Profile

Emőke J.E. Szathmáry was President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manitoba between 1996 and 2008. As president emeritus and professor she is continuing her academic appointments in the Department of Anthropology as well as in the Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics. Earlier she served as Provost and Vice-President (Academic) at McMaster University, Dean of Social Science at the University of Western Ontario, and Chairman of the department of Anthropology at McMaster. Dr. Szathmáry was born in Hungary, and earned her B.A (Honours) (1968) and Ph.D. (1974) from the University of Toronto.

Dr. Szathmáry's research addresses the genetics of the indigenous peoples of North America, focusing on the causes of type-2 diabetes, the genetic relationships within and between North American and Asian peoples, and the microevolution of subarctic and arctic populations. In 1998 the American Anthropological Association named her Distinguished Lecturer, which is the highest recognition given by the anthropological discipline for a lifetime of exemplary scholarship. She has received five honourary doctorates in recognition of her research and contribution to higher education. Dr. Szathmáry is an elected Fellow of the Arctic Institute of North America (1989), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1995) and the Royal Society of Canada (2005).

Dr. Szathmáry serves on several private and public boards at provincial, national, and international levels. In 2007 she was awarded the Lieutenant Governor's Medal for Excellence in Public Administration in Manitoba.  She is a Member of the Order of Manitoba (2009), and the Order of Canada (2003).