Anthony J. Clarke
Areas of Expertise
- Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Immunology, Virology and Disease Modelling
- Microbiology, Biofilms and Pathogens
Biography
I obtained my PhD from the University of Waterloo in Chemistry (Biochemistry) in 1983 and joined the University of Guelph in 1986 as an assistant professor, after post-doctoral stints at the Carlsberg Research Centre, Copenhagen and the National Research Council, Ottawa. Soon after establishing myself in the academic ranks, I was drawn into the University’s administration and I served as departmental chair, college dean, Associate V.P. (Research), University International Liaison Officer, Director of the Centre for International Programs, Dean of Graduate Studies, and Assistant V.P. (Graduate Studies and Program Quality Assurance). I moved to Laurier as Dean of Science in 2019.
Notwithstanding the variety of administrative/service responsibilities held, I have maintained an active research program funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian National Centres of Excellence (Glycomics Network) that investigates the mechanism of action of enzymes that function on carbohydrates to identify new targets for antibacterial therapy and to functionalize carbohydrate-based nanoparticles. Such studies entail determining the structure and function relationship of the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis and degradation of peptidoglycan, in antibiotic resistance, and in glycogen hydrolysis.