
Dorit Aharonov
Advisor
Ashok Ajoy
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2022-2024
Zakaria Al Balushi
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2022-2024
Yacine Ali-Haïmoud
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2022-2024
Kelsey Allen
Canada CIFAR AI Chair
CIFAR Global Scholars 2026-2028
Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Vector Institute
Feyaad Allie
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2025-2027
Chibueze Amanchukwu
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2022-2024
Katherine R. Amato
Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2016-2018
Ash Amin
Fellow
University of Cambridge
James Analytis
Fellow
Chris Andersen
Fellow
Kristin A Andrews
Fellow
Daniel Ansari
Fellow
Nausheen Hafeeza Anwar
Advisor
Iair Arcavi
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021
Carlos Argüelles-Delgado
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2024-2026
N. Peter Armitage
Fellow
Fraser Armstrong
Advisor
Alán Aspuru-Guzik
Program Co-Director
Canada CIFAR AI Chair
Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
University of Toronto
Vector Institute
Colin Averill
Associate Fellow
Meghan Azad
Fellow
Artem Babaian
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2025-2027
David Bacon
Associate Fellow
Gary Bader
Program Co-Director
Janelle Baker
Fellow
Erik Bakkeren
CIFAR Global Scholars 2026-2028
Leon Balents
Program Co-Director
Chris Ballentine
Fellow
Keith Banting
Advisor
Nir Bar-Gill
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2016-2018
Amelia Barber
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2025-2027
Maan Barua
Fellow
Stefan Bauer
Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2020-2022
Tim Bayne
Program Co-Director
Kwabena Bediako (on leave)
Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2020-2022
Marc G. Bellemare
Associate Fellow
Canada CIFAR AI Chair
Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
McGill University
Mila
Reliant AI