McGill forest ecologist selected next SFM Network Scientific Director
Professor James W. Fyles, George and Frances Tomlinson Chair in Forest Ecology at McGill University in Montreal, has been selected as the next Scientific Director of the Sustainable Forest Management Network. The Network's administrative centre is hosted by the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Dr Fyles will commute between both locations.
The Sustainable Forest Management Network is a not-for-profit nationwide network of research excellence under the federal Networks of Centres of Excellence Program. The Program is a federal initiative administered jointly through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) in partnership with Industry Canada. The Network is a partnership involving 31 universities, 12 forestry companies, provincial and federal departments, Aboriginal groups and non-governmental organizations. It administers an annual budget of $7.1 million.
"In addition to his very strong background in research, teaching and mentoring graduate students, Dr Fyles, through helping to establish the McGill School of Environment, has a unique background in understanding the complexities of bridging the boundaries between pure and applied science, social science and humanities," stated SFM Network Board Chair Barry Waito. "The combination of his various talents and abilities ideally suits him to become the next SFM Network Scientific Director."
"We are pleased that Jim Fyles will lead this prestigious national forest research organization," stated Dr Louise Proulx, Vice-Principal (Research), McGill University. "McGill University has played key roles in national and international research organizations in many fields in the past and we are excited that a McGill scholar will provide leadership in an area of great importance to Canadian society, the economy and the environment in which we live and work."
Over the past 20 years, Dr Fyles has generated a continuous flow of research funding, graduate students and publications in high quality academic journals. In addition, through his involvement with the McGill School of Environment, he has strived to integrate distinct sectoral cultures each with different cultures and agendas so that all partners feel that their needs are satisfied and they are contributing to a value-added product. He has worked to identify and build on the common ground between partners.
Dr Fyles is a graduate of the University of Victoria and of the University of Alberta, where he received his PhD in Soil Science and Botany in 1986. He was appointed Assistant Professor in McGill's Department of Natural Resource Sciences in 1988, promoted to Associate Professor in 1994 and to Professor in 2002. Active in the development of the McGill School of Environment since 1996, he was appointed Associate Director of the School in 1998 and Interim Director in 2003. He was appointed the Tomlinson Chair in Forest Ecology in 2002.
Throughout his career, Dr Fyles has been an active contributor to the academic community, having chaired and been a member of over 30 university, faculty and departmental committees. He has also worked as an Associate Editor of the Canadian Journal of Forest Research. He has reviewed grant proposals for national and international granting agencies and regularly reviews manuscripts for eight international journals. "But of late," says Fyles, "my attention has expanded toward writing publications that are more accessible to an audience outside the research community, including those that are charged with having to apply the results in the field."
In paying tribute to the Network's outgoing Scientific Director, Dr Vic Adamowicz, Mr. Waito said, "On behalf of the Board of Directors, I wish to most sincerely thank Dr Adamowicz for his five years of sterling service to the Network's Board, management team and staff. Vic's vision was instrumental in achieving NCE Program Renewal, long-term research excellence, numerous student training successes and a technical transfer program now coming into fruition. We look forward to his ongoing counsel as the Network strives to evolve into a permanent, national forestry research organization. We also wish to most sincerely thank Dr Terry Veeman for serving as Interim Scientific Director during this transition period."
