Leslie Bone (She / Her)

I am a Director, Business Development with Mitacs, a national not for profit that funds research in Canada and abroad. I work very closely with Ryerson University to increase awareness of Mitacs programs on campus, facilitate matchmaking between industrial and community partners and academics, and assist with application development. This role allows me to connect academic research with companies and the government to foster collaboration and innovation within Canada's scientific landscape.

Prior to this position with Mitacs, I obtained my PhD in Molecular Science from Ryerson University. I worked under the supervision of Dr. Costin Antonescu and Dr. Roberto Botelho. My research focused on a type of lipid, called phosphoinositides, which are an important group of signaling lipids that are implicated in multiple types of cancers. I am very passionate about equity, diversity and inclusion in the sciences. This led me to create a student run group called Women in Science at Ryerson (WISR) during my PhD. This group acknowledged and addressed issues facing women in science. I was also the editing coordinator, writer and editor of a student run science blog, inScite Science, to build my science communication and knowledge translation skills.