Awards
2010 summit award® recipients
The Alberta Ingenuity Fund
Research Excellence Award
This award recognizes professionals in academia or industry who have conducted innovative research in engineering, geology or geophysics that has been successfully applied to improve our economic and social well-being.
Dr. LEO A. BEHIE, P.ENG.
Dr. Leo Behie, P.Eng., is one of the leading stem cell bioengineering authorities in the world. By boldly proposing and successfully implementing innovative ideas and by establishing key collaborations with world leaders in complementary areas of expertise, he has pioneered a new area of biomedical engineering that will ultimately result in successful stem cell treatment of currently incurable diseases and medical conditions, some of which may include Parkinson’s, diabetes, Huntington’s, multiple sclerosis, brain and spinal cord injuries and some cancers. He has developed new technology, reagents and bioreactor protocols to effectively grow large numbers of rare stem cells outside the body and to direct the maturation of these stem cells to clinically useful cell types. The implications of stem cell research are staggering and could revolutionize modern medicine.
As a professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering of the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary since 1977, Dr. Behie has taught numerous graduate and undergraduate courses. In addition, he has trained 27 M.Sc. and 19 PhD graduate students, many of whom have been involved in technology transfer. In addition to being a Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Engineering, he is also founding Director of the Pharmaceutical Production Research Facility (PPRF).
In 1990, Dr. Behie established the PPRF, a state-of-the-art tissue culture facility with an attached bioreactor pilot plant containing computer-controlled bioreactor systems. There is no other facility in North America working on bioengineering procedures to bring stem cells to the clinic. Dr. Behie’s research results have been disseminated through 137 papers in journals and 198 papers in conference proceedings. He has co-authored six book chapters and one encyclopedia contribution. He has filed for nine patents since 1997.
Dr. Behie has received numerous awards and recognitions for his outstanding research. In 1998, he won the Outstanding Leadership in Alberta Technology Award for his innovative research applying basic principles of chemical reaction engineering to both the animal cell biotechnology field and the energy field. Other awards include the University of Western Ontario Professional Achievement Award in recognition of superior achievements by alumni in their chosen field, the APEGGA Frank Spragins Technical Summit Award®, the Departmental and Faculty Research award at the University of Calgary and the Killam Fellowship. He was elected a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada in recognition of his major contributions to the profession, and in 2001 was awarded a prestigious Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Engineering which was renewed in 2008. Also in 2008, he was elected to the Royal Society of Canada. Election to Fellowship in the Society is the highest academic accolade available to scientists and scholars in Canada.
Honours, Awards and Distinctions
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Canada Research Chair (Tier I) in Biomedical and Biochemical Engineering (2008-2015; 2001-2008)
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Finalist, Outstanding Leadership in Alberta Technology Award Alberta Science and Technology (ASTech) Leadership Awards Foundation (2007)
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Professional Achievement Alumni Award of Merit at the University of Western Ontario (2002)
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APEGGA Frank Spragins Technical Summit Award® (1999)
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Killam Resident Fellowship (1999)
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Faculty of Engineering Research Award, University of Calgary (1999)
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Outstanding Leadership in Alberta Technology Award, ASTech (1998)
Professional Affiliations and Activities
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Fellow, Royal Society of Canada (2008)
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Fellow, Chemical Institute of Canada (1999)
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Member, APEGGA (1977-present)