IIDR’s Dr. Gerry Wright Named Distinguished University Professor

Innovative research and a sustained record in teaching and service have earned Dr. Gerry Wright the distinction of Distinguished University Professor, the highest faculty honour at McMaster.

The title “Distinguished University Professor” was established at McMaster in 1996, and is conferred on faculty members who have achieved national and international prominence and an acclaimed reputation through significant contributions to teaching, learning and research.

Wright, scientific director of the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research (IIDR) and professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, is a leading authority on bacterial and fungal antimicrobial resistance.

A faculty member since 1993, Wright’s tenure at McMaster includes service as Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, as well as co-founding Canada’s first academia-based high throughput screening facility.

Wright is among three professors from the Faculty of Health Sciences to receive the Distinguished University Professor distinction this convocation season.

“McMaster University is a renowned academic institution, and it’s an honour to be recognized this way,” says Wright. “I’m very grateful to my colleagues who nominated me and to the exceptional faculty, staff and trainees who continue to further establish the IIDR as a world-leading centre of transdisciplinary infectious disease research.”

Dr. Gerry Wright is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a member of the American Academy of Microbiology. He earned his bachelor’s degree and PhD from the University of Waterloo.