Robert G. Ackman B.A., M.Sc., Ph.D., D.I.C., LL.D.

Dr. Ackman began his career in marine oils research in 1950 at the world-famous Halifax Laboratory of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada. In 1979 he helped establish the CIFT and later the Department of Food Science and Technology at TUNS (since April 1997 a part of Dalhousie University). Professor Ackman is best known for his pioneering work on lipid analytical chemistry, particularly in the capillary gas liquid chromatography (GLC) of fatty acids and the chemistry and biochemistry of marine lipids. Dr. Ackman has developed a number of techniques and procedures in the analysis of marine oils especially the Omega-3 fatty acids, methods that are now used worldwide to analyze complex fatty acid mixtures from marine organisms. In recognition of these achievements, he was awarded the H.P. Kaufmann Memorial Lecture Medal given by the International Society for Fat Research in 1980 and the Supelco-American Oil Chemists' Society Award in 1994.

Dr. Ackman pioneered the correlation of data on the lipid composition and the fatty acid profiles of a large number of marine animals and plants of both food and industrial interest and has been actively involved with the promotion of canola oil through studies on its composition. He has edited the definitive book on "Marine Biogenic Lipids" for the CRC Press, and is the author of over 550 scientific papers. Professor Ackman serves on both the Expert Committee on Fats and Other Lipids and the Expert Committee on Plant Products. Dr. Ackman has served on the Board of Governors of the American Oil Chemists' Society, and is the Official Referee for fish oils of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. He has fostered the parallel developments of marine food sources of Omega-3 fatty acids and of fish oil concentrates in capsule form for clinical applications. His techniques for food and product analysis for these fatty acids have been adopted by the AOCS and by the AOAC as "Official Methods".

Dr. Ackman is a member of the Order of Canada.