New Canadian science Council head discusses women.

In January 2006 Dr. Suzanne Fortier became the first woman president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). This federal agency invests in discovery and innovation by supporting some 22,000 university students and postdoctoral fellows, funding more than 10,000 university professors every year and stimulating Canadian companies to invest in university research.

Fortier is a crystallographer by training, recognized for her development of new techniques for studying crystals. She earned a PhD at McGill University in Montreal and held research positions before joining the faculty of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, in 1982.

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At Queens she rose to dean of graduate studies, vice-principal research and finally vice-principal academic. "I know what kind of underwear the president wears," she said. She's a past VP of NSERC and has served on many boards and national committees.

Her vision for NSERC is to "help make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators for the future," she said at the May 2006 conference of Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada (SWAAC) in Victoria BC. "We need to make sure all the talent we have is developed," including women, who are underrepresented in science at every level.

Lunch with Charlie Ravioli

In keeping with the conference theme of growing leadership, she described herself and others at NSERC as gardeners who grow plants of a special kind. Senior women administrators can nurture themselves and others provided they realize it's worth the time.