WINNIPEG, MB – Today the Government of Canada announced a major investment in the Canada Research Chairs Program at The University of Winnipeg. Dr. Christopher Wiebe was appointed Canada Research Chair in Quantum Materials Discovery, strengthening UWinnipeg’s position as a centre for scientific research and innovation.
Dr. Wiebe receives a Tier II $500,000 award — $100,000 annually over a five-year term. His research focuses on the new materials that now define our world, from the electronics inside an iPad to the superconducting magnets inside MRI machines.
The chemistry professor is also Director of UWinnipeg’s PRIME lab, a $1 million project completed inside the Richardson College for the Environment and Science Complex in 2012 that includes a floating zone image furnace used to grow high quality crystals. One of only a few in Canada, it includes a 9 Tesla superconducting magnet which can measure the properties of new materials down to almost absolute zero (-273 degrees C).
“I am honoured and delighted with my Canada Research Chair appointment at my alma mater, The University of Winnipeg. Canada has a great strength in the field known as Quantum Materials – the science of new materials which make modern electronics possible — so it is particularly humbling to receive a Tier II Chair in Quantum Materials Discovery,” said Wiebe. “This appointment will enable me to expand my research program, and it would have not been possible without the many dedicated faculty, students, and post-doctoral fellows whom I have had the pleasure to work with in my career. I look forward to engaging future students in the search for new materials.”
“This prestigious appointment once again shows us that The University of Winnipeg engages in excellent research, and attracts some of the world’s finest researchers,” said Dr. Neil Besner, Provost and Vice-President, Academic and International. “Dr. Wiebe’s work on developing a better understanding of electronic many-body quantam effects is internationally renowned and forward-thinking. Our students are certainly reaping the benefits of training with an expert such as Dr. Wiebe.”
“Our government is committed to attracting and retaining the world’s best and brightest researchers, supporting innovation, creating jobs, and strengthening our economy,” said Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology). “By investing in programs such as the Canada Research Chairs, we are fostering cutting-edge research and the generation of new innovations for the marketplace, for the benefit of Canadians.”
Find out more about Dr. Wiebe’s research.
The University of Winnipeg has five additional Canada Research Chairs:
- Canada Research Chair in Environmental Toxicology – Dr. Charles Wong
- Canada Research Chair in Fundamental Symmetries in Subatomic Physics – Dr. Jeff Martin
- Canada Research Chair in Science Education in Cultural Contexts – Dr. Dawn Sutherland
- Canada Research Chair in Inner-City Issues, Community Learning, and Engagement – Dr. Evelyn Peters
- Canada Research Chair in Young People’s Texts and Cultures – Dr. Mavis Reimer
UWinnipeg supports faculty research using internal operating budgets through a variety of grants. These grants have increased by 17% over the last five years. This increase has helped leverage additional external research grants. As a result, UWinnipeg academics are attracting significantly more research dollars to campus, up from $4.4 million to $7.1 million in the last five years. That is a 60% increase in external research funding flowing through UWinnipeg.
MEDIA CONTACT
Diane Poulin, Communications Officer, The University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7135, E: d.poulin@uwinnipeg.ca
