Director's Message


Grace Parraga PhD FCAHS, Professor & Tier 1 Canada Research Chair,

Departments of Medicine, Medical Biophysics, School of Biomedical Engineering

Western University, London Canada


WAFAR, the Western Academy for Advanced Research, is entering its fifth year as an interdisciplinary research accelerator, within the Western University Interdisciplinary Research Building, alongside Western’s Institute for Bone and Joint Health, the Rotman Institute for Philosophy, the Institute for Earth and Space Exploration and the Western Institute for Neuroscience. 

I am thrilled to lead WAFAR for the next few years as we engage the world’s most outstanding scientists and scholars in partnership with Western’s students and faculty in an intense and intentional focus on solutions to the globe’s biggest challenges.

Having trained at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA, the University of Basel, in Switzerland and then as an industrial scientist at F Hoffman-La Roche AG in Switzerland, I am a witness to the power of collaboration and interdisciplinary problem solving. 

At Western University, I lead a patient-facing imaging physics and engineering laboratory focused on asthma, COPD and lung cancer. Alongside my growing research program, it is now my privilege to also lead WAFAR’s mission to drive world-class interdisciplinary research for global impact and to deliver on the WAFAR Promise.

Stay connected with us on linkedin to learn about our progress and opportunities!