Anita Melnyk, PhD

Director of Health and Life Science

Anita Melnyk is Director of Health and Life Science at the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA). She oversees and provides leadership on CCA activities that directly relate to this portfolio. She is also a project director, leading assessment projects, and working directly with CCA expert panels to review, evaluate, and synthesize knowledge on policy-related subjects. Anita enjoys the fast-paced and multifaceted work environment at the CCA, embracing the opportunity to delve deeply into multiple assessment topics simultaneously.

Anita’s research interests span evolutionary biology, bioinformatics, genomics, and antimicrobial resistance, as well as gender equality in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), and the role of science in evidence-based policy. Anita holds both a PhD and M.Sc. in Biology from the University of Ottawa, and a B.Sc. (Hon.) in Biology from Queen’s University. Anita’s academic research used experimental evolution, following microbial adaptation in real time, to explore the impact of fundamental evolutionary processes on applications for human health, such as identifying the genomic underpinnings of antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens.

During her time at the University of Ottawa, Anita also gained extensive experience volunteering in the fields of gender equality in STEM and science policy. She has authored several research papers in evolutionary biology, has been a Bromley Science Policy Fellow, and received NSERC Alexander Graham Bell funding throughout her graduate studies.