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Our Microbes, Ourselves Exploring the Life That Lives in and on Us Connecting the Best Minds for a Better World

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REACH IDEAS TO CHANGE THE WORLD | SPRING 2017 Quantum insecurity Weaponized microbes Populism’s rise Spring 2017 — Volume 16, Issue 1 Issue 16, Volume — 2017 Spring Our microbes, ourselves Exploring the life that lives in and on us Connecting the best minds for a better world. CANADIAN INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH MaRS Centre, West Tower 661 University Avenue, Suite 505 Toronto, ON M5G 1M1 cifar.ca Contents 16 30 FEATURES 3 President’s message 4 Advances News from our research 16 networks. Our microbes, ourselves 12 In conversation CIFAR’s Humans & the Microbiome program is untangling how CIFAR fellows discuss the life that lives in and on us affects our health, development the implications of the and even evolution. It turns out that the microbiome can tell us rise of right-wing populism a lot about where we’ve been – and where we’re going. for democracy. 32 CIFAR Forum The CIFAR Forum on the Well-Being of the 24 World’s Children brought together people from across Quantum insecurity academia and the public Quantum computing could one day break the encryption and private sectors to share that keeps electronic communications secure. Michele Mosca insights and find solutions wants to figure out how to quantum-proof the Internet to the problems of child before that happens. well-being. 34 CIFAR’s donors 30 36 History note With its move to the Weaponized microbes MaRS Centre, CIFAR looks In the microscopic arms race between predator and prey, forward to the next 35 years. evolution has given some microbes the equivalent of harpoons and Gatling guns. Now we can see them clearly for the first time. SPRING 2017 1 Reach Magazine Spring 2017 Volume 16, Issue 1 Associate Director of Communications BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lindsay Gordon Kurt Kleiner Chancellor [email protected] Barbara Stymiest University of British Columbia (Chair, CIFAR) Vancouver BC Reach, CIFAR Corporate Director MaRS Centre, West Tower Toronto ON Anthony R.M. Graham 661 University Avenue, Suite 505 Vice Chairman Toronto, ON M5G 1M1 Alan Bernstein Wittington Investments Limited President & CEO Toronto ON Creative Direction CIFAR Hambly & Woolley Inc. Toronto ON Jacqueline Koerner www.hamblywoolley.com Founder and Past Chair Bruce H. Mitchell Ecotrust Canada Cover Artist (Vice-Chair, CIFAR) Vancouver BC Jeannie Phan President & CEO Permian Industries Limited Stephen D. Lister BN / Registration N° Toronto ON Managing Partner 11921 9251 RR0001 Imperial Capital Limited David A. Dodge Toronto ON About CIFAR Senior Advisor CIFAR creates knowledge that is Bennett Jones LLP Anne McLellan transforming our world. The Institute brings Ottawa ON Senior Advisor together outstanding researchers to work Bennett Jones in global networks that address some of Peter J.G. Bentley Edmonton AB the most important questions our world Director & Chair Emeritus faces today. Our networks help support the Canfor Corporation Patricia Meredith growth of research leaders and are catalysts Vancouver BC Clarkson Centre for Board Effectiveness for change in business, government and University of Toronto society. Established in 1982, CIFAR is Jean-Guy Desjardins Toronto ON a Canadian-based, global organization Chairman, CEO comprised of nearly 400 fellows, scholars Fiera Capital Corporation Gilles G. Ouellette and advisors from more than 125 Montreal QC Group Head, BMO Wealth Management institutions in 17 countries. CIFAR is BMO Financial Group generously supported by the governments of Olivier Desmarais Toronto ON Canada, British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario Vice-President and Quebec, Canadian and international Power Corporation & Power Financial Lawrence Pentland partners, as well as individuals, foundations Montreal QC Corporate Director and corporations. Toronto ON Pierre Y. Ducros His Excellency The Right Honourable President Hugo F. Sonnenschein David Johnston P. Ducros & Associates President Emeritus & (Honorary Patron) Montreal QC Distinguished Service Professor Governor General of Canada Department of Economics Ottawa ON Brenda Eaton University of Chicago Corporate Director Chicago IL Victoria BC Bill Young Morten N. Friis Founder and Managing Partner Non-Executive Director Monitor Clipper Partners Royal Bank of Scotland Boston MA Toronto ON 2 CIFAR REACH President’s message A time of growth and change THIS ISSUE OF REACH MAGAZINE comes to together and give them the time and opportunity you as CIFAR is undergoing a period of growth to think big and be bold and creative, you never and change. know what the outcome might be. And second, In Budget 2017, the federal government made if you want disruptive innovations that have the two important funding decisions that impact on potential to create entirely new industries and CIFAR directly: First, they increased CIFAR’s transform existing ones, you have to invest in core funding to $35 million over five years, our great, high risk/high impact research. And that, in first increase in 15 years. Along with increased a nutshell, is CIFAR’s philosophy and culture. support from a number of other partners and In this issue you’ll see other examples of where donors, this is strong support for our mission our philosophy can lead. Our cover feature is of bringing together great minds from around about one of CIFAR’s new programs, Humans the world into global interdisciplinary networks & the Microbiome. The program examines the to tackle problems of importance to the world. many ways that the microbes that live in and on That mission is what has made CIFAR unique us can affect our health, development, evolution, and “Canada’s gift to the world,” to quote from and even culture. a recent speech by Ontario Lieutenant Governor Another feature looks at Michele Mosca and Elizabeth Dowdeswell. other members of the Quantum Information Second, Minister of Finance Bill Morneau Science program as they work to understand the announced the launch of a $125 million Pan- security issues that would be created by a working Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, to be quantum computer – and to put a solution in developed and implemented by CIFAR (see story place before any damage can be done. on p. 4). The strategy will provide core support There is a report about the CIFAR Forum on for three AI institutes in Montreal, Toronto the Well-Being of the World’s Children which and Edmonton, support the funding of Canada CIFAR organized in London in November. Add CIFAR Chairs in Artificial Intelligence, augment in our expanded knowledge mobilization efforts, the pipeline of graduate students being trained in our new CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars program, AI research in the country, fund the development and our beautiful new home in the MaRS Centre, of a national AI suite of activities, and help and I hope you will agree that CIFAR has had support a global program in AI and Society that a busy year of growth and transformation! I’m will explore the broad societal impacts of AI. pleased to be able to share these developments The goal of the strategy is to keep Canada at the with you, and I hope you enjoy reading about forefront of AI research and to serve as a strong them in this issue of Reach. foundation for a bold innovation agenda based on AI. Canada is globally recognized as a powerhouse in deep learning AI, in large part because of CIFAR’s decision to launch a program in 2004, led by Geoff Hinton and now called Learning in Machines & Brains (see “Deep Thinking: Making machines better learners,” Reach Spring 2014). Two of the most important lessons from the Alan Bernstein AI story: First, if you bring outstanding scientists President & CEO SPRING 2017 3 Advances News highlights from our research networks recruitment and training of graduate students CIFAR to and postdoctoral fellows, and include funding for graduate students who will work with the chairs as well as training for students at the three develop AI institutes. The strategy will fund a global program in AI $125 million and Society that will explore the societal impacts of AI through working groups that will publish AI strategy their findings and inform the public and policy-makers. The federal government announced that it will Finally, the National AI Program will support spend $125 million on a Pan-Canadian Artificial activities that are national and collaborative in Intelligence Strategy that will be developed and scope such as an annual meeting of Canada implemented by CIFAR. CIFAR Chairs in AI. It will aim to ensure that The strategy will establish major AI centres, Canada is well positioned for sustained global increase the number of outstanding artificial leadership in AI research and innovation. intelligence researchers and skilled graduates in “Canadian successes in artificial intelligence Canada, and develop a national research clearly demonstrate how the support for community on artificial intelligence. It will also fundamental research can lead to big dividends develop global thought leadership on the in scientific, technological and business economic, ethical, policy and legal implications of innovation,” said CIFAR President & CEO advances in artificial intelligence. Dr. Alan Bernstein. “The investments build on CIFAR has been a leader in artificial much earlier support by CIFAR and others in intelligence through its Learning in Machines & deep learning and advanced AI research. They will Brains program, founded in 2004 by keep home-grown talent in Canada, and attract Geoff Hinton, which pioneered techniques the scientific talent and capital we need to spur like deep learning and reinforcement learning. innovative economic growth.” Hinton and CIFAR fellows Yann LeCun and Yoshua Bengio are considered leaders in the field of artificial intelligence. The strategy will fund AI institutes in Canada’s three major centres for deep learning and reinforcement learning research – Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto. The institutes will provide a critical mass of research and innovation excellence, and will work with researchers, industry and other stakeholders across Canada. A Canada CIFAR Chairs in AI program will help Canada retain and recruit top academic Artificial intelligence will lead to disruptive innovations like researchers.
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