NSERC Recognizes Winners of Canada’s Top Prize for New Ph.D.'s in Science and Engineering

June 12, 2006 – Dr. Suzanne Fortier, President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), yesterday presented silver medals to the four 2006 winners of the NSERC prizes for top doctoral research in science and engineering. Nominations for these doctoral prizes come from across Canada. Winners also receive a cash award of $10,000.

“These awards recognize some of Canada’s new research stars,” said Dr. Fortier. “They are individuals who have already demonstrated a high level of accomplishment at an early stage of their career. I am certain that we will continue hearing about the great things they accomplish in the years to come.”

The winners are:

• Dr. Behzad Akbarpour, currently a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge in the U.K., is a pioneer in the development of mathematical reasoning techniques to verify electronic computer chips that integrate complex signal processing algorithms. Dr. Akbarpour receives his prize for work completed at Concordia University under the supervision of Dr. Sofiène Tahar. Contact Dr. Akbarpour at 44 1223 763 732 or ba265@cl.cam.ac.uk.
• Dr. Yonghong Bing, currently at Simon Fraser University (SFU), has broken new ground with her work on piezo-electric crystals – materials that produce electric currents when squeezed, and which are used for sensors/actuators and other electromechanical devices in a variety of applications, such as ultrasound imaging and diagnostics, vibration suppression, precision machine tool control, and undersea communication. Dr. Bing receives her prize for work completed at SFU under the supervision of Dr. Zuo-Guang Ye. Contact Dr. Bing at (604) 291-5588 or ybinga@sfu.ca.
• Dr. Jeffrey Coull, currently at McGill University, has made exciting discoveries in the mechanisms that cause neuropathic pain, that is, pain caused by inflamed or damaged nerves. Dr. Coull receives his prize for work completed at McGill under the supervision of Dr. Yves De Koninck. Contact Dr. Coull at (416) 550-1410 or jcoull@chlorion.com.
• Dr. Brent Doiron, currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at New York University, performed groundbreaking research in developing mathematical models of feedback connections in the nervous system to elucidate the role of neural feedback in sensory perception. Dr. Doiron receives his prize for work completed at the University of Ottawa under the supervision of Dr. André Longtin and Dr. Leonard Maler. Contact Dr. Doiron at (212) 998-7775 or bdoiron@cns.nyu.edu.

The NSERC Doctoral Prizes were presented in the company of NSERC Council on June 11 in Ottawa.