A chemistry professor at Simon Fraser University has been recognized for his pioneering work in health research with the Horace S. Isbell Award from the American Chemical Society.
David Vocadlo, a Burnaby resident and professor at SFU, has won numerous awards for his research, and this time is being lauded for his "excellence in and promise of continued quality of contribution to research in carbohydrate chemistry," according to a press release from SFU.
The Horace S. Isbell Award goes to scientists under the age of 44 and affirms international recognition by their peers, as well as carrying with it a $1,500 cash prize and scroll.
Vocadlo's research is aimed at furthering our understanding of the role of carbohydrate structures in regards to health and disease.
His work has uncovered major insights into the role that complex sugar enzymes play in the development of insulin resistance and brain disorders such as Alzheimer's. Vocadlo is also applying the results of his research to the development of new approaches to combat antibiotic resistance mechanisms and bacterial virulence factors, as well as cancer and inflammation.
Vocadlo joined SFU's chemistry department in 2004, and he is currently a full professor in the departments of chemistry, molecular biology and biochemistry, as well as an affiliate of the Brain Research Centre at the University of British Columbia.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada has twice awarded Vocadlo its Discovery Accelerator Supplement in recognition of his research program's strong potential. In 2011, the council awarded him the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, and Caldwell Partners named Vocadlo one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 outstanding leaders in the same year.
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