Four more added to UVic roster of Canada Research Chairs

UVic is experiencing a "brain gain" with last month's announcement that three of its new faculty membersfrom the U.S., Australia and the Netherlandsand one current faculty member are receiving Canada Research Chair appointments.

The renewable award comes in two tiers. Tier-one recipients are considered the "stars of today" and receive $200,000 for seven years, renewable indefinitely. Tier-two recipients are considered the "stars of tomorrow" and are provided with $100,000 over five years, renewable once.

UVic's three new tier-one recipients are:

Dr. Ian Putnam, Canada Research Chair in operator algebras and dynamical systems, is recognized worldwide as a top expert on the interrelation between these two subjects. The UVic mathematician's work will provide insight into mathematical problems that have applications to chaos and information theory, and information technology.

Dr. Cornelis "Case" van Kooten is renowned as a leader in devising effective economic measures for analyzing various aspects of the environment. The economist's position as Canada Research Chair in environmental studies and climate change will allow him to apply his initial focus in two main areas: the economics of climate change, and forest economics and policy analysis. Van Kooten arrives at UVic this fall from the University of Nevada.

Prof. Jeremy Webber is widely recognized as a leading international scholar in the intersecting fields of law, political science and philosophy. As Canada Research Chair in law and society, Webber will examine how communities can flourish in situations of great diversity and what the role of law is in this process. Webber is leaving his post as dean of law at the University of Sydney, Australia, to join UVic's law faculty this fall.

UVic's new tier-two recipient is Dr. Frank van Veggel, Canada Research Chair in supramolecular photonic materials. He's an international leader in this field of research and will use the funding provided by the chair to establish a state-of-the-art research lab for instruments to characterize and design innovative supramolecular photonic materials. He comes to UVic this fall from the University of Twente in the Netherlands.

UVic already has five Canada Research Chairs: Dr. Andrew Weaver (climate modeling and analysis); Dr. Neena Chappell (social gerontology); Dr. Vijay Bhargava (wireless networks); Dr. Taiaiake Alfred (indigenous peoples); and Dr. Colin Bradley (design and computational modeling).

UVic is expected to receive 25 more Canada Research Chairs over the next three years. For more information on the Canada Research Chair program visit www.chairs.gc.ca.