International Search Begins for Permanent Leader for Canada's Nanotechnology Institute

(15 January, 2004 – Edmonton, Alberta) — The hunt for the person who will guide Canada’s flagship nanotechnology research institute began this week. The National Research Council (NRC) officially began the search for a permanent Director General for the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) in Edmonton, Alberta. Candidates will be sought from academic and industrial research programs around the world. Screening criteria will stress both scientific achievement in a nanotechnology-related field and significant experience in managing research and development programs and technology transfer.

In announcing this competition, NRC President Dr. Arthur Carty described the suitable candidate as “having significant scientific credibility coupled with the vision and managerial experience to take us from the development stage to one of the top nanotechnology institutes in the world. Recruiting a talented Director General to lead the institute’s strategic and operational planning will be crucial to the success of this joint initiative with the University of Alberta in the years ahead.”

The first deadline for applications is March 10, 2004. It is expected that the new Director-General will be in place by this summer, but the competition will continue until a qualified candidate is found. The selection committee will include representatives from NINT’s three funding partners: NRC; the Government of Alberta; and the University of Alberta.

The successful candidate will replace Dr. Janusz Lusztyk who has been NINT’s Acting Director-General since October 2003.

A full job description is available at www.nint.ca. For more information, please visit the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca, or contact:

Shannon Jones
National Institute for Nanotechnology
National Research Council
Tel: (780) 492-8636
Email: Shannon.Jones@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

Nathalie Gour
National Research Council
Tel: (613) 990-6091
Email: Nathalie.Gour@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

Glenn Guenther
Alberta Innovation and Science
Tel: (780) 427-0285
Email: glenn.guenther@gov.ab.ca

Lee Elliott
University of Alberta
Tel: (780) 492-0441
Email: lee.elliott@ualberta.ca

Backgrounder

Created in 2001, the National Institute for Nanotechnology is an integrated, multidisciplinary research institution involving researchers in physics, chemistry, engineering, biology, informatics, pharmacy and medicine. Funded by the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta and operated as a partnership of the National Research Council of Canada and the University of Alberta, it will carry out advanced research and foster innovation in support of a new generation of nanotechnology-based firms.

A permanent home for the Institute is currently under construction on the University of Alberta campus. The $40 million building will be one of the world’s most technologically advanced research facilities and will house laboratory space that will be the quietest in Canada. Optimal conditions for nano-scale research require, “quiet” lab space having ultra-low vibration and minimal acoustical noise or electro-magnetic interference. When the move to the new building is complete, NINT’s staff will grow from the current 50 to more than 120.

Nanotechnology involves developing new materials and processes by manipulating molecular and atomic particles. A nanometre is a billionth of a metre, that is, about 1/80,000 of the diameter of a human hair, or 10 times the diameter of a hydrogen atom.