Dr. Michael Julius is the Vice President, Research, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, where he stewards a $125M annual research enterprise. His work towards understanding the biochemistry of lymphocyte activation, and the cellular and molecular interactions culminating in protective immunity have supported his continuing interest in autoimmune diseases, and ailments that involve dysregulated function of the immune system.

Having published over 200 research papers and reviews in his area of expertise, many of which have achieved citation records, Michael is an internationally recognized immunologist. Academic Press, now Elsevier, engaged Michael as the Editor of the highly cited review periodical, Seminars in Immunology.

Michael has Chaired the Canadian Institutes for Health Research review panel for “Immunology and Transplantation”, and serves as a member of Scientific Advisory Boards for a number of for profit enterprises. He was elected Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Research Canada in April 2007, and assumed the Chair of Research Canada in May 2008, stepped down in November 2010 and served as Past Chair in 2011 and now serves as Scientific Advisor.

Michael received an Honours BSc degree in genetics from McGill University in Montréal, Quebec, and went on to do his doctoral work at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California culminating in a PhD in genetics and immunology.