Network Staff

Dr. Michael Rudnicki, PhD
Scientific Director

Dr. Michael Rudnicki is the Scientific Director of the Stem Cell Network. He is Senior Scientist and Director of the Regenerative Medicine Program and the Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research at the Ottawa Health Research Institute. He is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa and the Scientific Director of the International Regulome Consortium. Dr. Rudnicki is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, he holds the Canada Research Chair in Molecular Genetics, and is an International Research Scholar of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Rudnicki's laboratory is responsible for the milestone identification of the Pax7 protein that triggers stem cell specification into muscle cells.

To view Dr Rudnicki’s Web page, visit: www.ohri.ca/profiles/rudnicki.asp

Drew Lyall
Executive Director

Drew joined the Stem Cell Network shortly after it was founded in 2001, and he is the full-time manager of the Network. For four years prior to joining the SCN, Drew was the Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary for two start-up companies in Ottawa, one focused on the use of transgenic technologies for the production of therapeutic proteins, and the other a software company. Prior to that, he spent ten years with Coopers & Lybrand specializing in business planning, strategic planning, public-private partnerships, and commercialization. Drew holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford; he is a Chartered Accountant (UK), and a Certified Management Consultant (Canada).

Dr. Sophie Chargé, PhD
Director of Research and Training Programs

Sophie joined the Stem Cell Network in August 2004, and is responsible for the smooth administration of the scientific and training programs, and for managing relationships with training partners.

Prior to this, Sophie was a postdoctoral fellow in Michael Rudnicki's laboratory at the Ottawa Health Research Institute. There, her research was focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating skeletal muscle development and regeneration. Sophie obtained her PhD in the field of Developmental Biology from the University of London (UK) under the supervision of Simon Hughes. Prior to her graduate studies, Sophie worked with Anne Clark at the Diabetes Research Laboratories in Oxford. Sophie has published her research findings in peer-reviewed journals and has written reviews on her research area.

Eileen Emmonds
Office Administrator

Eileen joined the Stem Cell Network's office team full time in April 2007 as the office administrator. Until the end of March 2007, Eileen was office administrator for Aggregate Therapeutics Inc. (at the Stem Cell Network) in Ottawa. Eileen has a number of years of experience in senior administrative roles including 19 years with The Conference Board of Canada, the last 5 years of which were as Executive Assistant to the President and Chief Executive Officer.

Will Read
Research Program Manager

Will is the Network's Research Program Manager, in which capacity he acts as a resource and mentor to the full and part-time project managers across the Network. He also directly project manages several of the SCN's core projects himself. Will holds degrees in computer science (MCS, University of Ottawa, 1994) and business administration (MBA, Royal Roads University, 2005). He has over 17 years of experience in public- and private-sector project management, and has held the Project Management Professional (PMP) designation since 1999.

Shannon Sethuram
Manager of Finance and Administration

Shannon joined the Stem Cell Network in September 2008 as the Manager of Finance responsible for maintaining all of the Network's accounting records and financial reporting to the Government. Prior to joining the Network, Shannon was an accountant with Sustainable Development Technology Canada. She has held the position of controller with Cummings Mitchell Inc., and as an accountant with private businesses in both Ottawa and Halifax. Shannon is a graduate of the Business Program at Mount Saint Vincent University.

Lisa Willemse
Director of Communications

Lisa joined the Stem Cell Network in 2008, assuming the role of Director Communications. She manages the Network’s online and print materials and oversees internal, public and media relations. Lisa brings more than 10 years’ experience in project management and communications from national research projects based in both London, Ontario and Calgary, Alberta. She has also worked as a freelance journalist and editor for a variety of newspapers and magazines. Lisa is a graduate of the Communications program at the University of Calgary.