Friday, September 26, 2014
KINGSTON, ON – The Honourable Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology), announced today the appointment of Gilles Gerbier as the new Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Particle Astrophysics. Dr. Gerbier is one of the world’s foremost particle astrophysicists and comes to Queen’s from the French Atomic Energy Commission in Saclay, France.
There are only 20 CERC positions awarded across Canada. The announcement builds on Queen’s significant depth and international status in physics.
“Queen’s University is a natural home for Dr. Gerbier given our strength in this area,” says Principal Daniel Woolf. “He is not only a perfect match for the university’s research interests, he is an exceptional leader and mentor, and will be a catalyst for future world-leading collaborations.”
The university will receive up to $10 million in funding over seven years to support Dr. Gerbier and his team’s research program. An additional $800,000 for research infrastructure will be provided by the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
Working both at Queen’s and at SNOLAB in Sudbury, Dr. Gerbier is hoping to illuminate some of the mysteries surrounding dark matter. He is pursuing a research program focusing on two core goals: to strengthen Canada’s presence in a North American-European joint partnership searching for low-mass dark matter particles, and to facilitate knowledge-sharing and transfer of expertise between European and Canadian researchers.
Queen’s distinguishes itself as one of the leading research-intensive institutions in Canada. The mission is to advance research excellence, leadership and innovation, as well as enhance Queen’s impact at a national and international level. Through undertaking leading-edge research, Queen’s is addressing many of the world’s greatest challenges, and developing innovative ideas and technological advances brought about by discoveries in a variety of disciplines.
The Canada Excellence Research Chair program is an initative of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
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Media Inquiries:
Anne Craig
613-533-2877
anne.craig@queensu.ca