The Canadian government has named the new and renewed Canada Research Chairs. The research program invests in the innovative work by individuals at post-secondary institutions across the country.

The announcement was made in Edmonton, with the University of Alberta’s Dr. Carlo Montemagno, the new Chair in Intelligent Nanosystems, joining Minister of State (Science and Technology) Ed Holder.

Montemagno’s research involves the engineering of materials that “combine living and non-living elements into new artificial materials and structures that perform lifelike functions.” His work will also look at how greenhouse gases can be reduced by capturing carbon dioxide emissions and converting them into high-value chemicals.

The new and renewed chairs that were announced are located at 33 post-secondary institutions across the country. The government is investing $88.8 million in research across a wide variety of disciplines, including natural sciences, engineering and the humanities.

“Investing in cutting-edge research infrastructure continues to have a transformative impact on Canadian research,” says Dr. Gilles Patry, president and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation. “With the right tools, Canada Research Chairs can make the kinds of advancements in their field that will provide solutions to tomorrow’s challenges.”

The Canada Research Chairs program was created in 2000. There are now more than 1,700 chair holders across the country, at more than 70 post-secondary institutions.

Other new additions to the program include:

• University of British Columbia: Martin Ordonez has been named Chair in Power Converters for Renewable Energy Systems. He will study ways to use technology to enhance renewable energy sources including solar and wind power.
• Queen’s University: Philip Jessop was named the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Chair in Green Chemistry, while Andy Take was named NSERC Chair in Geotechnical Engineering.
• McGill University: Catherine Potvin was named Chair in Climate Change Mitigation and Tropical Forests; Marianne Hatzopoulou was named Chair in Transportation and Air Quality; and Niladri Basu was named Chair in Environmental Health Sciences.