Dr. Knight is the Vice-President, Research and Academic Affairs of Providence Health Care. His role also includes accountabilities as President, Providence Health Care Research Institute; Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia; and Associate Dean, Research, Faculty of Medicine, UBC.
Dr. Knight obtained his PhD from the University of Western Australia in 1993. In 2004, he was recruited to UBC as the Canada Research Chair in Airway Disease. He was recruited back to Australia in 2013 and was Professor and Head of School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy at the University of Newcastle. Continuing this pattern, Dr. Knight was recruited back to Canada in 2019 taking up his current role.
Dr. Knight is a cell biologist with an international reputation in the area of lung and airway remodelling. His research career has focused on understanding how abnormal epithelial cell-fibroblast interactions influence the severity and chronicity of respiratory diseases. As of 2019, he has published over 166 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters (h-factor 55; 9120 citations – Google Scholar, May 2019).
Dr. Knight has a strong track record of obtaining research grant funding (>$20 million), including leading a successful application for $7 million from the CFI in 2012. He is regularly invited to present his work and chair sessions at major national and international meetings.
Dr. Knight has strong research leadership credentials. From 2009-2012 he was the Associate Director of the UBC James Hogg Research Centre and sat on the executive of the Institute for Heart and Lung Health. He sits on several national and international scientific research committees, and is on the editorial board of 5 international journals. Dr. Knight has been primary supervisor for 7 Post-doctoral fellows, 17 PhD and 2 MSc students and over 18 Graduate students.
