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Canada CIFAR AI Chairs program surges past 100

By: Krista Davidson
19 Jan, 2021

Canada CIFAR AI Chairs are advancing research in AI for health, climate change and responsible AI.

Canada welcomes 29 international researchers to its world-class AI research and training community.  The newly-appointed Canada CIFAR AI Chairs are advancing research in a wide range of areas, including machine learning for health and responsible AI.

Read about some of the Chairs who are advancing AI research in areas that will benefit society.

“On behalf of CIFAR, I am delighted to welcome and congratulate the newest cohort of Canada CIFAR AI Chairs. They will join a vibrant network of talented researchers across Canada who are responding to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Their contributions will transform the future and promote an AI world that benefits all,” says Dr. Elissa Strome, Executive Director, Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, CIFAR.

The Canada CIFAR AI Chairs program, a cornerstone of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, aims to attract outstanding researchers to Canada by providing them with long-term, dedicated funding to pursue innovative ideas. 

“With today’s announcement, we have now attracted more than 100 of the world’s top AI researchers to Canada. That’s an important milestone for the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy as it continues to strengthen Canada’s leadership in responsible AI, reflecting our values of human rights, inclusion and diversity. The Canada CIFAR AI Chairs have far-reaching impacts on Canada’s growing AI capabilities including contributing to the development of new start-ups, well-paying jobs for Canadians and innovative products and services that will enrich Canadians’ lives,” says the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

AI in Canada:

  • Since 2017, 57 researchers have taken up their first faculty position in Canada as Canada CIFAR AI Chairs.
  • 1,200 graduate and postdoctoral fellows have been trained at the AI institutes (Amii, Mila and the Vector Institute).
  • 45 + new AI R&D labs have been established in Canada by multinational firms, and a 50% growth in foreign direct investment in Canadian ICT.
  • Canada is fourth in the world for AI skills migration.
  • Canadian AI startups received $658 million in venture capital funding in 2019, a 49% year-over-year increase.*

*Data from

2021 Cohort of Canada CIFAR AI Chairs:

Amii

About Michael Bowling

Michael Bowling

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Amii
DeepMind
University of Alberta
Canada
About Mo Chen

Mo Chen

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Amii
Simon Fraser University
Canada
About Russell Greiner

Russell Greiner

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Amii
University of Alberta
Canada
About Yuhong Guo

Yuhong Guo

Canada CIFAR AI Chair
National Program Committee member

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Amii
Carleton University
Canada
About Matthew Guzdial

Matthew Guzdial

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Amii
University of Alberta
Canada
About Nidhi Hegde

Nidhi Hegde

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Amii
University of Alberta
Canada
About Levi H. S. Lelis

Levi H. S. Lelis

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Amii
University of Alberta
Canada
About Lei Ma

Lei Ma

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Amii
University of Alberta
Canada
About Martin Müller

Martin Müller

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Amii
University of Alberta
Canada
About Patrick M. Pilarski

Patrick M. Pilarski

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Amii
University of Alberta
Canada
About Dale Schuurmans

Dale Schuurmans

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Amii
Google DeepMind
University of Alberta
Canada
About Richard S. Sutton

Richard S. Sutton

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Amii
University of Alberta
Canada
About Matthew Taylor

Matthew Taylor

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Amii
University of Alberta
Canada
About Osmar R. Zaïane

Osmar R. Zaïane

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Amii
University of Alberta
Canada
About Sandra Zilles

Sandra Zilles

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Amii
University of Regina
Canada

Mila

About Dzmitry Bahdanau

Dzmitry Bahdanau

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
McGill University
Mila
ServiceNow
Canada
About Samira Ebrahimi Kahou

Samira Ebrahimi Kahou

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
McGill University
Mila
University of Calgary
Canada
About Golnoosh Farnadi

Golnoosh Farnadi

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
McGill University
Mila
Canada
About Gauthier Gidel

Gauthier Gidel

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Mila
Université de Montréal
Canada
About Guillaume Lajoie

Guillaume Lajoie

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Mila
Université de Montréal
Canada
About Eilif B. Muller

Eilif B. Muller

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center
Mila
Université de Montréal
Canada
About Adam Oberman

Adam Oberman

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Mila
McGill University
About David Rolnick

David Rolnick

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
McGill University
Mila
Canada
About Xujie Si

Xujie Si

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Mila
University of Toronto
Canada
About Guy Wolf

Guy Wolf

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Mila
Université de Montréal
Canada

Vector Institute

About David Duvenaud

David Duvenaud

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
University of Toronto
Vector Institute
Canada
About Michael Brudno

Michael Brudno

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
University Health Network (UHN)
University of Toronto
Vector Institute
Canada
About Rahul G. Krishnan

Rahul G. Krishnan

Canada CIFAR AI Chair

Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
University of Toronto
Vector Institute
Canada

About the CIFAR Pan-Canadian AI Strategy

In 2017, the Government of Canada appointed CIFAR to develop and lead the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy. The Canada CIFAR AI Chairs Program is a cornerstone of the Strategy. The Canada CIFAR AI Chairs are named in partnership with Canada’s three national AI institutes: Amii (Edmonton), Mila (Montreal) and Vector Institute (Toronto), as well as universities and hospitals across the country.

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  • Charitable Registration Number: 11921 9251 RR0001
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