2026 Celebrating the Success of Women in STEM Symposium: Breaking Barriers, Building our Future   (TRN4-E48)

Julie Lefebvre is the Vice President of the Emerging Technologies Division at the National Research Council Canada (NRC), where she leads teams advancing cutting-edge research and innovation in quantum science, nanotechnology, astronomy, metrology, and photonics. Since joining the NRC in 2019, she has held several leadership roles, including Director General of the Security and Disruptive Technologies Research Centre and Acting Director General of the Nanotechnology and Advanced Electronics and Photonics Research Centres. Before joining the NRC, Julie spent two decades at Defence Research and Development Canada, where she advanced from researcher to director general, overseeing national programs in cyber operations, space operations, and sensing technologies.

Julie has received multiple awards for innovation and leadership and is deeply committed to fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion in science and technology. She holds a PhD in Theoretical Physics from McMaster University, completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Washington State University, and is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Development Program at the Canada School of Public Service. McMaster University awarded her an honorary doctorate in recognition of her outstanding contributions to science and society.

Geneviève Tanguay, PhD, is a recognized leader in the Canadian scientific community, with over 45 years of experience in research, innovation, and strategic management. Passionate about science and science outreach, she has dedicated her career to building bridges between academic, governmental, and industrial sectors.

Holding a PhD in parasitology from McGill University, she has held several senior positions, including vice-chief science advisor of Canada; vice-president, research-emerging technologies, at the National Research Council; and vice-rector, research, creation and innovation, at the University of Montréal. She also led the first two Quebec Research and Innovation strategies as assistant deputy minister in the Government of Quebec.

Recipient of the 2023 APEX Award of Excellence in Leadership, Dr. Tanguay is recognized for her transformational leadership and commitment to diversity in science. She notably founded the annual Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and Innovation Symposium.

An active member of numerous boards, she currently chairs the One Health Against Pathogen Steering Committee and the jury of the Délie Ta Langue! [loosen your tongue] competition while also serving on the boards of the Graduate School of Technology, the MiQro Innovation Collaborative Centre and the Scientific Commission of the National Scientific Research Institute.

Mona Nemer was first appointed Canada’s chief science advisor in 2017 and reappointed for a fourth term in 2024. Prior to this role, Dr. Nemer was professor and vice-president of research at the University of Ottawa and director of the school’s Molecular Genetics and Cardiac Regeneration Laboratory.

A leader in the field of molecular cardiology, her work has contributed to the development of diagnostic tests for heart failure and the genetics of cardiac birth defects. She is the author of over 200 academic publications that have appeared in prestigious scientific journals and has trained over 100 students from various countries.

Dr. Nemer has served on various national and international advisory committees and boards, including as an executive committee member of the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force and as an ex officio member of the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force and the Industry Strategy Council. During her mandate, she has helped to expand and diversify science advice to government by establishing a multidisciplinary network of federal science advisors, founding a pan-Canadian youth council to provide evidence-based input on scientific issues affecting young people, and helping to create the Interdepartmental Indigenous Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Cluster (I-STEM) to inform and advance Indigenous aspirations and innovation in natural science stewardship. Dr. Nemer has also promoted free, open, and responsible use of science in government through the creation of a model policy on scientific integrity and a road map for open science to guide efforts in making federal research available to Canadians. She has provided science advice on numerous issues ranging from research infrastructure to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Nemer has represented Canada in international science forums, is a globally recognized champion of Canadian science, and is the recipient of many national and international honours. She is a member of the Order of Canada, a fellow of the Academy of Sciences of the Royal Society of Canada, a fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a knight of the Ordre national du Québec, a knight of France’s National Order of Merit and a knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour. She has been awarded honorary doctorates from universities in France, Finland, and Lebanon.

Dr. Nemer holds a PhD in chemistry from McGill University and has done post-doctoral training in molecular biology at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute and Columbia University. Prior to joining the University of Ottawa, she was a professor of pharmacology at the University of Montréal and directed the Cardiac Genetics Unit at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute.

Asefeh Poshtchi-Oskuei, P.Eng., is a strategic engineering leader who has guided high-value portfolios across government, industry, and research sectors, specializing in operational excellence, cross-functional alignment, and the translation of complex technical programs into measurable organizational outcomes. At the National Research Council of Canada, she leads system and process modernization initiatives that support multi-million-dollar research programs, improve decision-making frameworks, and strengthen national innovation capacity.

Her leadership spans chemical engineering, clean energy technologies, advanced materials, and public-sector program governance, giving her a rare ability to bridge scientific depth with executive-level strategy. Asefeh is recognized for building high-trust collaborations, navigating ambiguity, and enabling teams to deliver with clarity and purpose.

In addition to her professional mandate, she contributes extensively to national engineering and STEM communities, supporting leadership development, professional integration, and equity in technical fields. She is motivated by the belief that strong organizations are built not only on strategy, but on empathy, mentorship, and the courage to open doors for others.

Her work reflects a commitment to shaping resilient, evidence-informed organizations prepared for the next decade of scientific and technological transformation.

Catalina is the Founder and CEO of a global genomics platform called Global Gene. She has dedicated her career to genomics and its transformative applications in life sciences in Canada and internationally. As Chief Strategy Officer at Genome Quebec (2008–2015), Genome BC (2015–2019) and Genome Canada (2021–2025), she has been instrumental in developing competitive research and innovation initiatives raising the profile of Canadian genomics on the global stage. As the Executive Director of the Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network (CanCOGeN), she led a $40 million initiative to advance the use of genomics to understand and control the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as Chief Global Strategy Officer of Genome Canada, she is taking genomics to the next level, by advancing the national and global implementation of genomic technologies.

Catalina was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2023. Since her diagnosis, she has been advocating for patients’ access to precision oncology and genomic testing. She has written blogs and participated in podcasts and conferences as a keynote and panellist to increase awareness of the importance of genomics for diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of cancer patients. Catalina’s work has been recognized with several awards, including in 2017 the Canadian Senate 150th Anniversary Medal, and in 2013 the Colombian National Order of Merit.

Marie Zoé graduated in microbiology and immunology from the University of Montréal. Her career, at the crossroads of clinical practice, industry, and research, is driven by a desire to understand and address the health issues that connect humans, animals, and ecosystems. After five years in a veterinary clinic as an animal health technician assistant and experience in the food industry, she pursued a Master of Veterinary Science under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Fernandez-Prada, where she studied the resistance mechanisms of the Leishmania parasite. Rooted in the One Health approach, she aspires to specialize in emerging zoonotic diseases. Convinced that science is best shared, she hosts the Hors Labo podcast, a personal initiative that promotes research, humanizes the scientific journey, and helps amplify the voices of current and future researchers.

Niloofar Moradi is the Director of Strategy and Business Development at the National Research Council of Canada’s Aerospace Research Centre. She leads strategic planning and partnership initiatives that strengthen the NRC’s role in advancing aerospace innovation in Canada.

Niloofar joined the NRC in 2024 after fourteen years at Pratt & Whitney Canada, where she contributed to aircraft engine project management, customer relations, and gas turbine development from research and design through certification. She began her career at Rolls-Royce Canada and holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Concordia University and a Master’s in Aerospace Engineering from École de Technologie Supérieure.

She received the 2018 Engineering Award from the Elsie McGill Northern Lights Foundation and was named one of Wings Magazine’s Top 20 Under 40 Agents of Change.

Annie Martin has been with the Canadian Space Agency for 20 years in the Operational Space Medicine group and is the Portfolio Manager of the Health Beyond Initiative. This initiative envisions a major Canadian contribution to deep space exploration: Canadian healthcare services and technologies for the International Space Station and lunar missions, paving the way to human exploration missions on Mars while also helping to bridge the gap of healthcare access inequities in Canada.

Annie holds bachelor's and master's degrees in kinesiology from the Université du Québec à Montréal and a master's degree and a doctorate in industrial engineering (management of innovation) from Polytechnique Montréal; her thesis focused on innovation and collaboration in the Canadian space sector.

Patricia Debergue is the director of the National Research Council of Canada’s (NRC) Aging in Place Challenge Program, a program that is part of NRC’s Life Sciences division and that supports the choice of older Canadians to age in place within their homes and communities, through technology and innovation. Before becoming program director in April 2022, she was leading a research section in digital health at the NRC’s Medical Devices Research Centre where she had been conducting research for over 15 years.

Dr Mamadou Diop is the Medical Biophysics Undergraduate Chair and an Associate Professor in the Departments of Medical Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering at Western University (Ontario, Canada). He leads the Translational Biophotonics Lab and is also a Principal Investigator in the Imaging Division of the Lawson Research Institute at St. Joseph’s Healthcare London. Dr. Diop earned his BSc in Physics from Dakar University (Senegal) and completed his PhD in Physics at Laval University (Quebec), where he investigated colloidal photonic crystals. He then pursued postdoctoral training at the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa, focusing on optical trapping of living cells. His research is centered on the development and clinical translation of non-invasive optical technologies for point-of-care hemodynamic monitoring, with particular emphasis on neuromonitoring and early detection of sepsis. His lab specializes in time-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy (TR-NIRS), diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS), and hyperspectral tissue spectroscopy, aiming to quantify key physiological parameters such as cerebral blood flow, oxygen metabolism, and tissue perfusion in real time.

Cécile Siewe is the assistant deputy minister of the Meteorological Service of Canada at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), where she leads one of Canada’s critical organizations in delivering state-of-the-art weather services, advancing climate science, and supporting environmental safety and resilience. Cécile also serves as Canada’s permanent representative to the World Meteorological Organization, fostering international collaboration on meteorological and environmental issues.

Appointed as assistant deputy minister in January 2024, Cécile brings a rich blend of leadership experience, technical expertise, and commitment to environmental stewardship. Prior to her appointment, she served as director general of the Industrial Sectors and Chemicals Directorate in ECCC’s Environmental Protection Branch, a role she held for three years.

Cécile’s career spans diverse sectors, including academia, industry, and public service. She began her professional journey in academia, as a post-doctoral fellow and lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. She then transitioned to the private sector, spending 11 years at Shell Canada, where she excelled in various operational and leadership roles.

Cécile holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of London’s Imperial College, as well as a BSc in Industrial Chemistry from City University London and an MBA from the University of Calgary.

As a recognized leader in her field, Cécile was inducted as a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2020, celebrating her contributions to engineering excellence and innovation in Canada. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of APEX, the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada, where she supports the development of leadership in Canada’s public service.

Valerie Taylor, MD, PhD, FRCPC, is a professor and the head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Calgary. She is also a departmental science advisor for Health Canada. She completed a Bachelors of Medical Science and graduated from medical school at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She subsequently finished her residency training in Psychiatry and obtained a PhD in Neuroscience and two post-doctoral fellowships at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Her research has focused on the brain-body connection. She has obtained millions of dollars in research funding and has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles. In the last 15 years, she has worked primarily on the microbiome and gut-brain axis, creating precision live bacterial therapeutics and a start-up company at the University of Calgary called Taylored Biotherapeutics.

Taki Sarantakis has been President of the Canada School of Public Service since July 2018, having previously served as Associate Secretary of the Treasury Board at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. Mr. Sarantakis spent most of his career at Infrastructure Canada, including as Assistant Deputy Minister of Policy and Communications.

In 2011 Mr. Sarantakis was awarded Canada's Public Service Award of Excellence in Public Policy, and in 2013 he was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Prior to joining the federal government, Mr. Sarantakis was a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto. He holds a B.A. and an M.A. from York University in Toronto, as well as an Executive Certificate in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He is a graduate of the Rotman School of Management's Institute of Corporate Directors Education Program, holding the ICD.D designation.

Marcela Carena is the executive director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. She is an award-winning distinguished scientist with a joint appointment as a particle physicist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) and a physics professor at the University of Chicago. At the latter, she is a member of both the Enrico Fermi Institute and the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics. She was formerly the head of the Theory Division at Fermilab. Her research explores possible connections between the Higgs boson, dark matter, and the origin of matter in the universe.

Marcela is a leader in exploring radical new concepts, such as supersymmetry and warped extra dimensions, particularly in showing how these ideas can be tested in experiments. She has worked closely with physicists at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) Large Hadron Collider and with those at Fermilab and the University of Chicago, creating and implementing strategies for discovery. Recently, she has been exploring ideas at the boundary between particle physics and quantum information to tackle problems of quantum theory and the early universe.

In 2022, Marcela was honoured by being made a Department of Energy Office of Science Distinguished Scientist Fellow for leadership in and influential contributions to particle physics and for promoting Latin American participation in United States-hosted experiments. In 2010, Carena won a Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and she was a Simons Distinguished Scholar at the Kavli Institute in Santa Barbara in 2013. Earlier in her career she was a John Stuart Bell Fellow at CERN and was awarded a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship by the European Commission to conduct her research at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron [German electron synchrotron] (DESY).

Marcela is the chair-elect of the Forum on International Physics of the American Physical Society. She has represented the United States at the Particle Physics Preparatory Groups for the 2020 European Strategy for Particle Physics Update, as well as at the first community exercise for the Latin American Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructure for High Energy, Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. She was the founder of a Department of Energy-funded consortium for research in quantum information theory led by Fermilab and including several universities. She was also the founder of an initiative to strengthen neutrino theory research impacting the flagship US neutrino experimental program.

Marcela continues to be actively involved in efforts in Latin America and other countries to strengthen scientific collaborations at a global scale and open new opportunities for scientists from diverse backgrounds. She has been a member of several international scientific advisory panels around the world, including at the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Serrapilheira Institute and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics-South American Institute for Fundamental Research in Brazil and the Mainz Institute for Theoretical Physics and the DESY Physics Research Council in Germany. Carena is currently a member of the US National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s committee setting a vision for the field of elementary particle physics for the coming decades. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of Argentina’s Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales [national academy of exact, physical and natural sciences].

Before joining Perimeter Institute as its executive director, Carena was on its Scientific Advisory Committee. She has chaired that committee since 2022.

Denise Gareau is a proud public servant with nearly 30 years of experience shaping economic and social policy in Canada. Since January 2025, she has served as Director of Research and Innovation at Women and Gender Equality Canada, where she leads national efforts to strengthen evidence-based approaches to gender equality and inclusion.

Previously, Denise spearheaded Canada’s whole-of-government strategy for Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus), advancing intersectional frameworks that inform more responsive programs and policies. A passionate advocate for equity, Denise has championed initiatives that bridge research, policy, and practice to dismantle systemic barriers and foster inclusive governance.

Her work reflects a commitment to innovation and collaboration, with a focus on mainstreaming approaches that empower technical experts and decision-makers to integrate equity into their work. Denise champions strategies that enable collective impact—working toward common goals that advance inclusion and strengthen outcomes for all.

Dr. Lakshmi Krishnan was appointed as the Vice-President of Life Sciences at the National Research Council Canada on April 1, 2022. In this capacity, she oversees the Human Health Therapeutics, Aquatic and Crop Resource Development and Medical Devices research centres. Previous to this role, she was the Director General of the Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre (2018–2022), Program Lead for Vaccines and Immunotherapy (2015–2018), Director of R&D for Immunobiology at Human Health Therapeutics (2016–2018), and a Research Officer at Human Health Therapeutics and the Institute for Biological Sciences (1997–2014).

As a globally recognized life sciences researcher and recently elected fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, Dr. Krishnan has been a leader for driving innovation in the area of vaccine technologies and novel biologics for the improvement of human health.

Dr. Krishnan has made significant contributions to international outreach through her extensive involvement in global scientific and policy initiatives. She serves as co-chair of the Canada-Korea Joint Committee on Science and Technology and Innovation, reflecting her commitment to fostering international collaborations. Her participation in global conferences and panels, such as the International Society of Vaccines Annual Meeting and the Canada-Korea Conference on Science and Technology, underscores her active engagement in international discourse. Krishnan's leadership in developing vaccine technologies, including the archaeosome vaccine adjuvant, has facilitated partnerships with Canadian companies and international organizations like the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Her work has also been highlighted in global platforms such as the FutureEconomy.ca's podcast series on biomanufacturing and the Canadian Science Policy Conference.

Dr. Krishnan received her Master's degree in Biomedical Genetics from the University of Madras (India) and PhD in Immunology from the National Institute of Immunology in India, following which, she completed post-doctoral studies at the University of Alberta through an Alberta Heritage Foundation scholarship. She has published over 80 primary research articles in peer-reviewed journals in the field of vaccine technologies, host-pathogen and cancer immunity, and is listed as an inventor on several patents. Over the course of her career, Dr. Krishnan has been the recipient of numerous competitive research grants from various agencies including the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the National Institutes of Health. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, and has mentored many students and serves on the board of a number of organizations such as the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance, the Ottawa Heart Institute Research Foundation and the International Society of Vaccines.

Donna Strickland is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo and is one of the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2018 for developing chirped pulse amplification with Gérard Mourou, her PhD supervisor at the time. They published this Nobel-winning research in 1985 when Strickland was a PhD student at the University of Rochester in New York State. Together they paved the way towards the most intense laser pulses ever created.

Strickland was a research associate at National Research Council Canada, a physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and a member of the technical staff at Princeton University. In 1997, she joined the University of Waterloo, where her ultrafast laser group develops high-intensity laser systems for nonlinear optics investigations.

Strickland is a Companion of the Order of Canada. She is a recipient of a Sloan Research Fellowship, a Premier’s Research Excellence Award (Ontario) and a Cottrell Scholar Award. Strickland served as the president of the Optical Society of America in 2013. She is a fellow of the Optical Society of America, the International Society for Optics and Photonics, the Royal Society of Canada and the UK Royal Society. She is an honorary fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering as well as the UK Institute of Physics. She is an international member of the US National Academy of Sciences.

Strickland earned a PhD in optics from the University of Rochester and a B.Eng. from McMaster University.

Dr. Mouhab Meshreki is the Director General of the Aerospace Research Centre at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), as well as an adjunct professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at McGill University. Prior to assuming his current role, he served as the Director of the NRC's Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies Centre.

Dr. Meshreki has been instrumental in shaping the strategic direction of the Aerospace Research Centre. He combines a breadth of scientific expertise with an empathetic and inspirational leadership style, demonstrating a proven ability to build and nurture stakeholder relationships across industry and academia. With more than 20 years of experience in both national and international research and development – spanning across aerospace and non-aerospace sectors – Dr. Meshreki has held roles ranging from researcher and group leader to program thrust leader, director, and university professor. His extensive experience includes collaborating on research and development projects with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the aerospace manufacturing sector. Within these collaborations, he displays a strong background in manufacturing-related activities in the areas of machining, metal and composite processing, as well as robotized processes. Additionally, he has led long-term strategic collaboration projects with national and international aerospace OEMs.

Dr. Meshreki holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University, specializing in the dynamics of multi-axis milling of thin-walled aerospace structures.