GIFS at USask to welcome Dr. Karen Churchill as new Chief Scientific Officer

The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has named Dr. Karen Churchill (PhD) as its new Chief Scientific Officer.

Churchill, an accomplished leader in Canada’s agriculture and food sector, comes to GIFS from Ag-West Bio, where she has served as President and CEO since 2019.

Over the next few months, Karen will work with Ag-West Bio on a transition plan before joining GIFS full time.

“Saskatchewan is home to a dynamic agriculture and food innovation ecosystem, which I see every day at Ag-West Bio. It’s been an honour to lead this organization and I continue to draw great inspiration and motivation from our team and its member organizations, including the Global Institute for Food Security,” said Churchill.

“I want to thank the Board and everyone at Ag-West Bio for their work and dedication and am committed to working with our team to ensure a smooth transition. I am leaving Ag-West Bio with mixed emotions, but I know there’ll be opportunities to collaborate as we bring GIFS’ world-class capabilities and at-scale technologies to partners across Canada and the world. I’m excited about the opportunities ahead and look forward to connecting with stakeholders to discuss how we can all work together to advance mission-driven research and product development.”

In previous roles, Karen has held positions with Cereals Canada, Cargill Malt, and Mars UK. She holds a PhD in Food Science from the University of Minnesota, as well as an MSc in Crop Science and a BSc in Agriculture from USask.

“Karen is a skillful leader whose expertise, international experience, and vast network will greatly assist GIFS’ operations and help advance our mission. Working across industry and the not-for-profit sector, Karen has fostered impactful partnerships that embrace collaboration and new technologies — all of which will benefit our institute as we expand the reach of our technical services and programs, including the FCC Accelerated Breeding Program at GIFS,” said Dr. Steven Webb, CEO of GIFS.