George Connell

Who is George Connell?

George Edward Connell, OC FRSC is a Canadian academic.

Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Connell studied at Upper Canada College in Toronto and graduated in 1947. He then attended the University of Toronto, earning an Honours B.A. in biochemistry in 1951 and a Ph.D 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 established in 1993.