Janet Walden has been appointed acting president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), following the abrupt departure of Dr Suzanne Fortier who left to become the principal and vice-chancellor of McGill Univ (R$, March 14/13). Walden has been with NSERC for more than 30 years, most recently serving a 16-years as VP of its rapidly expanding research partnerships programs (RPP) . Under her leadership, the industry-facing RPP has grown to more than $300 million annually and is recognized as a strategic mechanism for commercialization and skills training. She was also an early director of the Networks of Centres of Excellence program for seven years when it was building its national partnership model....