Elizabeth Gillies

Professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

B.Sc. Queen's University
Ph.D. (University of California, Berkeley) 2004
Marie Curie Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Bordeaux, France

My Research Group


Dr. Gillies obtained her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 2004. After a Marie-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship at the European Institute of Chemistry and Biology from 2004-2006, Dr. Gillies was appointed as an Assistant Professor at Western holding a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair from 2006-2016, jointly between the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering. She was promoted to full Professor in 2017.

Dr. Gillies leads a research program in smart materials and biomaterials spanning from fundamental discoveries to applications with a focus on polymer chemistry and the design and synthesis of materials with new properties and functions. She is collaborating with other research groups to explore applications of her materials in drug delivery, regenerative medicine, and agriculture.

Awards and Distinctions

  • R. Mohan Mathur Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2017

  • NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, 2017

  • Fallona Interdisciplinary Science Award, 2016

  • Faculty Scholar, Western University, 2016-2018

  • Petro Canada Young Innovator Award, Western University, 2012

  • Early Researcher Award, Government of Ontario, 2008-2013

  • Tier 2 Canada Research Chair, Government of Canada, 2006-2016

  • John Charles Polanyi Prize, Government of Ontario, 2006