HFSP mourns Prof. Juliet Daniel – highly esteemed Chair of the HFSPO Council of Scientists

Juliet Daniel had been a Council member representing Canada since 24 June 2021. She was actively engaged with the HFSPO Council of Scientists, serving as Vice‑Chair from 1 January 2024, and most recently, as Chair. Her leadership, warmth, energy, integrity, and deep commitment to scientific excellence has left a lasting mark on the Council and the HFSPO community.  

During Council meetings and informal exchanges, Juliet’s positivity, deep and broad knowledge, dedication to scientific integrity and mentoring, and contribution to society were highly valued. “She was welcoming, funny and generous” says Prof. Aurora Martinez, University of Bergen, Norway, incoming Chair of the HFSPO Council of Scientists. 

Her research centered around cadherin-mediated cell adhesion and transcription factor signaling which led to her discovery of the Kaiso gene, an important regulator controlling cell proliferation which is implicated in several human cancers. In her work she also worked on cancer incidence and outcomes with particular attention to breast cancer disparities in women of African ancestry.

Juliet completed her bachelor's degree in life sciences at Queen's University in 1987, and then a PhD in microbiology at the University of British Columbia in 1993. Her post-doctoral research fellowships led her to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for three years, and later on to Vanderbilt University. It was during her fellowship that Juliet discovered the Kaiso gene, and named it after calypso (a popular form of Caribbean music). She found that Kaiso transcriptionally regulates genes involved in cell proliferation and cell adhesion. 

In November 1999, Juliet joined McMaster University's Department of Biology as a full professor. In her lab she studied triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), specifically to identify genetic risk factors which may explain the prevalence and high mortality associated with TNBC in women of African ancestry. In 2017, her lab demonstrated that Kaiso plays a role in the proliferation and survival of TNBC cells.

Juliet was very active as Chair and Panel Member in the Canadian Cancer Society and offered her time to support CIHR and NSERC in many ways. She has been recognized for her research and mentorship by multiple awards, including 100 Accomplished Black Canadian (ABC) Women, a BBPA Harry Jerome Innovation and Technology Award, YWCA Hamilton – Woman of Distinction Award and a Gold Crown of Merit for Cancer Research, Barbados National Honor. Juliet was most recently recognized with a WXN Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award. 

Additionally, Juliet had an outstanding record of service for HFSP. She was an esteemed member of the HFSPO Council of Scientists whose voice was heard and whose suggestions for change have already yielded a change in the program’s vision and strategy for the future. 

She is survived by her brother, Robert Daniel, her sister-in-law Nicole and their boys Malachi, Matthew and Micah, her niece Leah and nephew Shane, as well as by cousins, aunts, uncles, and a wide circle of extended family and friends all around the world.

We will miss Juliet and her fabulous smile, and extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, colleagues, and students.