Professor Alejandro Adem has been President of NSERC since October 2019. As a highly accomplished researcher in the field of mathematics and a faculty member at the University of British Columbia, Professor Adem has significant leadership experience in the Canadian research and innovation ecosystem. Before joining NSERC, he was CEO and Scientific Director of Mitacs (2015–19) where he oversaw a significant expansion of its domestic and international internship programs, as well as launching the Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellowships, an Indigenous engagement initiative and an innovative entrepreneurship program. Professor Adem is currently Chair of the Global Research Council’s Governing Board, and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Human Frontier Science Program and on the Council of the American Mathematical Society. Over his career he has served on a variety of scientific, editorial and governance boards for the worldwide mathematical sciences community. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society, a Fellow of the Canadian Mathematical Society, and a Corresponding Member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences.