Canada Research Chairs Program
A Wireless World
New mobile smart devices, like cell phones that surf the Net, are all the rage. More and more people want one and that's going to be a problem, says wireless researcher Dr Norman Beaulieu.
"Today's wireless technology won't be able to handle the exponential growth in the number of users and the growing bandwidth demand per user," he explains. "RandD is vital."
Beaulieu's particular research interest is interference — the "waterfall" noise on your digital cell phone that not only disrupts conversations but can wreak havoc with data transmission. He is investigating ways to predict interference, which could then open the possibility of eliminating interference completely.
"The approach is highly mathematical," says Beaulieu. "We believe we can come up with practical solutions, but it's not always true that what you can do mathematically you can do in reality. These are the risks of research.and part of the excitement."
Norman Beaulieu
Canada Research Chair, Tier 1
and iCORE Chair
; "Dr Doug Wong-Wylie")
The Canada Research Chairs Program was established in 2000 by the federal government to enable Canadian universities to create outstanding research opportunities that would attract the global research stars of today and tomorrow. A key objective of the program is to enable Canadian universities, as well as their affiliated research institutes and hospitals, to foster research productivity and enhance their role as world-class centres of excellence. The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) are all involved in the governance of the Canadian Research Chairs Program.
; "Sean Caulfield")
There are two levels of Canadian Research Chairs (CRC): A Tier 1 CRC recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of a senior scholar who is a world leader in his or her field, while a Tier 2 CRC supports the work of an emerging scholar with the potential to become an international leader in his or her discipline. Grants for the Chairs are provided by SSHRC, NSERC or CIHR, depending on the researcher's field.
The program is in the process of establishing 2000 new federally funded professorships in universities across Canada by 2008.
; "Dr Jack Jhamandas")
Over 100 Canada Research Chairs have been awarded to the University of Alberta in recognition of its continuing excellence in research.