Pierre Berini of the Faculty of Engineering’s School of Information Technology and Engineering is among six rising stars of Canadian research, who recently received an E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship—one of Canada’s premier science and engineering research awards. It is presented each year by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).
The Steacie Fellowship will allow Professor Berini, an electrical engineer, to lead the pack in surface plasmonics, which involves guiding light along metal traces in integrated structures. This technology offers the possibility of creating integrated circuits that work with light rather than electricity. Just as optical fibres can carry far more data than electrical wires, so circuits that use plasmons could increase the capacity of electronic devices. Biosensors and components for optical communications are the principal potential applications of this research.
Professor Berini and his fellow winners will receive additional funding to support their research, and their universities will receive a salary contribution to fund a replacement for the Fellow’s teaching and administrative duties, thus allowing the winners to focus on their research for two years.
