Clerk, Pai named to RSC’s College of New Scholars
The 91 members, nominated by 51 Canadian universities and the National Research Council, represent the emerging generation of scholarly, scientific and artistic leadership in Canada.
Clerk, Associate Professor of Physics and a Tier-II Canada Research Chair, is a leading theoretical physicist active in the area of engineered quantum systems, and in particular the relatively new fields of quantum electromechanics and optomechanics. His research helped establish the basic theoretical language used to describe measurement, control and dissipation in quantum optomechanical systems, where light interacts with mechanical motion in quantum regimes. He was the recipient of an Alfred P. Sloan fellowship in 2007, and an NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship in 2014.
"I am honoured and humbled to have my work recognized by the RSC, and am looking forward to interacting with and learning from other members of the College," Prof. Clerk said.
Pai is the Director of McGill’s Global Health Programs, Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, and Associate Director of McGill’s International TB Centre. He is also a is also a member of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC). His research is focused mainly on improving the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, especially in high-burden countries like India and South Africa. In addition to his academic appointments, he serves as a Consultant for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Geneva.
“As a physician and a global health researcher, I am hoping to learn from the diverse, interdisciplinary membership of the College,” Prof. Pai said.
“McGill is extremely proud to have Professors Clerk and Pai included among the foundational members of The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists,” said Dr. Rosie Goldstein, Vice-Principal, Research and International Relations. “As Members, they will have the opportunity to draw upon the expertise of their RSC colleagues to maximise their leadership potential, and advance both scholarly thinking and practice by generating new insight, and provoking debate.”
The presentation for this first cohort will take place on Friday, Nov. 21 at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City, with a banquet to follow.
The Royal Society of Canada last week named 90 new Fellows, including four McGill scholars from the Faculties of Science and Medicine. Professors Nigel Roulet, Peter S. McPherson, Constantin Polychronakos and Daniel Wise will be inducted to the RSC on Saturday, Nov. 22 in Quebec City. They join the more than 150 McGill-affiliated Fellows inducted since 1966.
