Dr. Elaine Corbett brings over 15 years of experience across the life sciences innovation ecosystem, working in industry, non-profit and academic sectors, including two Toronto-based biotechnology start-ups, before joining Ontario Genomics in 2014.  

As Director, Sector Innovation and Programs, Elaine is responsible for providing overall leadership to sector development and stakeholder engagement that enables and ensures the implementation of strategic initiatives and new genomic/engineering biology-derived solutions for the benefit of Ontario and Canada. This includes building strategic partnerships and co-funding opportunities with various partners across government, industry, non-profit and academia, and driving investments into Ontario. She has led the development of various strategic reports involving extensive stakeholder consultation, resulting in critical strategic and policy recommendations at both a provincial and national level, as well as driving the food, agriculture, and cellular agriculture strategic initiatives within Ontario Genomics. She also guides the successful development and execution of internal funding competitions, from concept design to the successful funding of applicants.  

Before joining Ontario Genomics, Elaine was a Manager, Project Management at SQI Diagnostics, a Toronto-based biotechnology company, where she worked with cross-functional departmental teams to ensure the successful delivery of multiple complex projects for advanced IVD microarray diagnostics. Previously, she was a Senior Field Application Scientist at Axela, a diagnostic platforms and applications biotechnology company, where her focus was on client management, project management, R&D, and product development, working closely with the teams across the company.  

Elaine received her Honours B.Sc. in Biomedical Science from University College Cork, Ireland. She completed her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Alberta and a postdoctoral fellowship involving the innate immune response in the Cell Biology Program at the Hospital for Sick Children.