Dr. Nora Chan presents a Student Workshop

Join Dr. Nora Chan from 2:30-3:30pm on March 24, 2026 in CHE202 for a Student Workshop

Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) is part of the Department of National Defence.  DRDC is the national leader on science and technology to enhance Canada’s defence and security.  DRDC has seven research centres across Canada employing about 1,600 people.  DRDC is committed to helping students gain valuable and meaningful work experience by actively participating in student hiring and student bridging programs. We recognize students as valuable contributors, who bring fresh ideas, new skills and innovative collaboration.

In this workshop, Dr Nora Chan will share her career experiences as a Defence Scientist working with multidisciplinary teams on world-renowned innovative science and technology-based solutions to support the Canadian Armed Forces and Canada’s safety and security communities.  She will also share opportunities for students to consider a career at DRDC.

Biography: 

Dr. Nora Chan is a Principal Defence Scientist at the Defence Research and Development Canada − Suffield Research Centre (DRDC SRC) since 2004. Dr. Chan is currently also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Bioinformatics at the Université Laval, QC and in the Department of Chemistry at Queen’s University.   Dr. Chan collaborates with fellow scientists from across a variety of disciplines (chemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, neurology, medicine, etc.) both within DRDC and from other government departments, universities, and industry.  Dr. Chan is a scientific advisor to the Canadian Armed Forces in the areas of defence against biological threats.  Her interests focus on applying multidisciplinary technologies to develop innovative solutions to biological sensing and medical countermeasures with a view towards international cooperation. Dr. Chan holds a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Waterloo and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Alberta. During her biotech/pharma industry experience (1999–2002), Dr. Chan was involved in biological assay development and regularly liaised with Pfizer, Merck Frosst, and Merck KGaA. Prior to joining DRDC SRC, she was a contract researcher.