McMaster University materials engineering expert Kathryn Grandfield has won a prestigious Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship from NSERC. The award includes up to $250,000 in research funding and salary support of up to $180,000 to advance her work in atomic-scale microscopy for biomedical implants.
How a High School Camp Sparked a Career in Biomedical Microscopy
Long before earning a Tier-2 Canada Research Chair in Microscopy of Biomaterials and Biointerfaces, Kathryn Grandfield attended a materials engineering camp while in high school. During the program, she participated in a workshop hosted by Diego Mantovani, a specialist in regenerative and reparative medicine biomaterials based at Université Laval in Quebec City, Educationnewscanada.
I remember he showed us this project that explored why heart valves fail.
Kathryn Grandfield, via McMaster University
She serves as a Materials Science & Engineering professor at McMaster University.
Grandfield Builds Framework to Inspect Native Bone Structures
Traditional imaging often falls short when examining the biological processes that dictate whether joint replacements and dental implants succeed or fail. To bypass this barrier, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada noted that Grandfield built an advanced framework combining atom probe tomography, ion beam microscopy, and liquid electron microscopy.
This correlative microscopy approach allows her team to inspect native structures without destroying them.
With this fellowship, we want to take that discovery beyond a snapshot of what’s happening. We want to see this happening in real time.
Kathryn Grandfield, via McMaster University
Utilizing advanced microscopy, Grandfield examines how bone structure interacts with medical implants on an atomic scale, opening the door to innovative techniques for observing bone development as it happens.
NSERC Provides Funding Through Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada announced Grandfield’s fellowship on October 26, as part of its annual prize week celebrating Canadian excellence in science and engineering. The Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship honors six early-stage academic researchers nationwide each year, providing crucial support to expand their laboratories.
Each fellowship carries up to $250,000 in research funding paired with salary support of up to $180,000.
A Tradition of Engineering Excellence at McMaster University
Grandfield’s recognition marks the second consecutive year a McMaster engineer has claimed the Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship, following mechanical engineering associate professor Tohid Didar’s win last year. In 2018, chemical engineer Todd Hoare received the NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship before the award was renamed in honor of McDonald.
Beyond lab discoveries, Grandfield views the fellowship as a vehicle to support her students.
I hope that this award enables me to continue playing a part in opening doors for them.
Kathryn Grandfield, via McMaster University
She believes the fellowship will provide the necessary resources to ensure her students have the opportunities they need to further their own scientific research and professional growth. This year’s recipients of the Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships are Marie-Claire Arrieta, Kathryn Grandfield, Feng Jiang, Lawrence Kazak, Nicolas Papernot, and Corinna Schindler.