OVC Professor  Dr. Melissa Perreault appointed U of G Research Leadership Chair

Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) researcher and professor Dr. Melissa Perreault has been recognized with an appointment to a Research Leadership Chair at the University of Guelph. Perreault is a neuroscience professor in OVC’s Department of Biomedical Sciences. 

Launched in 2017, the Research Leadership program recognizes mid- to late-career researchers at the University of Guelph nominated by their college for outstanding research contributions in their respective disciplines to the community. 

“Dr. Perrault is an outstanding neuroscience researcher,” said Dr. Jeff Wichtel, Dean of Ontario Veterinary College. “She has worked tirelessly to support diversity in STEM, serving as a generous mentor and role model for young scientists in our college and beyond.” 

“I am absolutely thrilled to be the recipient of a Research Leadership Chair and would like to offer my extreme gratitude to the OVC and the University of Guelph for this honour,” said Perreault.  “I would also like to acknowledge my amazing trainees who have supported this research over the years, this is a recognition that also belongs to them.” 

About Dr. Melissa Perreault 

Perreault’s passion for neuroscience research began at McMaster University, where her studies focused on opioid-dopamine interactions in obsessive-compulsive disorder. After completing a PhD in psychiatry and behavioural neuroscience, Perreault continued her postdoctoral studies in neuropharmacology at the University of Toronto, where she examined the dopamine D1-D2 receptor complex and its role in addiction and schizophrenia.  

Dr. Perreault began at the University of Guelph in 2017 and joined the OVC in 2021. 

Currently, Perreault's primary research focuses on depression, schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders, with a specific interest in understanding the mechanistic processes underlying these disorders and the identification of sex-specific biomarkers. 

Her research excellence has also been acknowledged by the Royal Society of Canada where Perreault attained membership in the College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists in 2021.  

Recently, Perreault was named among five University of Guelph researchers to be awarded nearly $1.6 million in project grant funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for preclinical studies intended to advance treatments for mental illnesses, antifungal resistance and cancers.