Queen’s University is welcoming the appointment of a new Canada Excellence Research Chair, with a focus on nuclear materials and the impact of radiation.
The announcement was made on Friday and will see a U.S.-based scientist and researcher joining the Kingston-based university. Yanwen Zhang was tapped for the position, with the program running for eight years. In a media release, the university said Zhang will begin her new role in the spring semester this year.
Nancy Ross, vice-president of research at the university, said the move is valuable and will add to the work already being done in the nuclear field at the university.
“(Zhang) will come into a group that is already at the forefront of the work in the field internationally. It will just be tremendous team here working on the forefront of nuclear material science,” Ross said, adding that the program will touch on how best to move the nuclear materials industry forward in ways that lead to building safer and longer lasting nuclear reactors.
“Nuclear reactor systems support approximately 15 per cent of Canada’s overall energy production. In Ontario, that number is (at) 60 per cent, and demand for nuclear energy is growing,” the university said in a release.
“The deployment of safer, longer-lasting production facilities, however, hinges on advancing our understanding of how alloys perform in nuclear reactor components….”
Aside from Zhang, the university also appointed a Canada Excellence Research Chair to look into the field of immunophysiology and materials research. Paul Kubes was appointed as the chair in November last year.