Top scientific award goes to expert in evolution of infectious diseases

Kingston, ON – A Queen’s University expert in studying the transmission and evolution of infectious diseases such as SARS and avian flu is the 2005 winner of the prestigious Steacie Prize, presented annually to a young scientist or engineer for outstanding research in Canada.

Dr Troy Day, Canada Research Chair in Mathematical Biology, studies the evolution and causes of infectious diseases through the use of mathematical models. His research examines how and why diseases appear when they do, as well as the reasons some diseases become deadly while others remain relatively benign.

Awarded annually to an outstanding science or engineering researcher under the age of 40, the $15,000 Steacie Prize honours the memory of Edgar William Richard Steacie, a physical chemist and former president of the National Research Council of Canada. It is supported from the income of the EWR Steacie Memorial Fund, which was established in 1963 through contributions from friends, associates and former colleagues of Dr Steacie.