Michael Norman George James

It is with profound sadness that the family of Dr. Michael Norman George James, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Alberta, announce his passing on Monday, July 24, 2023, at the age of 83 years.

Michael will be lovingly remembered and missed by his children, Daphne [grandchildren Colleen (Austin) and Emma, and great-grandchild Cain], Marcus (Lena) [grandchildren Connor and Brody] and Michelle (Ben); and his stepchildren, Bryce (Channing), Nicole, Lyndan, and Steven (Kendra). Michael is predeceased by his parents Claud and Mimosa James (nee Pragnell). He will also be dearly missed by his friends and colleagues at the University of Alberta, Department of Biochemistry, and abroad.

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia on May 16, 1940, Michael grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he graduated from Kelvin High School. In high school and during his early university years, Michael was a top track and field athlete and won many awards, especially for shotput and hurdling. Michael received a BSc and MSc from the University of Manitoba, where he studied chemistry and geology, respectively.

In 1966, Michael earned his doctorate from Oxford University, where he studied the science of crystallography under Nobel Laureate Prof. Dorothy Hodgkin, OM, FRS. Michael was dedicated to understanding the chemical mechanisms of life, and his research career extends over 50 years at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta. In 1975, Michael was offered a research sabbatical at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel where he and his family lived for a year. During this time, they also toured much of Wales and England, which is where Michael’s family originated. Over the course of his career, he had become a world-renowned expert in the structure and mechanisms of enzymes, and he is considered by many to be the grandfather of protein X-ray crystallography in Canada. Some of his seminal work led to the development of novel drugs to treat bacterial infections, HIV, and hypertension. Michael trained over 20 PhD students and 30 post-doctoral fellows, many of whom now run major laboratories across Canada and around the world. Among his many accomplishments, Michael was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1985 and Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1989. He was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2023 for his groundbreaking contributions to the field of protein crystallography.

Michael saw the beauty of science in everything around him and was always quick to expound upon a scientific principle or mechanism to his family members in conversations over dinner. His work took him to destinations all over the world, and he loved to learn about the history and culture of the many places that he visited, often bringing back art and souvenirs from his travels. With his family and friends, Michael also enjoyed traveling, hiking and camping, and made frequent trips to Jasper and Banff. He had a passion for being in the mountains and near water, and spent many days hiking Mount Edith Cavell and other trails, and canoeing on lakes in Western Canada. He also enjoyed working in the yard and loved to mow the grass and to grow a few flowers and vegetables. Michael was an avid dog-lover, his beloved dog, Yarrow, was a big part of his life, and for the last 16 years they traveled many miles on foot together.

A Celebration of Michael’s Life will be held at a later date.

Memorial donations can be made in Michael’s name to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada https://www.heartandstroke.ca/ and/or Epilepsy Canada https://www.epilepsy.ca/