2017 Medal Winners | francais

PRESS RELEASE / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The 2017 CAP Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Industrial and Applied Physics

is awarded to

Simon Fafard

"I am much honored to be recognized by the Canadian physics community with the CAP Medal for Outstanding Achievement. Realizing successful applications in Industrial and Applied Physics is rewarding in itself. I feel very privileged to receive this award and I hope it inspires others to work hard in this area." winner citation

The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) is pleased to announce that the 2017 CAP Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Industrial and Applied Physics is awarded to Simon Fafard, Université de Sherbrooke, in recognition of for his new developments covering 20 years of research in applied solid state Physics, coupled with his strong efforts in commercializing these through patents and the establishment of his own companies. announcement

A professor at the Université de Sherbrooke and an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Simon Fafard's research focuses on advanced optoelectronics at the International Joint Unit "Laboratoire Nanotechnologies Nanosystèmes (LN2)" (CNRS, France/Université de Sherbrooke) and the "Institut Interdisciplinaire d'Innovation Technologique (3IT)" (Université de Sherbrooke). He is also President of Azastra Opto in Ottawa and Director of Scientific Partnerships for the "MiQro Innovation Collaborative Center (C2MI)", linking applied research and the rapid commercialization of microelectronic products. An expert in nanostructures, heterostructures, III-V semiconductor epitaxy, and optoelectronic devices, Dr. Fafard has led numerous key scientific contributions and technological innovations in the fields of material and renewable energy, with publications in prestigious scientific journals such as Science and Nature.

Dr. Fafard is the inventor of over 30 patents and the founder of various companies involved with solar energy and optoelectronic devices. He has raised over $20M of private and venture capital funding in addition to numerous research grants. Dr. Fafard is a recognized pioneer in nanostructures with a vast experience at the forefront of innovation, device development, and commercialization for various photonic and optoelectronic applications. This helped Cyrium Technologies become a lead developer and manufacturer of one of the highest performance multijunction III-V solar cells and, more recently, has led Azastra to manufacture the highest performance III-V phototransducer products. This recent breakthrough, featuring the highest optical to electrical conversion efficiency ever for any type of devices, is now being presented at several invited international presentations.

As an entrepreneur, Dr. Fafard cumulates over 25 years of experience in optoelectronics and photonics, developing and commercializing numerous semiconductor devices and products in the industry at Azastra, Aton, Cyrium, Alcatel Optronics, Kymata, and also in research labs at Université de Sherbrooke, the National Research Council Canada and the University of California, Santa Barbara. nominator citation

The CAP Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Industrial and Applied Physics (formerly the Prize for Innovative Applied Physics of the CAP's Division of Industrial and Applied Physics) is intended to recognize and promote the creativity of scientists working in Canada in the area of industrial and applied physics, and to particularly recognize the successful application of physical principles to the creation of practical innovations, as demonstrated (for example) by novel/commercializable products or processes, and/or patents. This medal was established in 1991 and has been awarded biennially since.

Dr. Fafard will be presented with his medal at the Recognition Reception at Queen's University on Thursday, June 1, 2017. The Awards Reception is the closing event of the CAP Congress hosted by Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, from May 29-June 1. Please refer to the Congress program (http://www.cap.ca/en/congress/2017) for the schedule of plenary talks by CAP medal winners. medal description

ABOUT the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP)

The Canadian Association of Physicists, founded in 1945, is a professional association representing over 1600 individual physicists and physics students in Canada, the U.S. and overseas, as well as a number of Corporate, Institutional, and Departmental Members. In addition to its learned activities, the CAP, through its charitable arm - the CAP Foundation, also undertakes a number of activities intended to encourage students to pursue a career in physics. cap description

joint description

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For more information, please contact:

Mrs. Francine Ford, Executive Director
Canadian Association of Physicists
Tel: 613-562-5614
E-mail: execdir@cap.ca
www.cap.cacap contact and joint contact