ɬŔď·¬ awarded 16 new or renewed Canada Research Chairs
From fundamental physics to child well-being, ɬŔď·¬ researchers advance discovery across disciplinesÂ
ɬŔď·¬ has been awarded $18.1 million in federal funding to support 16 Canada Research Chairs – six new and 10 renewed.
The University’s newly appointed CRCs will drive forward cutting-edge research in fields that include subatomic physics, food science and agricultural chemistry, and counselling psychology. Renewed Chairs will continue vital work in such areas as Parkinson’s disease, bioengineering, data ethics and intergenerational childhood trauma.
“Guided by ɬŔ﷬’s newly launched Strategic Research Plan, our Canada Research Chairs lead ambitious, long‑term research that advances discovery and delivers real‑world benefits for society,” said Dominique BĂ©rubĂ©, Vice‑President, Research and Innovation at ɬŔď·¬. “I congratulate our new and renewed Chairholders and thank the Government of Canada for its continued investment in world‑class research at ɬŔď·¬.”
A new CRC in the Faculty of Science:
, James ɬŔ﷬ Professor in the Department of Physics and newly appointed CRC in Experimental Subatomic Physics is tackling two of the biggest unanswered questions in modern physics: the nature of the Higgs boson and the identity of dark matter.
The Higgs boson is a unique particle that helps explain how matter gets its mass. Vachon’s team is developing new instrumentation for the the High‑Luminosity Large Hadron Collider, the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, which is set to become operational in mid-2030. Using this unique research infrastructure, Vachon’s team aims to make the first direct measurement of how Higgs bosons interact with each other, offering new insight into the origins of mass in the early moments of the universe.
In parallel, in collaboration with Jack Sankey of the Department of Physics, she is pioneering a novel approach to dark matter detection using ultra‑sensitive, supercooled detectors and advanced quantum sensing techniques. Her research program brings together expertise from diverse disciplines to push the boundaries of fundamental science.
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