George Connell (biochemist)

George Edward Connell, OC FRSC (June 20, 1930 – March 13, 2015) was a Canadian academic.

George Connell OC FRSC
12th President of the University of Toronto
In office 1984–1990
Preceded by	David Strangway
Succeeded by	Robert Prichard
6th President of University of Western Ontario
In office 1977–1984
Preceded by	D. Carlton Williams
Succeeded by	Alan K. Adlington (acting) George Pedersen
Personal details
Born	George Edward Connell (1930-06-20)June 20, 1930 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Died	March 13, 2015(2015-03-13) (aged 84) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater	University of Toronto
Scientific career
Fields	biochemistry
Institutions	University of Toronto
Thesis	Aspects of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidation reactions ( 1956)

Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Connell studied at Upper Canada College in Toronto and graduated in 1947. He then attended the University of Toronto, earning a BA in biochemistry in 1951 and a PhD in 1955.

Connell worked at the University of Toronto for the next 22 years, first as a professor of biochemistry and then as the chairman of the department of biochemistry. His research included the study of plasma cholinesterase. He left to serve as President of the University of Western Ontario from 1977 to 1984, before returning to the University of Toronto to become its twelfth President from 1984 to 1990.

In 1987, Connell was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He served as a principal advisor to the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada (known as the Krever Inquiry) established in 1993. Connell died on March 13, 2015.

External links

• George Edward Connell archival papers held at the University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
• From the Ivory Tower to the Corporate Tower, speech at the Empire Club of Canada, October 17, 1985 by Harry T. Seymour
• Bayer International Bioethics Advisory Council, short biography
• "Canadian Who's Who 1997 entry". Retrieved February 16, 2006.