Queen’s University has announced that it will partner with Carleton University and six other Canadian universities and five organizations to create the Canadian Particle Astrophysics Research Centre (CPARC) supported by an investment of $63.7 million from the Government of Canada’s Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF).
The new centre aims to attract top talent and build on Canada’s position as a leader in the field. Carleton will create two new faculty positions and support related graduate work and research infrastructure using its share of CPARC funding.
“Carleton is committed to continuing to build a culture of research excellence by actively supporting the collaborative efforts of our researchers and contributing to national initiatives,” said Nimal Rajapakse, vice-president (Research and International). “Due to its collaborative nature and the creativity and diligent work of the researchers, CPARC will drive Carleton’s global reputation in the area of particle physics.”
Carleton’s David Sinclair (left) attends a celebration of the new federal funding at Queen’s University.
The centre will be headquartered at Queen’s, with members located at seven affiliated Canadian universities, including Carleton. The centre will also partner with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), the Institute of Particle Physics (IPP), the Perimeter Institute, SNOLAB and TRIUMF.
Through its new and existing partnerships, the centre will be involved in many of the world’s leading dark matter (PICO, NEWS, SuperCDMS and DEAP-3600) and neutrino physics (EXO, SNO+ and Majorana) experiments. These partnerships will allow researchers to extract maximum scientific output from the current suite of SNOLAB experiments.
In addition to its primary research aims, the centre will also provide more opportunities for industry partnerships which will benefit the nuclear, mining and medical industries, among others. It will also provide new opportunities for students at all stages of their careers, developing their skills and creating training opportunities through linkages to colleges, industries and international programs.
Particle physics is a strategic area of growth for Carleton. Its commitment to this program has been longstanding and will continue to be a pillar of the university’s strategic planning. Canada is currently in an enviable position, with world-leading facilities and research programs that received the highest possible accolades. The university co-shared the 2016 Breakthrough Prize, among others.
Wednesday, September 7, 2016 in Astrophysics, Faculty of Science, Research
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