Canada Research Chair receives MacArthur “genius” grant

Sarah Otto, Canada Research Chair in Theoretical and Experimental Evolution at The University of British Columbia, has been awarded a $500,000 genius grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in the United States.

A theoretical biologist, Otto has devoted her research career to solving some of the toughest mysteries in evolutionary biology, such as why life is so remarkably diverse—from the way species look on the surface, right down to how their genomes are organized.

Otto was selected to receive a MacArthur genius grant due to her “exceptional creativity, promise for important future advances based on a track record of significant accomplishment, and potential for the fellowship to facilitate subsequent creative work.”

Read more on UBC’s website.