The University of Guelph will receive nearly $2 million over five years from Industry Canada through renewal of two prestigious Canada Research Chairs, one being none other than Economics professor Rene Kirkegaard.

Rene Kirkegaard is a Tier 2 chair in risk management and regulation, with a research focus on studying behaviour during online contests and auctions such as eBay.  Tier 2 chair holders are considered to be potential world leaders in their fields and receive $100,000 a year for five years.

John Livernois, Interim vice-president was happy to congratulate Kirkegaard on the renewal, “Prof. Kirkegaard continues to break new ground in studying the growing significance of contests and auctions, especially online. We are pleased that this further investment through CRC renewals will allow both professors (Kirkegaard and Tier 1 professor Chris Whitfield of Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology ) to continue to make significant research contributions.”

Begun in 2000, the CRC program helps Canadian universities attract and retain faculty. The latest round of funding was announced by Ed Holder, minister of state (science and technology), April 9. The $139 million investment, with an additional $7.6 million in infrastructure support provided by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), supports 150 new and renewed CRCs at 36 postsecondary institutions across the country.

The CRC program is overseen by the minister of state (science and technology) and governed by a steering committee consisting of the presidents of CFI, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.