Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
April 4, 2013

Genome Prairie today announced the appointment of Chris Barker as Chief Scientific Officer. In this role, Mr. Barker will have responsibility for the organization's strategic research and partnership agenda. He will provide leadership, oversight and coordinate the development and management of Genome Prairie's collaborative research initiatives.
Mr. Barker has extensive technical, scientific and management experience through various positions held within the Prairie research community. Following the completion of a M.Sc. in Applied Microbiology from the University of Saskatchewan in 1995, Mr. Barker led project management activities with local start-up companies, BioSTAR and MetaMorphix. He joined Genome Prairie in 2006 as a Project Manager and has since managed multiple Genome Canada-funded research programs.

"Mr. Barker has a solid track record in the development and management of large-scale research projects with national and international scope," said Dr. Reno Pontarollo, President and Chief Executive Officer, Genome Prairie. "In his previous role as Senior Project Manager, Chris has demonstrated his leadership ability, leveraging his past experience and skills to add value to each project. We are delighted to announce this promotion and look forward to his continued contributions in enhancing the impact of genomics on the region's economy."

Mr. Barker will be based in Saskatoon and will work in close collaboration with stakeholders from across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Canadian Genomics Enterprise.

Genome Prairie, a non-profit-organization, aligns partners and resources to develop and manage research projects addressing key regional priorities in the agriculture, human health, environment, energy, and mining sectors. These efforts are playing a central role in building the region's reputation as a location of choice for innovation and commercialization.

Website: http://www.genomeprairie.ca

Published: April 4, 2013