About

Michelle Brazas, PhD, is an accomplished leader with over 15 years of progressive experience driving strategic initiatives in research, education, and management across diverse scientific environments. Michelle currently serves as Director for Adaptive Oncology (AO) at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), where she champions a transformative approach to cancer care, overseeing this multi-million dollar initiative.

As Scientific Director of Bioinformatics.ca, she spearheaded its evolution into the Canadian Bioinformatics Hub (CBH), securing $6M in funding to establish a national platform for bioinformatics, computational biology, and data science skills development. The Canadian Bioinformatics Workshops have trained over 3000+ post-graduate professionals and fostered robust community networks including TorBUG, VanBUG, and MonBUG.

An advocate and champion for research transparency, inclusivity, and community building, Michelle is a co-founder of the Toronto Bioinformatics User Group (TorBUG) and holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of British Columbia, complemented by advanced certifications in Strategic Leadership, Adult Learning, and Knowledge Translation.

Key Leadership Achievements

• Strategic Initiative Launch & Oversight: Played a key role in the strategic planning, funding acquisition, and operational launch of the Adaptive Oncology Initiative (5 Programs, 3 Resources, 2 Networks, 3 Projects), managing a multi-million dollar budget.
• National Program Development: Directed Bioinformatics.ca and the Canadian Bioinformatics Workshops, successfully securing $6M in CIHR funding to establish the CBH as a critical national infrastructure training and community building platform.
• Organizational Management: Provided strategic management for Computational Biology and Genome Informatics programs, overseeing 6 PIs and approximately 110 staff.
• Research Innovation: Conceptualized and secured CFI funding to establish an applied research lab in Biotechnology at BCIT.