The scientific leadership leads the D2R Initiative and is composed of:

• Philippe Gros, Chief Scientific Officer
• Mark Lathrop, Scientific Director
• Amélie Quesnel-Vallée, Associate Scientific Director
• Masad J. Damha, Associate Scientific Director

This leadership team, representing various research areas, ensures comprehensive interdisciplinary expertise within the D2R Initiative.

Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Philippe Gros

A biochemist and geneticist by training, Dr. Gros is a pioneer in the field of molecular genetics for the identification of risk factors for various pathologies, including cancers, infectious and inflammatory diseases. His work in identifying the genes, pathways and proteins involved in the evolution of these complex conditions has earned him worldwide recognition.

Dr. Gros has authored more than 400 scientific publications and holds six patents. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the McLaughlin Medal for Scientific Excellence from the Royal Society of Canada (2014), the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (2013), the Killam Prize in Health Sciences from the Canada Council for the Arts (2009), and the Prix Wilder-Penfield from the Government of Quebec (2008). He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2003, an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2016, and a Chevalier of the Ordre national du Québec in 2019.

Since 1985, Dr Gros has had various academic appointments at 91ÉçÇø, including Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Associate Member in the Department of Human Genetics, Founder and Director of 91ÉçÇø’s Center for Complex Traits, Vice-Dean of Life Sciences in 91ÉçÇø’s Faculty of Medicine and Deputy Vice-President (Research and Innovation).

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Scientific Director
Dr. Mark Lathrop

Dr. Lathrop’s research focuses on the application of genomics and statistical/mathematical methods to understand the molecular basis of human disease. His work focuses on large-scale, multi-centric investigations that combine molecular approaches with statistical genetics to unravel the genetic basis of multifactorial disease, and how these can be applied to individualize approaches to disease prevention and treatment (personalised medicine).

Dr. Lathrop was a founding member of the CEPH (Centre d’étude du polymorphisme humain), the organization which pioneered the international scientific collaboration on the human genome. Prior to joining 91ÉçÇø, Dr. Lathrop co-founded and was the first scientific director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford, an institute created to apply genomic approaches to understanding the molecular basis of human disease. Dr. Lathrop later founded the Centre national de génotypage, which he developed into the principal national infrastructure for human genetic studies in France. After joining 91ÉçÇø, he helped create the Canadian Genomics Enterprise (CGEn) which is the country's major national genomic sciences initiative. He is also the scientific director of the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine.

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Associate Scientific Director
Dr. Amélie Quesnel-Vallée

Dr. Quesnel-Vallée’s research examines the contribution of policies to social inequalities in health over the life course. It has appeared in journals such as The Lancet, the International Journal of Epidemiology, and Social Science & Medicine and was recognized through several international professional associations’ awards, including from the American Sociological Association, the Population Association of America, and the American Public Health Association, as well as from the Fulbright Canada Foundation. A skilled communicator and teacher, she was awarded the 2021 Fieldhouse Teaching Award from the Faculty of Arts.

Dr. Quesnel-Vallée is committed to furthering public understanding of science, and she is frequently sought by the media such as National Public Radio, the New York Times, and Business Week. She is a Past-President of the International Sociological Association Research Committee on the Sociology of Health and President of the Canadian Population Society.

She has also served on several scientific advisory councils, including as co-Chair of Statistics Canada’s Expert Advisory Committee on Population Health Statistics, and she currently serves on the Governing Council (Board of Directors) of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research as Chair of the Standing Committee on Science and as a member of the Executive Committee.

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Associate Scientific Director
Dr. Masad J. Damha

Masad Damha earned a B.Sc. in Chemistry (’83) and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry (’88) at 91ÉçÇø under Professor Kelvin K. Ogilvie, focusing on the synthesis and conformational analysis of RNA. He began his career at the University of Toronto’s Erindale College (UTM) in 1987 and returned to 91ÉçÇø in 1992, where he is now a Distinguished James 91ÉçÇø Professor. His research has advanced therapeutic drugs targeting RNA (siRNA, ASOs) and gene editing (CRISPR/Cas systems). He has authored over 230 publications and holds several patents worldwide.

Damha is a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada (FCIC) and has served as President of the International Society of Nucleosides, Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids (IS3NA, 2018–2020), the Oligonucleotide Therapeutic Society (2012–2014), and the Editorial Board of Nucleic Acids (presently). He has received numerous honors, including three awards from the Canadian Society for Chemistry (the Merck-Frosst Award, the Belleau Award, and the R.U. Lemieux Award), the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), and the John Charles Polanyi Chemistry Prize (1989). .