Organization: Univ of Alberta

Canadian institutions rank well in postdoc survey

Four Canadian institutions ranked in the top 10 non-US institutions as the best place to work for post doctoral students in the life sciences, according to a recent survey by The Scientist. Institutions that made the top 10 are: Dalhousie Univ (#4), Mount Sinai Hospital (#6), Univ of Calgary (#38) and Univ of Alberta (#10).…

U of A researchers develop low-power chip

Researchers at the Univ of Alberta have developed a computer chip that uses 100 times less energy than current leading-edge chips. The chip uses new a new method of processing digital data called analog decoding, which uses very low levels of power to execute its detection algorithm analog processing technology. The research was conducted at…

Imperial Oil funds oil sands research centre

Imperial Oil Ltd is contributing $10 million over five years to establish the Imperial Oil Centre for Oil Sands Innovation at the Univ of Alberta. The contribution – dubbed an investment – is the largest ever made by the firm to a university and is the largest single cash commitment ever made to the U…

WD invests in Alberta nanotechnology

Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) is investing $5.4 million in nanotechnology at the Univ of Alberta to create a Centre of Excellence in Integrated NanoTools, purchase new equipment for the NanoFabrication Facility and undertake applied research to develop cost-effective alloy materials. The new research capacity will allow the U of A to develop a critical…

Alberta Ingenuity funds water research centre

The Alberta Ingenuity (AI) fund has awarded $7.5 million over five years to create the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Water Research. The new Centre builds on water research expertise at the province’s three major universities in studies and applications related to the health of freshwater systems. The research is also expected to be of benefit…

U of A hires facilitators to tackle admin overload

The Univ of Alberta is using a portion of its new funding for the indirect costs of research to reduce the administrative burden associated with grant applications. The U of A has already hired six of 10 research facilitators to be located within specific faculties. They are part of a larger plan to overcome challenges…

Researchers gain access to low-cost microfluidic chips

The Canadian Microelectronics Corp has entered an agreement with Edmonton-based Micralyne Inc to enable access to microfluidic technology by university researchers across Canada. Under the agreement, CMC acts as a broker between university faculty and Micralyne, and assumes the costs associated with the design of customized microfluidic microchips. These chips, which allow minute volumes of…

NRC’s CBR named Sun Centre of Excellence

The National Research Council’s Canadian Bioinformatics Resource (CBR) has been selected as a Sun Centre of Excellence in Distributed Informatics, reflecting the Halifax-based facility’s long-standing relationship with Sun Microsystems of Canada Inc, Markham ON.The two organizations are creating a grid computing network powered by Sun technology, building upon CBR’s initial acquisition of Sun hardware and…

Nanotechnology institute names first staff members

The National Institute of Nanotechnology (NINT) – a joint venture between the National Research Council, Government of Alberta and the Univ of Alberta (U of A) – has appointed the first researchers to its staff. Six professors from the U of A have been cross-appointed giving them equal status at both organizations. And a professor…

CFI funds new researchers and infrastructure

The Canada Foundation for Innovation has announced awards of more than $22 million for new university faculty and operating funds for research infrastructure. Under the New Opportunities Fund (NOF), $17 million was awarded to 27 universities for 98 projects, bringing funds committed under the program to more than $300 million. NOF allocates funds to universities…