Although quantum mechanics is arguably the most successful physics theory, its implications still challenge our understanding of nature. Indeed, many of the predictions it makes on the outcome of experiments appear to be at odds with our daily experiences. For example, in quantum mechanics the proverbial Schrödinger’s Cat can be both dead and alive at […]

In embryos, cell differentiation occurs via the formation of spatial gradients of molecules called morphogens, which control the expression of a number of target genes determining cell identity. A common model system to study morphogen is the Bicoid gradient, which determine anterio-posterior patterning in the Drosophila fly. Here we propose to apply novel methods in […]

Falling is a significant risk to older adults with approximately 30% of those over 65 years at risk of falling. Advances in portable motion sensor technology such as the Microsoft Kinect have recently been used to detect basic measures of human walking gait. The objective of this internship is to determine the gait measures acquired […]

As a complex species of mollusk, the common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, has a unique physiology with multiple traits, such as their complicated brains that are similar to vertebrates. With these similarities, S. officinalis provides a novel perspective for understanding olfaction. Critical across the animal kingdom, olfaction allows for complex behaviors such as detection of food, […]

Where observations of air pollution are unavailable, e.g. from emissions of future facilities or in remote areas, air pollution is simulated with computer models. These models require input of emissions from nearby sources but also of background concentrations that are caused by sources outside of the modelling domain, because the domain is limited by computational […]

This project is concerned with the development of a novel commercial product for broadband low energy photon detection in the terahertz (THz) spectral range, lying between the traditional microwave and optical regions. Currently available THz detection techniques however are commonly limited to a narrow spectrum, typically below 3-4 THz. This Mitacs Accelerate project is devoted […]

Two out of five Canadians are expected to develop cancer and one out of four Canadians is expected to die from cancer. For treatment of Melanoma, a dangerous skin cancer, plasmonic photo-thermal therapy is applied for precisely localized plasmonic heating of gold nanoparticles to kill cancer. One of the major challenges in heating applications involves […]

The study of particulate matter as it affects health has become major worry for both industrialized and developing nations. I have been collaborating with colleagues in United Arab Emirates (Dubai) who setup a laboratory with the help of the International Atomic Energy Agency to study air pollution. The applied study is promising both in its […]

Solar cells that have been commercialized to date can be divided in two categories: i) high-cost, high-efficiency photovoltaics, prepared from inorganic crystalline materials and ii) low-cost, low-efficiency photovoltaics, prepared from disordered materials. Lowering the cost of solar cells at constant performances or increasing the market areas for solar cells by developing light wight or portable […]

Inspired by the unusual properties of graphene, the search for other 2D materials has unveiled that MoS2 monolayers also offer unusual and spectacular characteristics. In contrast to gapless graphene, MoS2 is perfectly adapted for logic electronics and optoelectronics with a gap of 1.8 eV. In addition, excellent transistor performance, long device lifetime, and high mechanical […]

Single impurity atoms in semiconductor crystals can be spatially resolved and studied individually. Carefully selecting the nature of the impurity and the host material, an impurity center composed of one, two or three atoms can bind electrons and holes, thereby forming an exciton bound to a quantum structure. Although the electronic properties of these atomic-size […]

The summer intern will participate in a project aimed at using single defect centers in diamond to map out the magnetic fields generated by driven ferromagnetic circuits. Nanoscale magnetic circuits are critically important to computer hardware, especially in applications that use ferromagnetic domains to encode information. For example, magnetic random access memory (MRAM) could potentially […]