Establishing and supporting innovative research projects is an important priority for the University of Waterloo. The Canadian Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund has recognized four Faculty of Science researchers to embarking upon research or technology development that is innovative, high quality and meets international standards.
Vivek Maheshwari, Professor in the Department of Chemistry, alongside Professor Kevin Musselman from the Faculty of Engineering was awarded $125,619 for the project Advanced Characterization Facility for Stable Metal Halide Perovskite Materials and Devices. This funding will be used to build infrastructure to enable the research and development of highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells, as per solar power industry standards. The infrastructure is critical for the progression of this technology, as a low-cost photovoltaics are in line with the University of Waterloo’s declaration of the climate emergency.
Prof. Dale Martin (Department of Biology), Prof. Jenine McCutcheon (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences), and Prof. Crystal Senko (Department of Physics and Astronomy), were also awarded funding within the Faculty of Science.
These projects are four of the 21 projects selected for funding at Waterloo. A total of 332 projects were funded province wide though this initiative. This funding helps institutions recruit and retain outstanding researchers, acquire the tools that enable the innovative work of leading researchers and offer research support.
Congratulations, Prof. Maheshwari!