Joshua Milstein has been selected to receive a Connaught New Researcher Award in the amount of $50,000. Milstein, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences and the Department of Physics, will focus on how the mechanics of DNA effect genetic function. “The research has the potential to advance our understanding of how cells work, with huge implications for how we approach health and disease,” he says.

The Connaught New Researcher Program is designed to foster excellence in research and innovation by providing support for researchers at the assistant professor level who are within the first five years of their first academic appointment at the University of Toronto. The awards are intended to help these early-career researchers establish a strong research program, thereby increasing their competitiveness for external funding.

After spending a year in consultation, the Connaught Committee designed a new suite of programs that would promote excellence in research and innovation across the disciplines, raise the profile of the university and help it recruit and retain scholars.  The revamped Connaught New Researcher Program allows researchers to apply for one of two levels of award: $10,000 and $50,000. “The creation of a two-tiered award structure takes into consideration the fact that it is more expensive to launch a research program in some disciplines,” said Young. He noted, however, that the majority of funding was reserved for $10,000 awards, to ensure equal access across all the areas of the University.