September 24, 2008
University of Waterloo: Two UW Researchers Named to Royal Society of Canada
The director of the University of Waterloo's Institute for Quantum Computing, Raymond Laflamme, has been elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Laflamme, along with UW biology professor Robert Hecky, is among 72 new fellows from across the country for the venerable society this year. Founded in 1882, the RSC is considered Canada's most prestigious scholarly organization. This year's new fellows will be inducted at a ceremony to be held Nov. 15 in Ottawa.
The two new appointees make a total of 65 Waterloo faculty who have been named over the years to Canada's highest academic honour.
"We are are very proud of our two colleagues who have been recognized by the Royal Society of Canada for their outstanding scholarly and scientific achievements," said Amit Chakma, UW's vice-president academic and provost.
Laflamme, who is also a professor of physics, has solved both practical and theoretical problems of fundamental importance to quantum information processing, says the RSC's citation. It adds that he has been a leader in bringing Canada to international prominence in the field. "He elucidated theoretical approaches to quantum error correction, which set the benchmark in this field, and gave the first experimental demonstrations of these techniques."
Hecky is world-renowned for his work on African great lakes and northern reservoirs, says the citation. For more than 30 years he has led international groups investigating the hydrology, chemistry, biology and paleo-ecology of those ecosystems. "His research has led to the development of an excellent research laboratory in Uganda and to the understanding of how climate, land-use and air quality have affected the great lakes of east Africa."
Source: University of Waterloo, Ontario
